UCF Knights vs Texas Longhorns Prediction, 1/17/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Texas Longhorns

Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Location: Moody Center in Austin, TX

TV: Longhorn Network

The Texas Longhorns (12-4) will take on the UCF Knights (10-5) at Moody Center on Wednesday.

The UCF Knights took the court against BYU and went home with a loss by a final score of 63-58 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Knights finished with 18 and BYU finished the game with 22 fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 26 attempts from downtown. BYU shot 70.6% from the charity stripe by making 12 of 17 tries. Furthermore, BYU grabbed 32 rebounds (4 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. BYU earned 12 dimes and had 3 steals in the matchup. In the matter of defense, UCF allowed 40.4% from the field on 21 out of 52 shooting. They also dished out 6 dimes in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they collected 41 with 15 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Knights buried 21 of 33 attempts for a rate of 63.6%. UCF walked away from the contest having earned a 29.3% FG percentage (17 out of 58) and converted 3 of their 18 shots from distance.

Darius Johnson is a guy who was a factor in this contest. He finished the game shooting 33.3% from the floor and also earned 2 dimes. He saw the court for 38 minutes played and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He ended up scoring 18 points on 6 of 18 shooting.

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UCF comes into this matchup with a mark of 10-5 this year. They have an average of 74.5 points per outing (189th in Division 1) while going 42.1% from the field. The Knights are shooting 31.6% on shots from beyond the arc (106 of 335) and 68.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, UCF is pulling in 39.9 boards per game and has tallied 184 assists this season, which ranks 330th in D-1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 12.9 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 17.6 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Knights have forced 16.5 turnovers per game and they draw 18.9 fouls. They give up 31.9% from 3-point land and they rank 36th in Division 1 in opponents points per game (64.7). The Knights are giving up a FG percentage of 39.8% (324 of 815) and they surrender 34.3 boards per contest as a squad. They are ranked 57th in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 182 surrendered so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the Texas Longhorns went home defeated by a final of 76-73 against West Virginia. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Texas permitted West Virginia to pull down 31 overall (10 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 41.2% from three-point range by shooting 7 of 17 and ended up shooting 27 out of 41 from the free throw line (65.9%). The Longhorns allowed West Virginia to knock down 21 of their 47 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 44.7% in this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Longhorns finished shooting 24 for 53 from the floor which had them sitting at 45.3%. In relation to shooting from distance, Texas converted 9 out of 22 tries (40.9%). They were able to make 16 of those for a percentage of 76.2%. West Virginia was called for 15 fouls in this game which got the Longhorns to the free throw line for a total of 21 tries. They turned the ball over 21 times, while earning 9 steals in the game. The Longhorns were able to pull down 22 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 31 for this game.

Max Abmas pitched in for the Longhorns for the game. He made 9 out of 17 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 52.9%, and had 2 rebounds. He earned 32 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and had 3 dimes in the game.

Texas has a win-loss record of 12-4 for the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Longhorns are connecting on 48.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 38th in the country. Texas has tallied 1,243 points on the year (77.7 per game) and they average 37.1 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.8 times per game (61st in college basketball) and they turn it over 12.7 times per game. The Longhorns commit 17.3 fouls every game and they connect on 74.3% from the charity stripe.

The Longhorns on the defensive side of the court are 73rd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 66.4. They are able to force 13.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.8% from the field (68th in college hoops). The Texas defense gives up 33.8% on three-point shots (100 of 296) and their opponents are converting on 67.9% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 10.9 assists and 33.4 boards per contest, which ranks 48th and 105th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

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