The UCF Knights (17-10, 8-7 AAC) will travel to Liacouras Center to meet the Temple Owls (15-12, 7-8 AAC) in their home finale. Temple is a 6-point favorite on the opening line, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 127 points. Action starts at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 25, 2018.
UCF Knights vs. Temple Owls Free Preview
In the Knights last matchup, they were beaten by the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, 70-61. B.J. Taylor had a solid game for UCF, leading both teams in scoring with 26 points on 8-for-19 shooting. Tulsa did an excellent job of converting from the free throw line (16-19; 84.2 percent). UCF, meanwhile, forced the Golden Hurricane into a turnover percentage of 22.6 (above their season average of 16.3).
The Owls are trying to rebound after their 80-59 loss to the Houston Cougars in their last contest. Nate Pierre-Louis was Temple’s high scorer with 13 points on 3-for-7 shooting. Houston had an offensive rebounding percentage of 50.0 (above their season average of 34.2). Temple, on the other hand, forced the Cougars into a turnover percentage of 19.4 (above their season average of 15.3).
Half-court execution will be at a premium when two of the nation’s slowest-paced teams square off. Temple currently ranks 272nd in possessions per game (67.5) and UCF is 340th (64.6). Furthermore, the Knights figure to have an edge on the defensive side of the ball. They rank sixth in the nation with an opponents effective field goal percentage of 0.447, while the Owls offense ranks 266th in effective field goal percentage (0.493).
Of UCF’s 22 games with betting action, 14 have finished under the O/U total, while 14 of Temple’s 27 games have finished over the projected point total. The Knights have the superior straight up (SU) record (17-10 vs. 15-12), but the Owls hold the substantial advantage against the spread (ATS) (15-12 vs. 13-9).
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined for 99 points, well under the projected point total of 129.5. The Knights won 60-39, covering as 5-point favorites. The Knights played a perfect game. They had a solid free throw rate of 0.289 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.522. The Owls were 0.019 and 0.358, respectively, for those same stats. In the victory, Dayon Griffin led all scorers with 15 points.
UCF Knights at Temple Owls Free Prediction
Free College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Temple, ATS Winner – UCF, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Owls rank 191st in assists per game (12.7) while the Knights rank 267th (11.0).
- Temple ranks 117th in blocks per game (3.3) while UCF ranks 168th in blocks allowed per game (4.0).
- On the road, UCF is 6-6 ATS with 8 unders and 4 overs.
- Temple is 5-7 ATS at home with 7 overs and 5 unders.
- UCF ranks 72nd in rebounds allowed per game (33.0) while Temple ranks 266th (38.5).
- The Owls rank 97th in three pointers attempted per game (23.5) while the Knights rank 286th (16.4).
- Temple ranks 47th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while UCF ranks 152nd (6.6).
Betting Trends:
- Temple is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, UCF is 3-2 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
- The Owls have outscored opponents by an average of 2.8 points in their last five games. For the season, Temple has lost by an average of 0.1 points.
- During their last five games, the Knights have scored an average of 58.6 points per game (4.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 61.0 points per game (0.3 above their season average).
