The Central Florida Knights and the Houston Cougars meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Hofheinz Pavilion. Here’s a Houston vs UCF Prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Houston vs UCF pick.
UCF Knights Betting Preview
The Knights posted a nice run over their first 13 games, falling to only Vanderbilt on November 8 during that time for a great 12-1 start. Central Florida would lose three of the next five games however, taking losses to Oklahoma State, Arizona and Iowa State in that time. UCF is 3-0 since then, with wins over Colorado, Arizona State and Texas Tech. That gives the Knights a 17-4 overall record in the first 21 games of the year.
In the matchup versus Texas Tech last weekend, the Knights were sitting in the locker room with a four-point lead 44-40. Central Florida repeated that advantage 44-40 in the second half and powered out an 88-80 win at home in the end. The Knights were led by Themus Fulks with 21 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Both John Bol (14 points; 10 rebounds) and Jamichael Stillwell (10 points; 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles in the win.
Houston Cougars Betting Preview
Over on the Houston side, they were able to win each of their first six games this year before a loss to Tennessee on November 25. The Cougars then beat Notre Dame, Florida State, Jackson State, New Orleans, Arkansas, Middle Tennessee, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, Baylor, West Virginia and Arizona State before a loss to Texas Tech and two more wins over TCU and Cincinnati. That makes for a 19-2 record this year.
In the Cincinnati game over the weekend the Cougars went into the second half sporting a nice 32-20 advantage. Houston kept it up from there on a 44-34 run and took the blowout victory on their home court 76-54 by game’s end. Milos Uzan led the way on 16 points with five assists and two rebounds while three other Cougars players managed to tally 13 points and three rebounds each.
Why the Houston Cougars will win
- Houston has won each of its last 65 night games at Fertitta Center.
- UCF has lost each of its last nine games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Houston has won the first half in each of its last 48 night games at Fertitta Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the UCF Knights will win
- UCF has won 16 of its last 19 games.
Houston vs UCF Prediction
I’m going to stick with Central Florida. You could make a case either way here, though. It should be a great game. The Knights were able to keep an excellent Texas Tech team at bay last weekend in a home victory, posting 49.2 percent shooting from the field and 81.8 percent (18-of-22) from the line. The 48-36 edge on points in the paint, the 34-22 advantage on the boards, and the six turnovers helped aid the Knights’ cause as well, but they did give up 56.4 percent shooting on defense. UCF has won three straight games now, scoring 79 or more points in all of them.
As for Houston, they blew right past Cincinnati back on Saturday. The Cougars shot 45.6 percent from the field with 83.3 percent (15-of-18) from the line and just four turnovers alongside a dominant 26-8 run in the paint. Houston has won consecutive games since their road loss to Texas Tech, with a combined 155 points in that pair. Wednesday’s matchup should be a fun one to watch.