The Kansas Jayhawks (9-3) travel to face off against the UCF Knights (10-2) on Sunday, January 5th. This game will be played at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando and televised on ESPN+. UCF is coming off a win in their previous game, while Kansas is looking to get back on track from a loss to the West Virginia. Tip-off is set for 4:00 ET.

Kansas Jayhawks vs UCF Knights

The Jayhawks Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Kansas fell to 9-3 on the season after a surprising 62-61 home loss to West Virginia on Tuesday. The Jayhawks were -13.5 favorites going into the game but couldn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 123, falling short of the O/U line of 141.5.

Kansas found themselves in a 33-20 hole at halftime but made a strong push in the second half, outscoring West Virginia 41-29. However, their comeback effort came up just short.

The Knights Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

UCF improved to 10-2 on the season with an 87-83 road win over Texas Tech on Tuesday. The Knights entered the game as +13.5 point underdogs but pulled off the upset, covering the spread.

UCF led 47-41 at halftime and scored 40 points in the second half while allowing 42. The game’s total points reached 170, surpassing the O/U line of 146.5.

Jayhawks Offense Breakdown

Kansas struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 38.8% from the field and 25% from three-point range, hitting only 4 of 16 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.9%, and they managed just 10 assists as a team.

At the free-throw line, the Jayhawks were impressive, making 19 of 21 attempts for a 90.5% shooting percentage. Zeke Mayo led the team with 27 points, while Eduardo Andre contributed 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting, adding 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Knights Offense Breakdown

UCF’s offense was firing on all cylinders, putting up 87 points with a 51.8% field goal percentage and an effective field goal percentage of 60.7%. They connected on 43.5% of their threes, hitting 10 of 23 attempts, and were nearly automatic from the free-throw line, shooting 86.4% (19/22).

Keyshawn Hall was perfect from beyond the arc, going 4/4 on threes and shooting 69.2% overall, finishing with 22 points and 8 rebounds. JT Toppin led the team with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Darius Johnson added 24 points, shooting 70% from the field and 66.7% from three.

Jayhawks Team Defense

Despite giving up 19 points at the free-throw line, the Kansas Jayhawks held their opponent to just 62 points, thanks to a strong defensive effort. They limited their opponent to 38% shooting from the field, with 15 of 33 made shots coming from two-point range.

From beyond the arc, Kansas allowed just 4 three-pointers on 16 attempts, holding their opponent to 25% shooting. The Jayhawks also gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Knights Team Defense

Despite Kansas’s strong defensive effort, they couldn’t keep their opponent off the free-throw line, where they hit 19 of 21 attempts. Overall, Kansas held them to 62 points on 38% shooting from the field.

From beyond the arc, Kansas limited their opponent to just 4 made threes on 16 attempts, a 25% shooting performance. Kansas also gave up 7 offensive rebounds in the game.

Jayhawks vs Knights Trends

• Across the Jayhawks last ten road games, the team averaged 66 points per game while allowing 74. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 4-6, while going 3-7 straight-up.
• Across the Knights last ten home games, the team averaged 79 points per game while allowing 82. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 6-4, while going 4-6 straight-up.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, UCF has an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
• In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Jayhawks have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.

Jayhawks vs Knights Prediction

Entering the game as underdogs with a spread of +5.5, the Knights is our point spread pick. Our projections not only see them covering the spread but also indicate a solid chance of an outright victory. This is a good choice for those looking for a higher moneyline payout.

As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 148.5, and our model projects the Jayhawks and Knights to reach a combined total of 145 points. Our bet is on taking the under.

---

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

---

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.