Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Central Florida Knights Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/31/2026

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 31, 2026

Venue:  Addition Financial Arena, Orlando, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  TTU -3.5, UCF +3.5; Over/Under:  159.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  TTU -3.5, UCF +3.5; Over/Under:  159.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  TTU -3.5, UCF +3.5; Over/Under:  159.5 points

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  16-4 (6-1) (3rd place, Big 12)

Central Florida Knights:  16-4 (5-3) (7th place, Big 12)

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Texas Tech Red Raiders:  5-0  last 5

Central Florida Knights:  3-2  last 5

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 16-4 record overall, a 6-1 record in conference games, and they are 2-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Houston Cougars in their last game. JT Toppin led the team in points in that game with 31 while Jaylen Petty and Donovan Atwell each were next on the team with 18. Christian Anderson led the team in assists with 9 in that game while JT Toppin led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 43.5% from the field, 41.4% from 3-point range, and 80% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.8 PPG against them. Texas Tech has an ATS record of 10-10 this season and their O/U record is 10-10.

UCF is entering this game with a 16-4 record overall, a 5-3 conference record, and they are 11-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Arizona State Sun Devils in their last game. Riley Kugel led the team in points in that game with 17 while Jordan Burks was next on the team with 15. Themus Fulks led the team in assists with 6 in that game while John Bol led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 44.6% from the field, 31.8% from 3-point range, and 73.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 77 PPG against them. UCF has an ATS record of 10-10 this season and their O/U record is 7-13.

The current betting odds have Texas Tech listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Texas Tech has looked great in their games this season with their 16-4 record overall and their 6-1 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big 12. They haven't been a great road team though with their 2-2 road record this year. Meanwhile, UCF has looked good in their games this season with their 16-4 record overall and their 5-3 conference record which has them in the top half of the Big 12. They have looked great on their home court too with their 11-2 home record this season. UCF has been a solid team this season, but they started to struggle more with the start of conference play. They have been beating up on bad opponents in the Big 12, but they haven't really been able to go toe-to-toe with some of the better teams. They are 3-2 in their last 5 games and their 2 losses were by larger margins to ranked opponents. They have won 2 games in a row now, but even their last win was a tight one at home against a bad Arizona State team. Texas Tech only has 1 loss in the Big 12 this year and it was against a ranked Houston team that is one of the best teams in the nation. They have been rolling since that loss too, winning 5 games in a row now, and they just got their revenge on Houston as they are off a win over them in their last one. Texas Tech hasn't been the best in their road games this season, but they are the more talented team here and have already proven that they are a contender in the Big 12 this season while the jury is still out on UCF with their weaker schedule so far. The best way to place a bet here is on Texas Tech to cover the spread in this game. 

Texas Tech Central Florida Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 31, 2026 (12:00 pm ET start time) is Texas Tech 82 UCF 76.

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Texas Tech Red Raiders: 0-3 ATS on the road off an upset win as an underdog. 8-15 ATS on the road when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 2-6 ATS on the road when playing with 5 or 6 days rest. 24-12 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 17-10 OVER after scoring 85 points or more.

Central Florida Knights: 7-4 ATS off a home win against a conference rival. 8-4 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 37% of their attempts or more. 5-1 ATS at home when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%). 35-28 OVER versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 14 turnovers/game or less.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  J. Henderson (G) Questionable - Undisclosed. L. Hoover (F) Out - Redshirt. L. Bamgboye (F) Questionable - Leg.

Central Florida Knights:  J. Foumena (C) Questionable - Knee. T. Jones (G) Questionable - Undisclosed.

"They're the No. 1 defensive rebounding team in our league. We were No. 1 until we played Houston, and I just think they're physical and they can score and they've got a lot of guys that can put you on your heels." - Grant McCasland on his team’s upcoming game against UCF this weekend. 

"Just proud of our guys. They beat a very good basketball team tonight. Again, I've seen Bobby's teams over the years and how well they play, how skilled they are. I'm just proud of our guys' effort, you know, especially down the stretch. We found a way, you know, we had to dig deep. We've had to do that a number of times this year. They've shown the ability to be able to do that. The one thing about them is they still believe we have a chance as long as there's a second on the clock and they just keep fighting, and they did it again tonight." - Johnny Dawkins Jr after his team’s win against ASU in their last game. 

C. Anderson 

D. Atwell 

J. Petty 

J. Toppin 

L. Watts

J. Bol 

J. Burks 

T. Fulks 

R. Kugel 

J. Stillwell

PPG: JT Toppin (22.1)

APG: Christian Anderson (7.5)

Reb/G: JT Toppin (10.9)

PPG: Riley Kugel (15.1)

APG: Themus Fulks (7.2)

Reb/G: Jamichael Stillwell (7.9)

Coaches:

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Grant McCasland (3rd season)

Central Florida Knights: Johnny Dawkins Jr (10th season)