The ninth-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats face the No. 8 seed UCF Knights in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament today.
My Cincinnati vs. UCF predictions and college basketball picks are backing the superior defensive team in this conference tournament clash this afternoon.
Cincinnati vs UCF prediction
Cincinnati vs UCF best bet
Cincinnati vs UCF best bet: Cincinnati -2.5 (-110)
Since the start of February, the UCF Knights have gone 3-6 while ranking 13th out of 16 teams in the conference in the Bart Torvik power ratings.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bearcats are 7-2 in their last nine while ranking fourth in the conference, per Bart Torvik. That stretch includes double-digit wins over BYU and Kansas, and a 92-72 beatdown against UCF.
Cincinnati is ninth in the country in adjusted defense, while UCF ranks just 118th. The Knights are second-last in league play in opponent 2PT% (56.7%), so the Bearcats should score enough to cover this modest spread.
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Cincinnati vs UCF same-game parlay
With the Knights pushing the pace and struggling on defense, we should see an increase in numbers for Cincinnati's players.
Jizzle James has cleared 11.5 points in seven of his last 10 games, and he scored 15 and 14 in the two previous meetings with UCF. Meanwhile, center Moustapha Thiam has grabbed 9+ boards in four of his last five contests.
Cincinnati vs UCF SGP
- Cincinnati -2.5
- Jizzle James Over 10.5 points
- Moustapha Thiam Over 8.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Big bad Bearcats!
The Bearcats have been running their offense through do-everything forward Baba Miller lately. That's resulted in Miller dropping 5+ dimes in six of his last nine games.
Cincinnati vs UCF SGP
- Cincinnati -2.5
- Jizzle James Over 10.5 points
- Moustapha Thiam Over 8.5 rebounds
- Baba Miller Over 4.5 assists
Cincinnati vs UCF odds
- Spread: Cincinnati -2.5 | UCF +2.5
- Moneyline: Cincinnati -140 | UCF +120
- Over/Under: Over 149.5 | Under 149.5
Cincinnati vs UCF betting trend to know
The Bearcats have covered the first-half spread in 14 of their last 20 games for +7.05 units and a 30% ROI. Find more college basketball betting trends for Cincinnati vs. UCF.
How to watch Cincinnati vs UCF
| Location | T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO |
| Date | Wednesday, March 11, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPNU |
Cincinnati vs UCF key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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