Houston Cougars vs UCF Knights Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs UCF Knights

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: CBSSN

Addition Financial Arena is the site where the UCF Knights (12-4) will take on the Houston Cougars (13-3) on Saturday.

The Houston Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against West Virginia and went home with a win by a final score of 70-54 in their last game. Houston walked away from the contest having earned a 49.0% field goal percentage (25 out of 51) and buried 11 of their 26 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Cougars converted 9 of 12 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. With respect to getting rebounds, they earned 30 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 11 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 6 steals. In the matter of the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 44.2% from the field on 19 out of 43 shooting. West Virginia distributed 10 assists and had 5 steals in this contest. Furthermore, West Virginia totaled 17 boards (3 offensive, 14 defensive), but didn't notch a block. West Virginia shot 63.6% at the free throw line by converting 7 of 11 attempts. They knocked down 9 out of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Cougars ended up finishing with 11 and West Virginia totaled 17 fouls.

J'Wan Roberts is a player who was a factor in this game. He finished the game at 76.9% from the floor and earned 1 assist. He played for 34 mins played and collected 3 rebounds. He ended up scoring 22 points on 10 of 13 shooting.

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Houston enters this one with a record of 13-3 so far this season. They are giving up possession 9.3 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.4 fouls per game. As a team, Houston is snagging 38.0 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 215 dimes so far this season, which ranks 270th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are shooting 41.5% on three-point attempts (145 of 349) and 74.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 76.6 points per outing (142nd in college hoops) while going 46.2% from the field.

Defensively, the Cougars are able to force 14.4 turnovers every game and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 12th in college in giving up assists with 160 conceded on the season. The Cougars defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 35.2% (284 of 807) and they relinquish 30.8 boards per contest as a squad. They concede 29.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 1st in college in PPG allowed (54.2).

The last time they took the court, the UCF Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 95-89 when they faced Arizona State. With respect to how they attacked the glass, UCF permitted Arizona State to grab 28 in total (6 offensive). They finished the game shooting 50.0% from distance via 12 of 24 and ended up going 17 out of 26 at the charity stripe (65.4%). The Knights allowed Arizona State to make 30 of 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.6% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Knights shot 33 for 65 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.8%. Regarding shots from beyond the perimeter, UCF converted 12 out of their 26 attempts (46.2%). They were able to knock down 17 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 81.0%. Arizona State was called for 23 personal fouls for the game which got the Knights to the charity stripe for 21 tries. They turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 7 steals for this game. The Knights were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 29 for this game.

Keyshawn Hall ended up being a factor for the Knights for the game. He made 13 out of 18 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 72.2%, and had 7 rebounds. He recorded 40 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 6 assists for the matchup.

UCF has a record of 12-4 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Knights are shooting 42.3% from the floor, which ranks 302nd in college. UCF has accounted for 1,274 pts this year (79.6 per game) and they pull down 37.4 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.9 times per contest (118th in college) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. The Knights are responsible for committing 17.1 fouls per game and they connect on 77.2% from the charity stripe.

The UCF defense concedes 35.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (133 of 373) and their opponents are making 72.4% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 14.9 assists and 37.7 boards per game, which ranks them 300th and 318th in college hoops. The Knights are ranked 322nd in D-1 in points allowed per game with 77.9. They are able to force 14.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the floor (244th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UCF

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