The South Florida Bulls (3-16) will try to put an end to their eight-game skid when they meet the UCF Knights (9-6) at USF Sun Dome. Action begins at 6:15 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 20 and can be seen on ESW and ES3.
The Bulls are hoping to rebound after their 71-56 loss to Memphis on Saturday. Angel Nunez was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points. The Knights, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-69 win against East Carolina on Saturday. Daiquan Walker played well for UCF, registering 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
The Bulls may have trouble getting to the line in this one. They’re 293rd in the nation in FTA rate (31.8), while UCF is among the nation’s least foul-prone squads (yielding a FTA rate of just 24.3, fourth in the country).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Knights winning the first matchup 75-64. Jaleel Cousins had a double-double in the loss with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
UCF takes on South Florida as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 135 points. The Bulls have gone 3-16 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7 Against The Spread (ATS). South Florida’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation. The Bulls allow a .311 opponent three-point field goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the nation.
In the other locker room, the Knights have 9-6 SU and 11-2 ATS records. UCF performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 7-2 record. Offensively, they average 79.2 points per game on the road, which is 21st in the country. Shifting to the other side of the court, blocking shots is an area where UCF has excelled. The Knights average 5.0 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
In their previous meeting this season, UCF beat South Florida, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. With a 6-4 record, the Knights also have the advantage ATS. South Florida held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while UCF was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UCF, ATS Winner – UCF, O/U – Over
Notes
South Florida is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
South Florida is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home.
South Florida is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Central Florida.
UCF holds a winning 3-1 SU record against the American Athletic Conference Conference, while South Florida has yet to win a game against teams in the conference (0-6).
UCF won its last game by a 20-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, South Florida is 0-3. UCF is 2-0 in blowouts this season.
With 67.0 possessions and .941 points per possession, the South Florida Bulls perform worse on both metrics than the UCF Knights. UCF averages 69.2 possessions and 1.103 points per possession.
South Florida has an average effective field goal percentage of 45.3%. UCF is an even 4-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The South Florida Bulls average 14.0 three point attempts per game and are winless (0-4) when attempting at least 20 in a game. The UCF Knights average 20.0 attempts and have a solid 6-3 record when attempting 20 or more.
South Florida ranks 62nd in rebounds per game with 39.4 and UCF ranks 39th with 40.3 rebounds per game.
On average, UCF makes 4.6 steals per game. South Florida is a subpar 2-15 when it allows at least 4 steals.
