The UCF Knights round out the regular season tonight at West Virginia with a 7 p.m. CT tipoff on the CBS Sports Network. The Knights (20-9, 9-8 Big 12) are looking to hold their top-10 seeding despite consecutive home losses against Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers (17-13, 8-9 Big 12) are coming off a one-possession loss at Kansas State on Tuesday. Here is our prediction, preview, odds and key storylines for tonight’s matchup in Morgantown.
UCF vs. West Virginia Game Odds
West Virginia enters the contest as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 139.5 points despite entering the game 1-5 through its last five games.
Key Storyline: Can UCF Set the Series Right?
West Virginia handed down a seven-point loss to UCF in Orlando in February, and now the Knights have the opportunity to even the series 1-1 heading into the Big 12 tournament next week. Honor Huff went off for 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting in that win, and UCF shot just 42% on its home floor. UCF has looked especially poor defensively as of late, including an 111-104 overtime loss against Oklahoma State at home on Tuesday.
Match Up to Watch: Kugel-Huff Faceoff Part II
UCF’s leading scorer, Riley Kugel, was held to just 3 of 10 from the floor last time around, and Huff, despite not performing much better, still netted more from his attempts in guiding the Mountaineers to a win on the road. Both teams rebound at a similar rate – how many of those boards turn into second-chance points for Kugel or Huff? West Virginia is 14-3 at home this season and will bring its top-20 defense to its home floor in Friday’s finale.
Prediction: West Virginia 74, UCF 70
Kugel and UCF need a win on Friday ahead of the league tournament, but it’s hard to see how their defense finally settles down in Morgantown, of all places, after two, frankly, abysmal performances at home. UCF has proven it’s good enough to beat some big names (BYU, Kansas, and Texas Tech), but this downhill slide is far too steep to bet against the Mountaineers on senior night.
