The UCF Knights take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the College Basketball Crown. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
Cincinnati is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -285. The total is set at 154.5 points. Odds for the College Basketball Crown are only being offered in certain states.
Here are my UCF vs. Cincinnati predictions and college basketball picks for April 3, 2025.
UCF vs Cincinnati Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati -6.5
My UCF vs Cincinnati best bet is on the Bearcats, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings Sportsbook. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
UCF vs Cincinnati Odds
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- UCF vs Cincinnati spread: Cincinnati -6.5
- UCF vs Cincinnati over/under: 154.5 points
- UCF vs Cincinnati moneyline: Cincinnati -285, UCF +230
- UCF vs Cincinnati best bet: Cincinnati -6.5
Spread
I’m backing the Bearcats to cover the spread as favorites.
Moneyline
I’m passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I’m passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Cincinnati -6.5
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UCF vs Cincinnati College Basketball Betting Preview
Cincinnati beat UCF by double-digits on the road in Big 12 play this season, dismantling the Knights’ hapless dribble defense by scoring 35 points on 31 ball-screen sets (1.13 PPP) en route to 56 paint points.
[twitterembed tweetid=”1907854780384383418″][/twitterembed]
UCF also scored efficiently in that game, somehow running its rim-and-transition offense against Cincinnati’s versatile drop-coverage defense that’s typically good at denying rim-and-transition buckets.
However, leading scorer Keyshawn Hall scored 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting in that game, and he opted out of the Crown. The Knights run so much of their offense through him in isolation sets, and I don’t trust their offense without him.
Sure, UCF dropped 76 points on Tuesday against Oregon State, but the Knights needed a 10-for-26 (39%) 3-point shooting performance. They won’t get any catch-and-shoot opportunities against the Bearcats’ drop.
Favorites have done well in the Crown, going 9-2 SU and 7-3 ATS.
I’m willing to ride another favorite, given that I expect the fully available Bearcats to dominate off the dribble and play solid defense against the shorthanded Knights.