Colorado Buffaloes vs UCF Knights Prediction, 1/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Colorado Buffaloes vs UCF Knights

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: ESPN+

The UCF Knights (10-3) host the Colorado Buffaloes (9-4) at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday.

The Colorado Buffaloes stepped onto the hardwood against Arizona State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-61 in their last contest. Regarding fouls, the Buffaloes ended up finishing with 16 and Arizona State totaled 19 fouls. They converted 13 out of their 28 shots from 3-point range. Arizona State shot 63.2% from the charity stripe by making 12 of 19 attempts. In addition, Arizona State pulled down 34 rebounds (7 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Arizona State distributed 15 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. When it comes to defense, Colorado allowed their opponent to shoot 51.9% from the field on 28 out of 54 shooting. They also distributed 17 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 10 steals. When discussing hauling in boards, they earned 31 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Buffaloes buried 12 of 15 tries for a rate of 80.0%. Colorado ended the contest with a 34.8% FG percentage (23 out of 66) and made 3 of 24 shots from 3-point land.

Trevor Baskin is a player who was a factor for the matchup. He walked away with 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He played for 29 minutes played and also totaled 10 boards. He finished the game at 64.3% from the floor and dished out 2 assists.

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Colorado heads into this matchup with a record of 9-4 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.5 times per game and as a group are committing 14.7 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Colorado is collecting 36.7 boards per game and has tallied 222 dimes on the campaign, which is 136th in the nation in terms of passing. The Buffaloes are connecting on 34.6% on shots from beyond the arc (97 of 280) and 76.7% from the free throw line. They have an average of 74.9 points per contest (197th in the nation) on 46.3% from the floor.

Defensively, the Buffaloes have forced 12.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.9 fouls. They are currently ranked 44th in college hoops in giving up assists with 158 conceded this season. The Buffaloes are allowing a field goal percentage of 42.1% (331 of 786) and they relinquish 32.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are conceding 31.8% on 3-pointers while they are 156th in D-1 in PPG allowed (70.2).

The last time they took the court, the UCF Knights took a loss by a final score of 99-48 when they played Kansas. Concerning rebounding, UCF permitted Kansas to pull down 53 in total (17 on the offensive glass). They shot 39.1% from distance by hitting 9 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 6 of 10 from the free throw line (60.0%). The Knights allowed Kansas to bury 42 out of their 83 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.6% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Knights went 14 for 68 from the floor which had them shooting 20.6%. When it comes to 3-point shots, UCF converted 7 out of 30 tries (23.3%). They were able to make 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. Kansas had 14 personal fouls for the game which got the Knights to the free throw line for a total of 18 attempts. They turned it over 13 times, while recording 7 steals for this game. The Knights were able to corral 20 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards totaling 25 in this game.

Keyshawn Hall ended up having an impact for the Knights in this contest. He recorded 12 points in his 29 mins on the court and totaled 1 assist for the matchup. He made 4 out of 17 in this game for a field goal percentage of 23.5%, and accumulated 6 rebounds.

UCF has a mark of 10-3 on the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Knights are hitting on 42.2% from the field, which ranks them 307th in college. UCF has accumulated 1,024 pts on the year (78.8 per contest) and they collect 37.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.8 times per contest (131st in college) and they are turning it over 12.8 times per game. The Knights are committing 16.2 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 77.5% from the charity stripe.

The Knights on the defensive side of the court are 307th in college in points given up per game with 76.6. They are forcing 14.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.1% from the field (186th in college hoops). The UCF defense concedes 33.5% on shots from beyond the arc (105 of 313) and opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 14.5 dimes and 38.2 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 279th and 325th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Colorado

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