Central Florida vs Cincinnati 2/23/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Cincinnati Bearcats will travel to Addition Financial Arena to take on the UCF Knights this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Cincinnati Bearcats dropped to 17-10 on the season after being defeated by the Temple Owls, 75-71, this past Sunday. Cincinnati struggled defensively in the 1^st half against Temple and could not fight back all the way back after the Owls took a 47-33 lead into halftime. Cincinnati shot 34.3% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Temple to shoot 42.3% from the field & 47.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bearcats was Jeremiah Davenport who had 24 points, 5 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, Cincinnati is averaging 71.2 ppg on 41.2% shooting from the field. The Bearcats are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 32.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Cincinnati has been led by David DeJulius (14.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.4 apg), Jeremiah Davenport (13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Mika Adams-Woods (9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg), & John Newman III (6.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Cincinnati is holding their opponents to an average of 65.4 ppg on 39.6% shooting from the field. The Bearcats have a rebound margin of 0.9 and a turnover margin of 2.3.

The UCF Knights improved to 16-9 on the season after defeating the East Carolina Pirates, 69-66, this past Sunday. UCF led by a 32-30 margin at halftime and was able to secure a dramatic victory after Darin Green Jr. hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. UCF shot 41.2% from the field & 41.7% from beyond the arc while allowing East Carolina to shoot 40.7% from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Knights was Darin Green Jr. who had 19 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, UCF is averaging 70.1 ppg on 42.6% shooting from the field. The Knights are averaging 8.7 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UCF has been led by Darin Green Jr. (13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.6 apg), Darius Perry (11.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.7 spg), Brandon Mahan (10.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 spg), & C.J. Walker (7.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg).

Defensively, UCF is allowing their opponents to average 67.4 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Knights have a rebound margin of 0.5 and a turnover margin of 1.0.

The Bearcats are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games & 5-14 ATS in their last 19 February games. The Knights are 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games, however, are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.

Cincinnati has been led by their defense which ranks 69^th in scoring defense & 24^th in defensive FG% and have been decent on the road, posting a 4-4 record which includes a win against Wichita State. UCF is just 4-4 in their last 8 games and as I think their offense, which ranks 207^th in scoring offense & 257^th in FG%, will struggle against the Cincinnati defense, I think the Bearcats do enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!