UCF Knights vs Utah Utes Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Utah Utes

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: ESPN+

The UCF Knights (18-7) are headed to Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday where they will go up against the Utah Utes (10-16).

The UCF Knights played TCU and earned the victory with a final of 82-71 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Knights ended up finishing with 20 and TCU recorded 17 fouls. They also knocked down 4 out of their 21 shots from 3-point range. TCU walked away from this one shooting 63.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 27 attempts. Additionally, TCU collected 31 rebounds (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't have a block. TCU totaled 9 dimes and had 9 steals for the matchup. In relation to defense, UCF allowed the other team to go 41.7% from the floor on 25 out of 60 shooting. They also recorded 17 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 8 steals. When talking about hauling in boards, they compiled 32 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Knights buried 18 of their 20 tries for a rate of 90.0%. UCF ended with a 49.1% field goal percentage (28 out of 57) and converted 8 of their 20 three-point shots.

Jordan Burks is a guy who was a factor in the matchup. He went 42.1% from the floor but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 32 minutes played and also pulled down 7 boards. He was able to score 23 points on 8 of 19 shooting.

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UCF steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 18-7 this season. They turn it over 11.5 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UCF is collecting 37.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 400 assists so far this season, which is 114th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Knights are shooting 37.3% on shots from beyond the arc (206 of 553) and 75.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 81.8 points per outing (62nd in D-1) while going 47.2% from the field.

Defensively, the Knights are able to force 11.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.4 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 184th in the country in giving up assists with 357 conceded for the campaign. The Knights are giving up a FG percentage of 45.9% (680 of 1,482) and they surrender 32.2 rebounds per contest as a squad. They concede 33.4% on three-point shots while they are 278th in college in PPG allowed (77.4).

The last time they took the court, the Utah Utes got the victory with a final of 61-56 against West Virginia. The Utes earned 25 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 35 for this game. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 4 steals for the game. West Virginia committed 18 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Utes to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to make 14 of those for a rate of 66.7%. In reference to three-point shots, Utah knocked down 5 of 16 attempts (31.3%). When all was said and done, the Utes finished the game shooting 21 for 52 from the field which had them shooting 40.4%. The Utes allowed West Virginia to bury 22 of 52 tries from the floor which had them shooting 42.3% for the game. They finished 21.7% from beyond the arc by going 5 of 23 and finished the contest at 7 of 15 from the free throw line (46.7%). With respect to rebounds, Utah allowed West Virginia to grab 27 overall (7 offensive).

Seydou Traore was important for the Utes for the game. He had 17 points in his 34 mins on the hardwood and earned 2 dimes for the game. He converted 6 out of 13 for the matchup for a field goal percentage of 46.2%, and earned 6 rebounds.

Utah has a record of 10-16 this year. The Utes are committing 16.7 personal fouls every game and they hit 72.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.6 times per contest (211th in college) and they are turning it over 11.3 times per game. Utah has tallied 1,970 points for the season (75.8 per contest) and they average 34.7 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Utes are hitting on 45.2% from the field, which ranks 187th in college.

The Utes are ranked 306th in the nation in points allowed per contest with 78.6. They are forcing 9.7 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.0% from the floor (319th in D-1). The Utah defense allows 33.5% on three-point shots (183 of 547) and their opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 13.7 assists and 36.0 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 202nd and 278th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF

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