Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between UCF and the win they were favored to collect coming into this afternoon. They have jumped out to a quick 45-39 lead against Tulsa.
UCF entered the match having won three straight and they’re just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Tulsa step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ UCF Knights
Current Records: Tulsa 4-6, UCF 7-2
How To Watch
What to Know
UCF has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena. The Knights are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 79.4 points per game this season.
UCF is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 135.5, but even that wound up being too high. They took down Tarleton State 66-51 on Sunday. That’s two games straight that the Knights have won by exactly 15 points.
UCF’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Jordan Ivy-Curry, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Moustapha Thiam, who almost dropped a double-double on ten points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Tulsa’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. They fell to Southern U. 70-66. The Golden Hurricane didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Keaston Willis put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted 23 points plus seven rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against Okla. State last Wednesday, so this was a nice turnaround. Another player making a difference was Tyshawn Archie, who had 17 points along with two blocks.
UCF pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. As for Tulsa, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: UCF has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 39.7 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Tulsa struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 38.1. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Going forward, UCF is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 11.5 points. Against the spread, they have been a house darling this year with a chancy 3-6 ATS record.
Odds
UCF is a big 11.5-point favorite against Tulsa, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Bettors have moved against the Knights slightly, as the game opened with the Knights as a 13.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 145.5 points.
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Series History
UCF has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Tulsa.
- Feb 26, 2023 – UCF 68 vs. Tulsa 49
- Feb 11, 2023 – UCF 96 vs. Tulsa 52
- Mar 06, 2022 – Tulsa 73 vs. UCF 72
- Feb 14, 2022 – UCF 76 vs. Tulsa 67
- Mar 02, 2021 – UCF 73 vs. Tulsa 69
- Feb 06, 2021 – UCF 65 vs. Tulsa 58
- Feb 29, 2020 – Tulsa 65 vs. UCF 54
- Feb 09, 2020 – UCF 83 vs. Tulsa 75
- Jan 19, 2019 – UCF 64 vs. Tulsa 62
- Feb 21, 2018 – Tulsa 70 vs. UCF 61
