UCF Knights vs Baylor Bears Prediction, 2/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Baylor Bears

Date: Saturday, February 8, 2025

Location: Foster Pavilion in Waco, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Baylor Bears (14-8) are welcoming the UCF Knights (13-9) at Foster Pavilion on Saturday.

The UCF Knights stepped onto the hardwood against Cincinnati and took a loss by a score of 93-83 in their last contest. UCF walked away from the contest with a 47.8% field goal percentage (32 of 67) and buried 5 of 22 shots from 3-point land. When they shot from the free throw line, the Knights made 14 of 18 shots for a rate of 77.8%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they collected 36 with 16 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 13 assists for the game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In reference to defense, UCF allowed their opponent to shoot 58.5% from the floor on 38 out of 65 shooting. Cincinnati distributed 18 assists and had 9 steals for this game. Moreover, Cincinnati grabbed 25 rebounds (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Cincinnati walked away from this one shooting 63.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 12 of 19 tries. They also knocked down 5 of 16 shots from 3-point land. Concerning personal fouls, the Knights walked away with 18 and Cincinnati racked up 18 personal fouls.

Keyshawn Hall is a guy who was important for the game. He shot 44.4% from the field and recorded 3 dimes. He played for 37 minutes played and also pulled down 7 boards. He recorded 23 points on 8 out of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

UCF will play this contest with a mark of 13-9 on the campaign. They are giving up possession 12.3 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UCF is grabbing 37.0 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 321 assists this season, which has them ranked 164th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Knights are hitting 34.4% on shots from 3-point land (195 of 567) and 77.8% from the charity stripe. They average 79.8 pts per game (57th in D-1) while connecting on 42.2% from the field.

Defensively, the Knights have forced 13.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.1 fouls. They surrender 35.0% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 341st in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (79.4). The Knights defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.2% (633 of 1,400) and they surrender 38.3 boards per game as a squad. They are 278th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 326 conceded for the campaign.

In their last game, the Baylor Bears took a loss by a final score of 73-59 when they played Texas Tech. The Bears were able to collect 26 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 36 in this contest. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. Texas Tech was called for 15 fouls in this contest which got the Bears to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. When talking about 3-point attempts, Baylor knocked down 5 out of 18 attempts (27.8%). When this game wrapped up, the Bears shot 19 for 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.9%. The Bears permitted Texas Tech to convert 27 of their 68 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.7% in the game. They went 37.9% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 11 of 29 and ended up shooting 8 out of 10 from the free throw line (80.0%). With respect to rebounding, Baylor permitted Texas Tech to grab 38 in all (14 on the offensive glass).

Norchad Omier ended up being important for the Bears for the game. He buried 5 out of 16 in the game giving him a rate of 31.3%, and accounted for 12 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this contest.

Baylor has a win-loss record of 14-8 on the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Bears are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which ranks 140th in the country. Baylor has scored 1,748 points for the year (79.5 per contest) and they pull in 37.0 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.4 times per contest (79th in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 11.3 times per game. The Bears commit 16.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 73.6% from the free throw line.

The Baylor defense concedes 36.0% on 3-pointers (178 of 495) and their opponents are converting on 67.2% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 14.9 dimes and 32.6 total rebounds per game, which ranks 308th and 83rd in those categories on the defensive end. The Bears defensively are ranked 107th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 69.3. They are forcing 13.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 43.7% from the field (198th in the country).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here