Oregon vs UCF Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 19 NIT Game (Can the Knights Pull Off Another Road Upset?)

The 2023 NIT continues on Sunday with an exciting second-round matchup between the Oregon Ducks and Central Florida (UCF) Knights. Oregon took down UC Irvine 84-58 in a first-round victory on Wednesday, while UCF upset Florida in the first round with a dominant 67-49 win on the road.

Oregon vs UCF Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• Oregon (20-14) vs. UCF (19-14)
• Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: Matthew Knight Arena -- Eugene, Oregon
• Coverage: ESPNU

Oregon vs UCF Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: OREGN: (-178) | UCF: (+146)
• Spread: OREGN: -3.5 (-120) | UCF: +3.5 (-102)
• Total: 137.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Oregon enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 137.5 points, which is about average compared to Sunday's NIT projected totals.

Oregon vs UCF Betting Trends

• Against the spread, Oregon is 16-18-0 this season.
• Against the spread as 5.5-point favorites or more, the Ducks are 7-9.
• Oregon has seen 18 of its 34 games go over the point total.
• UCF has covered the spread 16 times in 33 games.
• The Knights are 4-2 as 5.5-point underdogs or greater.
• Out of UCF's 33 games so far this year, 20 have gone over the total.

Oregon Rank	Oregon AVG		UCF AVG	UCF Rank
190th	71.1	Points Scored	72.1	168th
77th	66.8	Points Allowed	65.5	48th
42nd	34.4	Rebounds	31.5	193rd
61st	9.9	Off. Rebounds	9.9	61st
202nd	7.2	3pt Made	8.8	44th
159th	13.3	Assists	14.0	107th
159th	11.7	Turnovers	12.3	222nd

Oregon vs UCF Prediction & Pick

Oregon put on a show in the first round as it led by as much as 26 points and ended the game with 12 made three-pointers. That outing came against a UC Irvine defense that ranked outside the top 100 in points allowed per game, though. UCF ranks 41st in that category, giving up 65.5 points per game.

The Knights rank 39th in defensive efficiency and 55th in opponent shooting percentage (41.8%) as well. Defense travels in postseason play and that was shown when UCF held Florida to just 49 points in Gainesville. Oregon's offense has not shown the reliability needed to overcome a tough matchup.

Oregon has lost five home games this season and I see that mark increasing to six on Sunday night.

Final Score Prediction: Oregon: 68 | UCF: 72

Oregon vs UCF Best Bet

This spread has been moving in favor of the Knights and for good reason. UCF is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games on a Sunday and 4-2 ATS in its last six games overall. Oregon is only 3-6 ATS in its last nine games overall and lack the size necessary to stop Taylor Hendricks.

Hendricks is a 6-foot-9 freshman forward and leads the Knights in points (15.3) as well as rebounds (6.9) per game. He torched Florida for 17 points & 8 rebounds, while teammate CJ Kelly tallied 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. That is a dangerous duo that can score from anywhere on the court.

Bet: UCF Knights +3.5 (-102)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.