The Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the UCF Knights in Orlando, Florida. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Texas Tech is favored by 4 points on the spread with a moneyline of -200. The total is set at 159.5 points.
Here’s my Texas Tech vs. UCF prediction and college basketball picks for January 31, 2026.
Texas Tech vs UCF Prediction
My Pick: Over 160.5 or Better
My Texas Tech vs UCF best bet is on the over total points. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Texas Tech vs. UCF Odds
| Texas Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 159.5 -110o / -110u | -200 |
| UCF Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 159.5 -110o / -110u | +165 |
- Texas Tech vs UCF spread: Texas Tech -4, UCF +4
- Texas Tech vs UCF over/under:Â 159.5 Points
- Texas Tech vs UCF moneyline: Texas Tech -200, UCF +165
Texas Tech vs UCF College Basketball Betting Preview
Texas Tech Basketball
Texas Tech has been one of the best teams in the country since the calendar flipped. The Red Raiders are 16-4 overall and 6-1 in Big 12 play.
A big reason they're playing their best ball recently is that they've been the nation's top 3-point shooting team this month, hitting a whopping 42.5% from beyond the arc.
Outside of Houston, nobody has been able to guard Christian Anderson in ball screens. He has shot efficiently from the field in 12 of his past 14 games, with the two bad games being against Houston.
Anderson's ability to facilitate out of the ball screen also kills opposing defenses because he has a good feel for when to throw a lob to JT Toppin or find Donovan Atwell on the perimeter.
Atwell has my favorite stat of the year: 159 of his 173 shot attempts have been 3s.
UCF Basketball
UCF has been one of the best stories of the season. The Knights are 16-4 overall and 5-3 in the Big 12, despite entering the season projected to finish at the bottom of the conference.
UCF's defense is in the bottom half of the conference, but the Knights are borderline-elite on the offensive glass — although they'll have their hands full with Toppin.
On December 20, Riley Kugel scored zero points on 0-for-6 shooting against Florida Gulf Coast. In nine games since, he has averaged 17.3 points per game.
Kugel will continue to be relied on heavily in the offense against a Texas Tech defense that has been susceptible to 3-point shooting.
Themus Fulks is the straw that stirs the drink for this offense. He leads the team with 7.2 assists per game to go along with his 14 points per game. He has six straight games with five or more assists. Against Arizona, he scored 30 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Texas Tech vs. UCF Betting Analysis
UCF is 11-2 at home this season, with its two losses coming against Vanderbilt (105-93) and Arizona (84-77).
This is an interesting spot for a hot Red Raiders team. All four of Texas Tech's losses this season have been away from home, so the Red Raiders will have to be ready for a veteran UCF team.
Texas Tech has one of the hottest offenses in the country right now and is coming off a 90-point performance against Houston, while UCF is one of the better scoring offenses in the Big 12.
The point guard play of Anderson and Fulks will create plenty of good looks for both offenses, which should result in plenty of points.
My Pick: Over 160.5 or Better
