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

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

LSU Tigers betting example

The Tigers got off to a good start this year, kicking off four straight wins. LSU defeated LA-Monroe 95-60, Alabama State 74-61, Kansas State 76-65 and Charleston Southern 77-68 during that quartet.

On Friday against Pittsburgh, LSU suffered its first loss of the season. The Tigers did well in the first half with a 28-27 lead, but 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 example

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

Playing 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 loss. The top scorer 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 site.

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 opponents not ranked in the AP.
• UCF has won the first half in four of its last five games against non-AP ranked opponents.

UCF vs LSU prediction

I’m leaning towards UCF, but you can call this either way. However, the Knights need a bounce-back effort here after a rough outing against a great Wisconsin team. UCF shot a paltry 33.9 percent from the field in that game, along with an abysmal 11.8 percent (2-of-17) from 3-point range in the loss. It was the first time in a four-game stretch that the Knights 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, along with 15 turnovers. However, LSU did quite well (35). The Tigers had scored 74 or more points in each of their previous four games. Sunday’s game should be a decent scoring affair if both teams can get their proverbial groove back. Either way, it will be an entertaining match.