Houston vs UCF 12/31/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Central Florida Knights (10-3) vs. Houston Cougars (13-1)
December 31, 2022 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Cougars -14.5 / Central Florida Knights +14.5; Over/Under: +118.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UCF Knights and the Houston Cougars meet in college basketball action from the Fertitta Center on Saturday afternoon.
The UCF Knights will be out to build on back-to-back wins after a 52-45 win over Wichita State last time out. Taylor Hendricks leads the Knights in scoring and rebounding with 14.8 PPG and 6.8 RPG while Darius Johnson has 11.8 PPG and 4.5 APG. C.J. Kelly has 10.7 PPG and 4.2 RPG while Ithiel Horton has 10.6 PPG and 3.4 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for UCF this season. As a team, UCF is averaging 69.8 PPG on 43.3% shooting from the field, 36.7% from three and 72.5% from the foul line this season.
The Houston Cougars will hope to build on their four-game win streak after an 89-50 win over Tulsa last time out. Marcus Sasser leads the Cougars in scoring with 15.7 PPG along with 2.6 APG as the lone double-digit scorer for Houston up to this point in the year. Jarace Walker has 9.3 PPG with 6.1 RPG and J’Wan Roberts has a team-high 7.3 RPG with 9.4 PPG to lead Houston on the glass. Jamal Shead also has a team-high 5.6 APG to lead the Cougars in the assist department. As a team, Houston is averaging 75.3 PPG on 47.8% shooting from the field, 34.4% from three and 70.1% from the foul line this season.
UCF is 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games and 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a win while the over is 4-1 in their last 5 road games. Houston is 35-16 ATS in their last 51 home games and 39-18 ATS in their last 57 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600 while under is 20-6-1 in their last 27 home games.
I get the case to be made across the board here, but as low as this total is, I love the under. This is going to be a slow, methodical, defense first kind of game, and I don’t think anyone should expect anything different. Houston’s shut down much better than what they’re facing here in UCF, and UCF’s best chance at winning here is trying to turn this into a slugfest and just getting physical defensively. Either way, whether Houston wins in a blowout or this is a nailbiter, I think it’s coming in under the number.
