Houston Cougars vs Central Florida Knights Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/06/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Venue:  Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston -8.5, UCF +8.5; Over/Under:  130 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston -8.5, UCF +8.5; Over/Under:  130 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston -8.5, UCF +8.5; Over/Under:  130 points

Houston Cougars:  26-3 (13-3) (1st place, Big 12)

Central Florida Knights:  15-13 (6-10) (12th place, Big 12)

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Houston Cougars:  5-0  last 5

Central Florida Knights:  2-3  last 5

Houston is entering this game with a 26-3 record overall, a 13-3 record in conference games, and they are 6-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last game. LJ Cryer led the team in points per game in that game with 23 while J'wan Roberts was next on the team with 20. Jamal Shead led the team in assists with 6 in that game while J'wan Roberts and Mylik Wilson each led the team in rebounds with 5. They were 56.7% from the field, 52.6% from 3-point range, and 81.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 57.2 PPG against them. Houston has an ATS record of 13-14-2 this season and their O/U record is 13-16.

Central Florida is entering this game with a 15-13 record overall, a 6-10 conference record, and they are 11-6 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones in their last game. Jaylin Sellers led the team in points in that game with 13 while Shemarri Allen was next on the team with 11. Darius Johnson led the team in assists with 2 in that game while Ibrahima Diallo led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 42.6% from the field, 5.3% from 3-point range, and 61.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 71.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 PPG against them. Central Florida has an ATS record of 16-12 this season and their O/U record is 13-14-1.

The current betting odds have Houston listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Houston has looked great in their games this season with their 26-3 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as the best team in the nation right now. They have looked great in their road games too with their 6-3 road record this season and they are at the top of the Big 12 with their 13-3 conference record. Meanwhile, UCF hasn't looked good in their games this season with their 15-13 record overall and their 6-10 conference record which has them near the bottom of the Big 12. They have looked a lot better on their home court this year with their 11-6 home record, but they still have 6 losses at home and have struggled a lot against Big 12 opponents. Now they are taking on the strongest team in the Big 12 right now and they don't even have a lot of momentum on their side with their 2-3 record in their last 5 games, coming off a loss at home to Iowa State in their last one too. Houston is the best team in the Big 12 right now and they are the best team in the entire country with how good they have looked lately, they are going to continue rolling in this game with the momentum they have on their side. The best way to place a bet here is on Houston to cover the spread in this game. 

Houston Central Florida Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Wednesday, March 6, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Houston 79 UCF 66.

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Houston Cougars: 1-6 ATS as a road favorite or pick. 1-5 ATS after scoring 80 points or more. 1-6 ATS after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better. 24-11 UNDER after allowing 85 points or more. 33-17 UNDER after a combined score of 165 points or more. 28-10 UNDER after a close win by 3 points or less.

Central Florida Knights: 11-6 ATS in all home games. 11-4 ATS after scoring 60 points or less. 9-3 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses. 12-4 UNDER as a home underdog of 6.5 to 9 points. 20-13 UNDER after playing a game as an underdog. 

Houston Cougars:  J. Tugler (F) out for season - Foot. R. Walker Jr. (G) out for season - Knee. T. Arceneaux (G) out for season - Achilles.

Central Florida Knights:  None.

“The main thing (on the last shot) was to get it to the rim. We weren’t going to shoot anything outside of 5 feet. There were three ways to win that game — a whistle, make the shot or (grab) an offensive rebound and put it in — and we got the third one.” - Kelvin Sampson after his team’s win against Oklahoma in their last game on Saturday.

“They make it difficult on every single possession you have in the half court. I thought we had our looks. We just didn’t knock them down in that last four-minute segment. Part of that is the wear and tear they put on you in the 36 minutes prior to that. They wear you down.” - Johnny Dawkins after his team’s loss against ISU in their last game on Saturday.

L. Cryer 

J. Francis 

J. Roberts 

E. Sharp 

J. Shead

S. Allen 

I. Diallo 

D. Johnson 

J. Sellers 

C. Walker

PPG: L. Cryer (15.5)

APG: J. Shead (6.1)

Reb/G: J. Roberts (6.9)

PPG: J. Sellers (16.2)

APG: D. Johnson (3.8)

Reb/G: I. Diallo (5.7)

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Kelvin Sampson (10th season)

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