Kansas Jayhawks vs. UCF Knights College Basketball prediction, preview
The Jayhawks head down to Orlando on Saturday afternoon as sizable favorites, partially due to the news that Darryn Peterson is set to return. The potential No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft had been battling hamstring injuries, but will make his return for a Big 12 game against the Knights.
Believe it or not, UCF has actually been a tricky matchup for Kansas since the Knights joined the conference. Two years ago, UCF pulled the outright upset over the Jayhawks down in Orlando. Last year’s trip to Orlando was the outlier in their matchups, with Kansas getting a dominant 99-48 victory. But the Knights were out for revenge following that embarrassing effort at home.
Kansas and UCF met two more times that season, and the Knights nearly pulled off an upset on both occasions. UCF lost by four points at Allen Fieldhouse in the regular season, and then by four points again in the Big 12 Tournament.
This year’s version of UFC doesn’t have much returning talent from the rosters that challenged the Jayhawks in the past, but it is a far more talented lineup. The Knights are loaded with transfer talent, and are off to an 11-1 start, with the only loss to a Vanderbilt roster that could be Final Four-type good.
UCF is also 2-1 SU/ATS as an underdog this season, and should be pesky for a KU squad that’s had it’s road struggles. The Jayhawks are just 2-6 in their last eight true road games, dating back to last season. The only road win this season came by a single point in overtime at NC State, and required one of the all-time outlier individual performances in Kansas basketball history. Melvin Council, a poor shooter from downtown in his career, shot 9-of-15 from downtown and scored 36 points — I remember it well as a Wolfpack bettor.
I lean strongly to UCF making this a ballgame and covering the spread at home.
