Planning on watching today’s Cougars and Knights game? Catch the action at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL, as the Knights hosts this showdown at 4:00 ET on ESPN+. The Cougars are the favored team in this Big 12 conference contest against the Knights. The game’s over/under currently sits at 144.5 points.

BYU COUGARS VS UCF KNIGHTS BETTING PICK

The Pick: UCF Knights +5

This game will be played at Addition Financial Arena at 4:00 ET on Saturday, January 13th.

WHY BET THE UCF KNIGHTS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 79-64 in favor of the Knights.
  • Not only will UCF pick up the win, but look for them to cover at +5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 144.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 143 points.

Is a Win at Orlando Possible for the Cougars?

BYU enters this game as a 5-point favorite, which is not surprising given their record of 12-2 when favored. On the road this season, the Cougars are 2-2, and their average scoring margin away from home is +11.0.

However, BYU has lost two straight games and is just 3-7 in their last 10 road games. Most recently, they lost to Baylor by a score of 81-72.

On the season, BYU has an ATS record of 11-4 and they are 2-2 vs. the spread on the road. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Cougars have gone 7-3 vs. the spread.

So far this season, the over/under record for BYU’s games is 5-10. Today’s over/under line of 144.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (151.9). Over their last three games, their over/under record is 1-2 and the average scoring total in those games is 148 points.

The BYU offense is coming off a game where they scored 72 points against Baylor. They posted a field goal percentage of 49.1% and connected on 9 threes. Jaxson Robinson is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 14.8. Meanwhile, Trevin Knell also brings a PPG average of 13.1 into the game.

So far, the Cougars’ defense is ranked 24th in the country at 63.5 points per contest. Against Baylor in their most recent game, the BYU defense gave up a total of 81 points while allowing Baylor to hit 43% of their shots.

Will the UCF Defense Show Up at Home?

UCF has been excellent at home this season, going 9-2 with an average scoring margin of +17.4. They have won their last four games at home and have gone 8-2 in their last 10 home games. For the season, they have been the underdog three times, going 1-2.

Most recently, UCF beat Kansas by a score of 65-60. They have gone 10-4 overall this season and 1-1 in Big 12 play. Through 14 games, their record is 9-3 in non-conference games.

As the underdog, UCF has gone 1-2 vs. the spread this season and their overall ATS record is 7-7. At home, the Knights are 7-4 vs. the spread this year and their last 10 games as the underdog have resulted in a 5-5 ATS mark.

So far this season, the over/under record for UCF is 8-6 and today’s line of 144.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (139.6). Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 134 points and their OU record in that span is 1-2.

UCF offense recently wrapped up a game with a total of 65 points against Kansas. In that game, they made 7/20 three-point attempts and achieved a field goal percentage of 42.3%. Leading the team in scoring is Jaylin Sellers, who is averaging 17.8 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Darius Johnson also maintains a PPG average of 14.1 heading into game.

This season, the UCF defense has been impressive, holding the 41st position in the country while permitting an average of 64.8 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, UCF’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 40.1% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 30.5% this season.