The UCF Knights take on the BYU Cougars. Check out our college basketball odds series for our UCF BYU prediction and pick. Find how to watch UCF BYU.

The BYU Cougars are 5-5 in the Big 12 Conference, the UCF Knights 4-6. Those conference records might indicate that these are two mediocre teams, but in the Big 12, being at or near .500 is not easy to achieve. This is the most rugged and ruthless conference in men's college basketball. It's a conference so tough that Kansas is getting walloped left and right in road games. It's a conference so deep that Texas, a solid team with a 16-8 overall record and an Elite Eight appearance in last year's NCAA Tournament, is 5-6 in the league and tied for ninth place. It's a jungle out there in the Big 12, with nearly every game being a dogfight. The worst team in the conference is Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are 2-9 in league play. Yet, they came very, very close to winning on the road at Oklahoma on Saturday and are usually very competitive in the Big 12 games they play. Nearly every game is a grind, and every win is fully earned.

UCF, at 4-6 in the Big 12, is tied with Cincinnati for 11th place in the conference. Yet, UCF has beaten Kansas and Oklahoma at home and has not been an easy out in the league. UCF was very close against Texas Tech on the road this past Saturday. UCF played Tech on relatively even terms. Tech then blasted Kansas by nearly 30 points. UCF is a legitimately competitive team which has frankly fared better in the Big 12 than many people were expecting before the season began. BYU is the clear favorite here, but UCF has shown it is not a tomato can after coming over from the AAC.

Here are the UCF-BYU College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: UCF-BYU Odds

UCF Knights: +11.5 (-102)

BYU Cougars: -11.5 (-120)

Over: 142.5 (-115)

Under: 142.5 (-105)

How To Watch UCF vs BYU

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN Plus

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why UCF Could Cover the Spread

UCF does face a tough task if it wants to win this game straight up and cash on the money line, but we saw this team play Texas Tech closely on Saturday and cover a 7.5-point spread on the road. UCF has shown quite a lot of resilience this season, and if the Knights can continue to exhibit the toughness they have brought to the court in their new conference, they have a very good chance of covering the spread once again. Also consider the fact that BYU, as a 10.5-point favorite, failed to cover the spread this past Saturday night against Kansas State, winning by only six. The Big 12 is simply a tough league, and when a league produces one tough game after another, it's hard to expect a blowout. It's possible — Texas Tech blew out Kansas on Monday — but not something you should rely on.

Why BYU Could Cover the Spread

The Cougars didn't play their best against Kansas State, and they haven't played their best for quite some time. They might be due for a crisp and especially sharp performance here against a UCF team which is making some long-distance commutes, having played in Lubbock, Texas, this past Saturday. UCF's legs might be weary, while BYU has been able to stay at home in Provo for a full week. That could lead to a BYU rout.

Final UCF-BYU Prediction & Pick

The spread is big, but UCF might run out of gas here. Stay away from the game and wait for a live-betting play in the second half.

Final UCF-BYU Prediction & Pick: UCF +11.5