West Virginia Mountaineers (7-11) vs. Central Florida Knights (11-6)
January 23, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Central Florida Knights -7.5; Over/Under: 138.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The West Virginia Mountaineers will play the UCF Knights in a Big 12 game on Tuesday night at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida. West Virginia has won two of their last three games, while UCF has alternated wins and losses over their last six games. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the West Virginia vs UCF prediction.
West Virginia Preview
The West Virginia Mountaineers are 7-11 (2-3) this year after they defeated Kansas by a score of 91-85 in their last game. West Virginia was tied at 51 at halftime, but they held Kansas to only 34 points in the second half for the win. The Mountaineers shot 51.8% from the field and made 12 three pointers in the game. West Virginia lost to Oklahoma by a score of 77-63 in the game prior to Kansas, but defeated Texas before that. The Mountaineers are scoring 68.9 points per game with 34.9 rebounds per game and 12.6 assists per game, while allowing 72.7 points against per game this year. RaeQuan Battle is averaging 19.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game. West Virginia is shooting 41.5% from the field, 73.4% on free throws, and 31.8% on three pointers this season.
UCF Preview
The UCF Knights are 11-6 (2-3) this season after they lost to Houston by a score of 57-42 in their last game. UCF only scored 14 points in the first half and they could never get back into the game for the loss. The Knights shot 15.9% from the field and made 24 free throws in the game. UCF defeated Texas by a score of 77-71 in the game prior to Houston, but they did lose to BYU by a score of 63-58 before that. The Knights are scoring 72.8 points per game with 39.8 rebounds per game and 11.9 assists per game, while giving up 64.6 points against per game this season. Jaylin Sellers is averaging 17.1 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 1.4 steals per game. UCF is shooting 41.5% from the field, 69.6% on free throws, and 30.9% on three pointers this year.
West Virginia vs UCF Betting Prediction
West Virginia had a rough start to the season, but they have won two of their last three games and have some momentum heading into this game. The Mountaineers are coming off of a win against Kansas, but they are only shooting 41.5% from the field. UCF has been extremely inconsistent in conference play and they had one of the worst shooting nights in Big 12 history in their last game. UCF is only allowing 64.6 points against per game on defense, but they are also shooting 41.5% from the field. We have two poor shooting teams facing off here, but I am going to take West Virginia with the points. The Mountaineers have played better recently, while you never know what you are getting with UCF. Take West Virginia here.
