Buckle up, Big 12 fans! The best conference in college basketball will be at full force this Saturday starting with a matchup between the BYU Cougars and the UCF Knights go toe-to-toe on the hardwood. It is time to take a look at our College Basketball odds series where our BYU-UCF prediction and pick will be revealed.
For starters, the 18th-ranked BYU Cougars may be 12-3 overall, but they have gotten off to a rocky start in Big 12 play as they've dropped the first two games of conference play against Cincinnati and Baylor. Still, there is plenty of time for the Cougars to get back in the race of things.
On the other side of things, UCF doesn't happen to be nationally ranked but they are certainly no slouches, especially with a ginormous victory over top-ranked Kansas on Thursday. With a 10-4 record and a dream to clinch a March Madness bid at the end of the season, don't sleep on the talent that exists with this Knights squad!
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: BYU-UCF Odds
BYU: -4.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -182
UCF: +4.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +150
Over: 142.5 (-115)
Under: 142.5 (-105)
How to Watch BYU vs. UCF
Time: 4:00 ET/1:00 PT
TV: Big 12 Network, ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread
With it being more than ten years since BYU started 0-2 in conference play, it is safe to say that the urgency surrounding this basketball program is at an all-time high.
In order to come out on top against a more-than-surging UCF squad, BYU will need to improve upon their ability to take care of the basketball. Over the course of their last pair of games resulting in defeats, it has been the Cougars that have been turning the ball over at way too high of a rate. Overall, BYU has committed a combined 32 turnovers over that span which is simply not gonna cut it. Especially on the road in the wild world of college basketball, this is not a recipe for success.
Not to mention, but BYU has gone cold from beyond the arc. Remember, this is a BYU squad that is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, but that hasn't been the case during the losing streak. If the Cougars want to steal a road win in a hostile environment, then heating up from three and returning to their efficient ways from deep will need to be a main priority.
Streaky shooting from the floor can come and go, but the one constant that can never be halted is the effort on the defensive end of the court. As long as the Cougars remain focused and play with supreme intensity on defense, then they may end up in good shape regardless of how well they shoot the basketball.
Why UCF Will Cover The Spread
Similarly to BYU, UCF did not have soaring expectations entering their first season as members of the Big 12, but so far, the Knights have passed these standards with flying colors. With one of the biggest wins in school history over a juggernaut Kansas Jayhawks team, UCF has quickly put themselves on the map.
If the Knights are going to continue to move forward with this momentum and avoid falling short in front of what should be a raucous home crowd, then they will need to make it a priority to continue the tough stretch of BYU committing giveaways. Oftentimes, college basketball is all about matchups, and UCF happens to hold a hefty advantage in the fact they are one of the top teams in the nation when it comes to forcing turnovers. In fact, the Knights force teams to turn the basketball over at a rate of 16.79 times per game. Alas, this does not bode well for BYU.
As a whole, it will be important to keep tabs on UCF's leading scorer in Ball State transfer forward Jaylin Sellers. Overall, Sellers is the seventh-highest-scoring player in the Big 12 at 17.8 points per game and could very well be the most explosive player on either team. Since the Knights have the chance to possess the top player on the court in this conference matchup, then it could serve as a major advantage the critical moments of this game when UCF desperately needs a bucket to come out on top.
Final BYU-UCF Prediction & Pick
With this matchup serving as the first head-to-head battle in Big 12 play between the two programs, it is the safe pick to side with UCF at their home budding especially when you consider how BYU has been playing recently.
Final BYU-UCF Prediction & Pick: UCF +4.5 (-120)