Utah Utes vs UCF Knights Prediction, 2/23/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs UCF Knights

Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Fort Myers, FL

TV: ESPN+

Addition Financial Arena is the location where the UCF Knights (13-13) will meet the Utah Utes (15-11) on Sunday.

The Utah Utes faced off with Kansas State and walked away with a win by a score of 74-69 in their last contest. Utah wrapped up the game having earned a 38.1% FG percentage (24 out of 63) and converted 3 of 19 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Utes converted 23 of 30 shots for a percentage of 76.7%. With respect to rebounding, they compiled a total of 46 with 19 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 16 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With regard to defense, Utah let their opponent shoot 43.3% from the floor on 26 out of 60 shooting. Kansas State recorded 19 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Moreover, Kansas State snagged 22 boards (4 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Kansas State ended up shooting 60.0% at the charity stripe by making 6 of 10 attempts. They made 11 of their 25 tries from 3-point range. In relation to personal fouls, the Utes ended up with 15 while Kansas State finished the game with 22 personal fouls.

Ezra Ausar is one player who came through in the game. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 29 mins and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He scored 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting.

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Utah will enter this contest with a record of 15-11 for the year. They are turning it over 12.3 times per game and as a group they commit 18.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Utah is collecting 39.7 boards per contest and has 465 assists for the campaign, which is 13th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Utes are shooting 33.2% on shots from beyond the arc (221 of 665) and 62.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 75.3 pts per game (144th in the nation) while hitting 45.2% from the field.

Defensively, the Utes have forced 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.3 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 136th in D-1 in giving up assists with 337 surrendered so far this season. The Utes defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 41.0% (637 of 1,552) and they concede 34.7 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 33.7% on 3-pointers while they are 142nd in college hoops in points per game allowed (70.6).

When they last played, the UCF Knights took a loss by a score of 104-95 against Oklahoma State. The Knights pulled down 26 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 34 in this contest. They also gave up possession of the ball 20 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. Oklahoma State was called for 26 fouls for the contest which got the Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 38 tries. They were able to bury 31 of the free throws for a percentage of 81.6%. Regarding shooting from 3-point land, UCF knocked down 8 of their 24 tries (33.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Knights finished the game shooting 28 out of 59 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. The Knights permitted Oklahoma State to bury 35 of their 74 attempts from the field which had them shooting 47.3% for the contest. They finished 22.2% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 27 and finished the contest at 28 out of 35 from the free throw line (80.0%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, UCF permitted Oklahoma State to snag 37 in total (11 offensive).

Keyshawn Hall was important for the Knights for the contest. He converted 9 of 20 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 45.0%, and accounted for 6 rebounds. He earned 34 points in his 40 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for this game.

UCF has a win-loss mark of 13-13 for the campaign. The Knights are responsible for committing 17.4 personal fouls per game while shooting 77.8% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.2 times per game (142nd in college) and they turn it over 12.3 times per game. UCF has scored 2,054 pts so far this season (79.0 per contest) and they average 36.2 boards per game. As an offense, the Knights are shooting 42.1% from the field, which ranks them 324th in the nation.

The Knights on the defensive side of the court are 351st in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 80.6. They are able to force 13.4 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the floor (282nd in D-1). The UCF defense surrenders 33.7% on shots from distance (203 of 602) and opponents are knocking down 74.2% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 15.0 assists and 38.5 boards per game, which ranks them 321st and 349th in college.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

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