UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The UCF Knights (11-5) are en route to Fertitta Center on Saturday where they will play the Houston Cougars (15-2).

The UCF Knights took the court against Texas and notched a win by a score of 77-71 in their last contest. UCF ended the contest having earned a 50.9% FG percentage (29 out of 57) and converted 7 out of their 23 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Knights knocked down 12 of their 15 shots for a percentage of 80.0%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they earned 34 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 14 assists for the matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When it comes to defense, UCF allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 27 of 54 shooting. Texas earned 17 assists and had 10 steals for the contest. Moreover, Texas totaled 20 boards (3 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Texas ended up shooting 58.3% at the charity stripe by burying 7 of 12 shots. They also buried 10 out of their 26 tries from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Knights finished with 14 while Texas accumulated 13 personal fouls.

Jaylin Sellers is a guy who came through in the matchup. He notched 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes and also pulled down 5 boards. He finished 58.3% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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UCF enters this one with a win-loss record of 11-5 so far this season. They are turning it over 13.0 times per contest and as a basketball team they are committing 17.4 fouls per game. As a unit, UCF is grabbing 39.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 198 assists on the year, which ranks 312th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Knights are hitting 31.6% on 3-point shots (113 of 358) and 69.3% from the free throw line. They average 74.7 points per outing (184th in college basketball) while connecting on 42.6% from the field.

Defensively, the Knights are forcing 16.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.6 fouls. They give up 32.4% on 3-pointers while they are 38th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (65.1). The Knights defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 40.4% (351 of 869) and they concede 33.6 boards per contest as a basketball team. They are 95th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 199 relinquished this season.

When they last played, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 77-54 when they played Texas Tech. The Cougars pulled down 25 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 36 for this contest. They gave up possession 6 times, while earning 9 steals in the game. Texas Tech had 9 fouls in this game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 3 attempts. They were able to knock down 3 of the free throws for a percentage of 100.0%. In terms of shots from 3-point land, Houston converted 8 of their 17 attempts (47.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars shot 33 out of 63 from the floor which had them shooting 52.4%. The Cougars allowed Texas Tech to convert 18 of 49 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.7% for this game. They shot 40.7% from 3-point land by shooting 11 of 27 and finished the contest at 7 of 15 from the free throw line (46.7%). When it comes to rebounding, Houston permitted Texas Tech to collect 26 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Jamal Shead pitched in for the Cougars for this game. He converted 12 of 16 in this game giving him a rate of 75.0%, and added 4 rebounds. He accumulated 29 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and earned 10 assists in this game.

Houston has a record of 15-2 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are shooting 44.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 197th in D-1. Houston has tallied 1,273 points for the campaign (74.9 per contest) and they average 40.3 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 13.8 times per contest (160th in college basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.2 times per contest. The Cougars are committing 18.1 personal fouls every game while shooting 67.2% from the charity stripe.

The Houston defense gives up 28.4% on 3-point attempts (97 of 341) and opponents are connecting on 62.5% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 11.1 dimes and 32.1 total rebounds per game, which is 55th and 50th in those categories. The Cougars are ranked 2nd in the country in PPG given up with 51.5. They have forced 16.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 35.3% from the field (2nd in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

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