Kansas Jayhawks vs UCF Knights Prediction, 1/5/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kansas Jayhawks vs UCF Knights

Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN+

Addition Financial Arena is the site where the UCF Knights (10-2) will take on the Kansas Jayhawks (9-3) on Sunday.

The Kansas Jayhawks faced West Virginia and went home with a loss by a final score of 62-61 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Jayhawks walked away with 9 while West Virginia accumulated 16 fouls. They also converted 6 out of their 20 attempts from downtown. West Virginia shot 66.7% at the free throw line by converting 4 of 6 tries. Moreover, West Virginia pulled down 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. West Virginia dished out 18 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. With respect to the defense, Kansas allowed the other team to shoot 43.3% from the floor on 26 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 10 assists for this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and earning 3 steals. Regarding pulling down rebounds, they collected 31 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Jayhawks converted 19 of their 21 tries for a rate of 90.5%. Kansas wrapped up the contest having earned a 38.8% FG percentage (19 out of 49) and knocked down 4 of their 16 3-pointers.

Zeke Mayo is a guy who came through in this matchup. He recorded 27 points on 6 out of 13 shooting. He played 36 mins played and also collected 2 boards. He finished the contest at 46.2% from the field and earned 2 assists.

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Kansas comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 9-3 for the season. They are averaging 77.7 points per outing (131st in the country) while going 49.1% from the field. The Jayhawks are hitting 34.8% on three-point attempts (86 of 247) and 74.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, Kansas is snagging 37.8 rebounds per game and is sitting with 217 dimes for the year, which ranks 90th in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.3 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 14.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Jayhawks are forcing 11.6 turnovers every game and they draw 13.8 personal fouls. They are conceding 30.3% on shots from downtown and they rank 57th in Division 1 in PPG from their opponents (65.7). The Jayhawks defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 39.0% (274 of 703) and they concede 32.8 boards per contest as a squad. They rank 36th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 139 relinquished for the campaign.

In their last game, the UCF Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 87-83 when they played Texas Tech. The Knights corralled 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 30 for this contest. They turned the ball over 14 times, while getting 4 steals in this matchup. Texas Tech had 17 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 22 shots. They were able to convert 19 of the free throws for a clip of 86.4%. In the matter of shots from distance, UCF made 10 of their 23 tries (43.5%). Overall, the Knights finished the game shooting 29 for 56 from the floor which gave them a rate of 51.8%. The Knights permitted Texas Tech to knock down 33 out of 72 attempts from the floor which had them at 45.8% in this matchup. They finished shooting 18.8% from distance by shooting 3 of 16 and ended up going 14 of 18 from the free throw line (77.8%). In relation to attacking the glass, UCF allowed Texas Tech to get 29 overall (11 on the offensive side).

Darius Johnson ended up being a major contributor for the Knights for the matchup. He had 24 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and tallied 4 assists for this contest. He converted 7 out of 10 for this contest giving him a rate of 70.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

UCF has a record of 10-2 for the season. As an offense, the Knights are hitting on 44.2% from the field, which ranks 236th in the nation. UCF has accounted for 976 pts this season (81.3 per game) and they pull down 38.3 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.2 times per contest (120th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.7 times per contest. The Knights have committed 16.8 fouls every game and they shoot 77.9% from the charity stripe.

The UCF defense surrenders 33.1% on 3-point attempts (96 of 290) and their opponents are making 72.1% of their free throw attempts. They concede 13.2 dimes and 36.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 196th and 278th in the country. The Knights on the defensive side of the court are 273rd in college in PPG surrendered with 74.8. They are able to force 14.4 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (143rd in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Kansas

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