UCF Knights vs Kansas State Wildcats Prediction, 1/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Kansas State Wildcats

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Location: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS

TV: Peacock

Bramlage Coliseum is the location where the Kansas State Wildcats (9-7) will take on the UCF Knights (13-2) on Wednesday.

The UCF Knights played Cincinnati and went home with a win by a final score of 73-72 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Knights ended up with 14 while Cincinnati racked up 14 personal fouls. They converted 3 out of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Cincinnati finished shooting 62.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 5 of 8 shots. Moreover, Cincinnati pulled down 25 rebounds (9 offensive, 16 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Cincinnati distributed 19 assists and had 9 steals in the matchup. With respect to the defense, UCF allowed the other team to go 47.8% from the floor on 32 out of 67 shooting. They also doled out 20 dimes in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 7 turnovers and having 1 steal. With regard to getting rebounds, they earned 26 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Knights made 7 of their 9 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. UCF finished the game having earned a 57.7% field goal percentage (30 out of 52) and knocked down 6 out of their 14 3-pointers.

Riley Kugel is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He ended up with 19 points on 7 out of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 35 minutes and totaled 5 boards. He shot 70.0% from the field and earned 6 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

UCF comes into this one with a mark of 13-2 for the season. They have an average of 86.0 points per game (39th in D-1) while going 48.8% from the field. The Knights are hitting 37.5% on shots from downtown (127 of 339) and 73.1% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UCF is snagging 39.6 rebounds per game and has accounted for 253 assists for the campaign, which ranks 140th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 11.6 times per game and as a group are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Knights are able to force 12.5 turnovers every game while drawing 18.3 fouls. They are giving up 33.3% on 3-point shots and they are 237th in college in points per game allowed (75.5). Knights are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.1% (384 of 891) and they concede 31.4 boards per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 61st in college in giving up assists with 194 conceded for the year.

The last time they took the court, the Kansas State Wildcats went home defeated by a final of 87-84 when they played Arizona State. When talking about rebounding, Kansas State permitted Arizona State to snag 41 in total (16 on the offensive glass). They finished 13.6% from 3-point land by going 3 of 22 and ended up going 24 of 32 from the free throw line (75.0%). The Wildcats permitted Arizona State to make 30 of 64 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.9% in this matchup. Overall, the Wildcats ended up shooting 28 out of 70 from the field which had them sitting at 40.0%. In relation to shooting from 3-point land, Kansas State made 13 of their 31 attempts (41.9%). They were able to bury 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. Arizona State committed 17 fouls in this matchup which took the Wildcats to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while recording 7 steals in this game. The Wildcats were able to snag 16 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in this matchup.

PJ Haggerty was important for the Wildcats in this contest. He converted 7 of 19 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 36.8%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He racked up 25 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and had 3 assists for the game.

Kansas State has a record of 9-7 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wildcats are shooting 47.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 100th in college. Kansas State has totaled 1,383 pts on the year (86.4 per game) and they collect 37.2 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 18.6 times per contest (18th in college hoops) and they turn it over 12.8 times per contest. The Wildcats commit 20.5 fouls every game and they connect on 72.5% from the charity stripe.

The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 321st in D-1 in PPG given up with 80.0. They have forced 13.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.1% from the floor (210th in the country). The Kansas State defense gives up 31.6% on shots from beyond the arc (122 of 386) and their opponents are converting on 72.3% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 15.2 assists and 35.9 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 295th and 255th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UCF

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.