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The No. 1 Houston Cougars (26-3, 13-3 Big 12) face off against the UCF Knights (15-13, 6-10) Wednesday. Tip-off from Addition Financial Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+/Big 12 Network). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Houston vs. UCF odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Houston squeaked away with an 87-85 win over the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday, failing to cover as a 7-point road underdog. The Cougars shot 56.7% from the field and 52.6% (10 of 19) from long range, but they did give up 85 points and were outrebounded 27-22. It was Houston’s 7th consecutive victory and their 12th win in the last 13 games.
UCF suffered a 60-52 home loss to the No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones Saturday, while failing to cover as a 3.5-point underdog. Central Florida made just 1 of 19 3-pointers for an abysmal 5.3% from long range and it committed 22 turnovers. Saturday’s loss ended a 2-game win streak for the Knights, who are 2-5 in their last 7 games and 3-7 in their last 10.
In their 1st regular-season meeting, Houston beat a visiting UCF squad 57-42 Jan. 20, but the Knights covered as 17.5-point road underdogs while the Under (127.5) hit.
– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Houston at UCF odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 10:44 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Houston -375 (bet $375 to win $100) | UCF +290 (bet $100 to win $290)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston -8.5 (-108) | UCF +8.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 130.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Houston at UCF picks and predictions
Prediction
Houston 68, UCF 61
Moneyline
PASS.
Houston (-375) has been a dominant 9-1 in its last 10 matchups vs. UCF and Houston is the much better and hotter team headed into this matchup. However, the Cougars are not worth the risk of backing as such big favorites. Bet on the spread and/or O/U instead.
Against the spread
LEAN UCF +8.5 (-112).
UCF has covered the spread in 2 of its last 3 outings and is 2-1 ATS in its last 3 matchups vs. Houston. The Knights have also been the better team ATS this season, being 16-12 while the Cougars are 13-14-2 ATS.
This is only a lean because Houston is still 7-3 ATS in its last 10 matchups vs. UCF.
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 130.5 (-110).
The Under has hit in 3 of UCF’s last 4 games and is 2-0 in the Knights’ last 2 home games. The Under has also hit in 3 of the last 5 Houston-UCF matchups. The Under has been a safer play for both teams this season, being 16-13 for Houston and 15-13 for UCF.
This is only a lean because the Over has been safer for Houston lately — 4-1 in the last 5 contests.
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