The UCF Knights take on the Memphis Tigers. Check out our AAC Tournament odds series for our UCF Memphis prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UCF Memphis.

The UCF Knights are one of the teams which will cause some anxiety for bubble teams this weekend. UCF is a team which cannot get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but it can still win the automatic bid from its conference by capturing its conference tournament. That would reduce the size of the bubble by one team and essentially eliminate one other school from the field of 68. Obviously, that school doesn't know it will have been eliminated until Selection Sunday, but a surprise automatic bid always increases the stress level in the room for a team which is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Mississippi State, Clemson, Utah State, and other teams right near the cut line really need Memphis to beat UCF in this AAC Tournament quarterfinal, so that the Knights can't make a journey to the conference championship game on Sunday. Yes, Houston could be waiting in the AAC Tournament final, but bubble teams want Memphis and Houston to meet in that game. Then the AAC is guaranteed to not get a third team into the NCAA Tournament and reduce the size of the bubble. This is part of the excitement and drama of March college basketball, one week before the NCAA Tournament.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the UCF-Memphis AAC Tournament odds.

AAC Tournament Odds: UCF-Memphis Odds

UCF Knights: +5.5 (-110)

Memphis Tigers: -5.5 (-110)

Over: 143.5 (-110)

Under: 143.5 (-110)

How To Watch UCF vs. Memphis

TV: ESPNU

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT

*Watch UCF-Memphis LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why UCF Could Cover the Spread

The Knights were competitive against both Memphis and Houston this season in the AAC. The Knights had trouble finishing off games, but they have been involved in a lot of close games and have shown they can compete well. It's just a matter of figuring out the last five to six minutes of games and making the really big tipping-point plays which have largely eluded this team. Head coach Johnny Dawkins, a disciple of former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, has been to the NCAA Tournament with UCF. He has played in a Final Four national championship game (1986). He knows what it takes to win big March games. He will give his UCF team a plan and a path to victory over a Memphis squad which might be depressed after it lost a late lead to Houston this past Sunday and fell to the Cougars at home. Last year's Memphis team beat Houston twice. This year's team got swept by Houston and can legitimately be viewed as an inferior product measured against that 2022 Memphis squad.

Why Memphis Could Cover the Spread

This is a very important tournament for the Tigers for one basic and obvious reason: They want that third shot at Houston in the AAC Tournament final on Sunday afternoon. Memphis measures itself against Houston, and it is 0-2 against the Cougars this season. The Tigers want to win two games so that they can play Houston one more time. That is powerful motivation for Penny Hardaway and his team.

Final UCF-Memphis Prediction & Pick

Memphis wants that third chance to beat Houston. That will ensure the Tigers don't slip up here. Take Memphis.

Final UCF-Memphis Prediction & Pick: Memphis -5.5