The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be at CFE Federal Credit Union Arena to play the UCF Knights in an American Athletic Conference matchup. The game starts at 2:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 21 and will air on CCS.
The Knights are hoping to rebound after their 73-56 loss to Memphis on Wednesday. Tacko Fall was one of the best players for the Knights, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, and four blocks. The Golden Hurricane, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-68 win against Cincinnati on Thursday. James Woodard was the game’s top scorer, recording 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
Over the last five games, Pat Birt has been on fire for the Golden Hurricane. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 4.2 three-pointers.
This has potential to be an error-filled game for the offense of UCF, which ranks 323rd in the nation in ball protection (TO% of 21.1%). The gambling defense of Tulsa forces the 34th-most turnovers in the nation (21.6%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Hurricane won the first game 75-60. Brandon Swannegan was a standout player in the game, producing 17 points, eight rebounds, and one steal.
The Knights come into this game 11-13 Straight Up (SU) and 15-8 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-2-1 ATS. The Knights prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 40th in the nation with a .314 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range. The Knights do a great job keeping their opponents off of the glass and limiting second-chance points. They average 27.9 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 33rd in Division I.
On the other side, the Golden Hurricane head into the game with records of 14-9-2 ATS and 17-9 SU. The Golden Hurricane have been struggling of late. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 63.5 PPG, compared to 70.5 for the duration of the season. Tulsa has not committed many turnovers, averaging only 11.2 per game.
Tulsa beat UCF in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. With a 5-4-1 record, the Golden Hurricane also have the advantage ATS. Tulsa held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, UCF never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tulsa, ATS Winner – Tulsa
Notes
UCF averages 70.5 points per game, placing the team just 188th in the nation. Tulsa ranks 86th in points allowed, giving up 68.6 points per game.
Tulsa scores 72.6 points per away game (ranked 95th). UCF ranks a poor 132nd in points allowed at home, allowing 68.3 points.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a defensive rating of 99.9 (ranked 99th), while the UCF Knights have an offensive rating of 103.3 (ranked 227th).
Tulsa has an average field goal percentage of 44.4%. UCF is an underachieving 2-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The UCF Knights rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (168th) than their field goal percentage (179th). The Tulsa Golden Hurricane rank 163rd for both their FG% and eFG%.
Tulsa ranks 84th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. UCF is ranked lower at 288th with an A/TO of .89.
UCF, the 62nd-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 38.8 rebounds per game. Tulsa does worse, ranked 249th with 35.0.
On average, UCF makes 4.6 steals per game. Tulsa has a winning 12-7 record when it gives up at least 4 steals.
