Houston Cougars vs UCF Knights Prediction, 3/6/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs UCF Knights

Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The UCF Knights (15-13) welcome the Houston Cougars (26-3) at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday.

The Houston Cougars took the court against Oklahoma and walked away with a win by a score of 87-85 in their last contest. Houston ended having earned a 56.7% FG percentage (34 of 60) and made 10 out of their 19 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Cougars converted 9 of 11 shots for a percentage of 81.8%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they earned 22 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 13 assists in this contest while forcing 8 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In relation to the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 52.7% from the field on 29 out of 55 shooting. Oklahoma doled out 15 assists and had 4 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Oklahoma snagged 27 boards (8 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Oklahoma finished shooting 83.3% when shooting free throws by converting 15 of 18 attempts. They converted 12 out of their 25 tries from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Cougars ended up walking away with 18 while Oklahoma finished the game with 12 fouls.

LJ Cryer is a guy who was important for the contest. He walked away with 23 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He was on the court for 40 mins played but had no rebounds when the time ran out. He shot 52.9% from the field and recorded 2 assists.

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Houston will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 26-3 so far this season. They are averaging 74.4 points per outing (159th in D-1) while going 43.8% from the floor. The Cougars are shooting 34.8% on shots from beyond the arc (219 of 630) and 69.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Houston is pulling in 38.2 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 379 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 210th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 8.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 18.0 fouls per game.

On defense, the Cougars have forced 16.0 turnovers per game and they draw 16.3 fouls. They are giving up 30.7% from 3-point land while they are 1st in college hoops in points per game allowed (57.2). The Cougars defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 38.3% (551 of 1,440) and they concede 33.3 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are 68th in D-1 in allowing assists with 336 surrendered for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the UCF Knights went home defeated by a final of 60-52 against Iowa State. In regard to cleaning the glass, UCF permitted Iowa State to pull down 25 in total (6 offensive). They finished the game shooting 23.8% from downtown by going 5 of 21 and finished the game at 13 out of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). The Knights permitted Iowa State to make 21 out of 46 attempts from the field which left them with a rate of 45.7% for this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Knights ended up shooting 20 out of 47 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.6%. When talking about shots from 3-point land, UCF converted 1 out of 19 tries (5.3%). They were able to convert 11 of the free throws for a clip of 61.1%. Iowa State earned 18 personal fouls for this game which got the Knights to the free throw line for a total of 18 attempts. They also turned it over 20 times, while recording 10 steals for this contest. The Knights collected 16 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the game.

Darius Johnson ended up being important for the Knights for this game. He converted 6 out of 11 for the matchup giving him a rate of 54.5%, and totaled 1 rebound. He racked up 20 points in his 24 mins on the hardwood and added 3 dimes for the game.

UCF has a mark of 15-13 for the season. When it comes to offense, the Knights are hitting on 41.8% from the floor, which is ranked 314th in the nation. UCF has tallied 2,001 pts so far this year (71.5 per contest) and they pull in 37.8 boards per game. They are earning an assist 11.6 times per contest (301st in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per contest. The Knights commit 18.1 fouls every game and they go 70.4% from the charity stripe.

The UCF defense gives up 32.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (190 of 585) and opponents are connecting on 73.5% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.8 dimes and 34.6 boards per game, which is 164th and 171st in college hoops. The Knights on the defensive end are ranked 44th in college basketball in PPG surrendered with 66.6. They are forcing their opponents into 14.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.7% from the field (34th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

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