Central Florida Knights vs BYU Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/13/2024

Game Time: 12:30 pm ET, Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Venue:  T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, BYU -5.5; Over/Under:  145 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, BYU -5.5; Over/Under:  145 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, BYU -5.5; Over/Under:  144.5 points

Central Florida Knights:  16-14 (7-11) (12th place, Big 12)

BYU Cougars:  22-9 (10-8) (5th place, Big 12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Big Al McMordie is on a HOT STREAK in college basketball on a 91-70-5 CBB RUN for +$13,720 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Central Florida Knights:  3-2  last 5

BYU Cougars:  3-2  last 5

Central Florida is entering this game with a 17-14 record overall, a 7-11 record in conference games, and they are 3-0 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their last game. Ibrahima Diallo led the team in points per game in that game with 17 while CJ Walker was next on the team with 12. Darius Johnson led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Ibrahima Diallo led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 40.3% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 71.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67 PPG against them. Central Florida has an ATS record of 19-12 this season and their O/U record is 15-15-1.

BYU is entering this game with a 22-9 record overall, a 10-8 conference record, and they are 3-0 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in their last game. Fousseyni Traore led the team in points in that game with 19 while Jaxson Robinson was next on the team with 17. Dallin Hall led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Spencer Johnson led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 50.8% from the field, 38.7% from 3-point range, and 73.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 82.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.5 PPG against them. BYU has an ATS record of 19-12 this season and their O/U record is 15-16.

The current betting odds have BYU listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. BYU has looked really good in their games this season with their 22-9 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country. They have also looked great in their neutral site games this season with their 3-0 record in those. Meanwhile, Central Florida hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 17-14 record overall and their 7-11 conference record which has them in the bottom half of the Big 12. They have looked good in their neutral site games this year with their 3-0 record in those, but now they are going to have a much tougher opponent here. Both of these teams are coming into this one with 3-2 records in their last 5 games but BYU has been beating better teams in the conference lately. BYU also has the advantage of being rested here while UCF played Oklahoma State the day before and is now playing a back-to-back in this one. BYU has been the better team in the Big 12 all season and they will be looking to make an impression in this Big 12 Tournament. The best way to place a bet here is on BYU to cover the spread in this game. 

Central Florida BYU Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, March 13, 2024 (12:30 pm ET start time) is BYU 82 UCF 70.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Central Florida Knights BYU Cougars prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAB predictions and previews.

Central Florida Knights: 6-13 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 1-5 ATS after 2 or more consecutive wins. 5-1 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive overs. 24-17 UNDER after scoring 75 points or more 2 straight games. 

BYU Cougars: 17-7 ATS as a favorite. 13-5 ATS after a game where they covered the spread. 10-4 ATS after a win by 10 points or more. 30-20 UNDER in a neutral court game where the total is 140 to 149.5. 10-4 UNDER after scoring 85 points or more. 

Central Florida Knights: None.

BYU Cougars:  M. Adams Jr. (F) Out indefinitely - Knee. D. Baker (G) out for season - Foot.

“We have to start studying them again and we have to try to find adjustments that we can make, because we had two close games [against them]. They’re a very good basketball team. Mark [Pope] has done a very good job with this group. We need to study them this evening and find out what we need to do better.” - Johnny Dawkins after his team’s win against OK State in their last game on Tuesday.

“This league for us is all about the chase. I do think we have a bunch of guys who are hungry on the chase right now.” - Mark Pope after his team’s win against OK State in their last game on Saturday.

S. Allen 

I. Diallo 

D. Johnson 

J. Sellers 

C. Walker

D. Hall 

S. Johnson 

A. Khalifa 

T. Knell 

N. Waterman

PPG: J. Sellers (16)

APG: D. Johnson (3.7)

Reb/G: I. Diallo (5.6)

PPG: J. Robinson (13.9)

APG: D. Hall (5)

Reb/G: S. Johnson (5.9)

Coaches:

Central Florida Knights: Johnny Dawkins Jr (8th season)

BYU Cougars: Mark Pope (5th season)