It will be a battle between American Athletic Conference opponents when the Houston Cougars (17-7) welcome the UCF Knights (11-11) to Hofheinz Pavilion. The game begins at 3:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 13 and will air on ESW and ES3.
The Cougars come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Memphis 98-90 on Wednesday. Devonta Pollard led all scorers on the team with 34 points on 14-for-24 shooting. The Knights, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 69-51 loss to Cincinnati on Tuesday. Matt Williams had a game-high 24 points.
Over the last five games, Pollard and Damyean Dotson have played well for the Cougars. During that stretch, Pollard has averaged 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 block. Not to be outdone, Dotson has put up 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
The Cougars come into this game 17-7 Straight Up (SU) and 10-8-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Below-average play has been the norm lately for the Cougars. In the last 10 games, Houston has only averaged 66.9 points per game compared to the 78.5 they’ve averaged on the season. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Houston in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.9 offensive boards per game. Transitioning to the Houston defense, teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Cougars, who have allowed only 5.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. Houston has given up very few turnovers with an average of only 11.1 per game.
Over on the other bench, UCF has a SU record of 11-11 and an ATS record of 15-6.
These conference rivals will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UCF came out on top, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. Additionally, with an 8-2 record, UCF has the advantage ATS. Both Houston and UCF have led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou
Notes
“Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games “.
“Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Houston is 15-3 SU in its last 18 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games at home”.
“Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Central Florida”.
“Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Central Florida”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games when playing Central Florida”.
“Houston is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Central Florida”.
“Houston is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Central Florida”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston’s last 6 games when playing at home against Central Florida”.
Houston holds a 7-5 record this season against teams in the American Athletic Conference Conference. UCF is 5-6 in conference matchups.
Houston scores 80.6 points per home game (ranked 74th). UCF ranks a poor 159th in points allowed on the road, allowing 75.7 points.
In its last game, UCF lost by a margin of 18 points. Houston is 5-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. UCF has a 2-2 record in blowouts.
The UCF Knights average 68.2 possessions per game and 1.051 points per possession. The Houston Cougars earn fewer possessions with 67.6, but they score more points with 1.161.
UCF has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.4%. Houston is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Houston attempts an average of 20.0 three pointers per game and UCF attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Houston Cougars have an 8-6 record while the UCF Knights have a 7-6 record.
UCF, the 59th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.6 per game. Houston does worse, ranked 113th with 4.0.
Houston is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 15th. UCF ranks 21st in defensive rebounds.
On average, UCF forces a turnover rate of 14.2%. When Houston turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 10-5 record.
