UCF vs LSU Prediction 11-24-24 College Basketball Picks

The LSU Tigers and the Central Florida Knights meet Sunday in College Basketball action from Greenbrier Colonial Hall. Here’s a UCF vs LSU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UCF vs LSU pick.

LSU Tigers Betting Preview

The Tigers got off to a nice start this year, taking four straight victories to kick things off. LSU beat LA-Monroe 95-60, Alabama State 74-61, Kansas State 76-65, and Charleston Southern 77-68 during that quartet.

On Friday versus Pittsburgh, LSU took their first loss of the season. The Tigers were doing well in the first half with a 28-27 advantage, then fell behind on a 47-35 run for a 74-63 loss. Jalen Reed and Vyctorius Miller led the way in the losing effort, each with 14 points.

UCF Knights Betting Preview

Over on the UCF side, they also got off to a smooth 4-0 start this year, beginning with a nice 64-61 win over Texas A&M. The next three were victories over Fort Wayne 75-68, FAU 100-94, and Tennessee Tech 80-69.

Matched up against Wisconsin in their Friday outing, UCF was in trouble with a 46-31 halftime deficit. The Knights were outscored 40-39 the rest of the way for an 86-70 defeat. Tops in scoring was Jordan Ivy-Curry with 13 points and four boards.

Why the LSU Tigers will win

• LSU has won each of its last eight Sunday games against non-conference opponents.
• LSU has won the first half in each of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

Why the UCF Knights will win

• LSU has lost seven of its last eight games against the Big 12 Conference.
• UCF has won six of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• UCF has won the first half in four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

UCF vs LSU Prediction

I’ll lean toward UCF, but you could call this one either way. The Knights need a bounce-back effort here after a rough outing versus a great Wisconsin team, though. UCF shot a measly 33.9 percent from the field in that one, alongside a horrid 11.8 percent (2-of-17) from 3-point range in the defeat. It was the first time in a four-Game span that the Knights had scored fewer than 75 points.

As for LSU, they didn’t fare much better against Pitt with 37.3 percent shooting and 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from outside alongside 15 turnovers. LSU did fairly well rebounding, however (35). The Tigers had scored 74 or more points in each of their previous four Games. Sunday’s matchup should be a pretty high-scoring affair if both teams can get their proverbial groove back. It’ll be an entertaining matchup regardless.