It is the opening game of the second round of the Big 12 Tournament as UCF faces BYU. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UCF-BYU prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
UCF got to this game by beating Oklahoma State. It was a tight first half, as UCF led by just four. UCF opened the second half on an 18-1 run to take a commanding lead and would go on to dominate from there. Winning the game 77-62.
Meanwhile, BYU comes into the game sitting at 22-9 on the year, while sitting 10-8 in conference play. That was good enough for the five-seed in the Big 12 tournament. BYU ended the season strong, winning four of their last six games, including wins of Baylor and Kansas. They did lose to Kansas State and Iowa State there. The Iowa State game was close, losing by just five on the road. BYU has faced UCF twice already this year. The first time was a five-point win on the road for BYU, and then, it was a two-point win over UCF at home.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: UCF-BYU Odds
UCF: +5.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +190
BYU: -5.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -235
Over: 145.5 (-115)
Under: 144.5 (-115)
How to Watch UCF vs. BYU
Time: 12:30 PM ET/ 9:30 AM PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why UCF Will Cover The Spread/Win
UCF comes in ranked 57th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They are 155th in adjusted offensive efficiency and tenth in adjusted defensive efficiency. UCF is 220th in the nation in points per game this year while sitting 284th in the nation in effective field goal percentage. Jaylin Sellers leads the offense. He comes in with 16.0 points per game this year while shooting 42.4 percent from the field. He did struggle some against Oklahoma State, scoring just nine points and shooting three for eight. Second on the team is Darius Johnson. Johnson has 14.8 points per game this year but also leads the team in assists, with 3.7 per game on the season.
UCF is 61st in the nation in rebounds per game this year. They are 52nd in the nation in offensive rebounding rate while sitting 104th in defensive rebounding rate. Ibrahima Diallo leads the way. He comes in with 5.6 rebounds per game this year, while also having 6.2 points per game. Diallo was great against Oklahoma State, scoring 17 points while having 11 rebounds, with five offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, CJ Walker comes in with 4.9 rebounds per game, second on the team. Further, six other players come in with over three rebounds per game.
UCF is 35th in the nation in opponent points per game. They are also 18th in the nation in steals per game while sitting 17th in blocks per game this year. Darius Johnson and Sehmarri Allen lead the way in steals. Johnson comes in with 2.3 steals per game this year, while Allen has 1.8 steals per game this year. Further, Diallo has 1.8 blocks per game. He has three steals and two blocks against Oklahoma State. Further, Omar Payne has 1.4 blocks per game.
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread/Win
BYU is ranked 16th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 44th in adjusted defensive efficiency. BYU is currently 17th in the nation in points per game this year while sitting second in the nation in assists per game on the year. Jaxson Robinson leads the team in points per game this year. He comes into the game with 13.9 points per game this year. Meanwhile, Trevin Knell is second on the team with 11.4 points per game. Further, two other players sit with over ten points per game. Also, Dallin Hall and Aly Khalifa have been great in the passing game. Hall comes in with 5.0 assists per game while Khalifa comes in with 4.2 assists per game this year.
BYU has been solid on the glass this year, sitting 11th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. Further, they are seventh in the nation in defensive rebounding rate this year. Spencer Johnson leads the way here. He comes into the game with 5.9 rebounds per game this year. Further, Noah Waterman has 5.6 rebounds per game while Fousseyni Traore has 5.2 rebounds per game.
BYU is 88th in the nation in opponent points per game on the year. They are also 53rd in the nation in opponent effective field goal percentage. BYU is also 12th in the nation in scoring margin this year, sitting with a +12.7 differential per game this year. Spencer Johnson leads the team with 1.1 steals per game but also has 1.5 turnovers per game.
Final UCF-BYU Prediction & Pick
UCF struggled early on against Oklahoma State. They would win the game based on some solid offensive rebounding, and being able to get inside. They will not have that luxury against BYU. The defensive rebounding for BYU is too good to allow UCF to use their offensive rebounding to have a run like they did against Oklahoma State. Take BYU in this one.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final UCF-BYU Prediction & Pick: BYU -5.5 (-115)
Follow Us
Subscribe