UCF vs Cincinnati Prediction 2/8/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Central Florida Knights and the Cincinnati Bearcats meet Sunday in college basketball action from Fifth Third Arena. Here’s a Central Florida vs Cincinnati prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Central Florida vs Cincinnati pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

UCF Knights Betting Preview

This year the Knights got off to a good start, losing to only Vanderbilt on November 8 during their first 13 outings for 12-1 record. Central Florida would drop three of the next five games however, taking losses to Oklahoma State, Arizona and Iowa State in that time. UCF hit a 3-0 run after that with wins over Colorado, Arizona State and Texas Tech. The next game was a loss to Houston, however.

In the matchup on the road versus Houston on Wednesday the Knights went into the locker room at the break with a 33-19 deficit on the scoreboard. Central Florida wasn’t able to gain any ground on a 46-36 run from there and took the loss in the end 79-55. Nobody on the team was able to score in double-figures; Riley Kugel got close though on nine points and three boards.

Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Preview

Over on the Bearcats’ side, they were 8-5 after their first 13 games as the 2025 calendar year closed out. Cincinnati hit a 3-6 run to start out the new year, losing to Houston, West Virginia, UCF, Arizona, Arizona State and Houston again during that stretch with wins over Colorado, Iowa State and Baylor otherwise. Through 22 games the Bearcats were .500 at 11-11 overall.

Matched up against West Virginia on Thursday Cincinnati was looking good at halftime with a 30-20 advantage. The Bearcats were outscored in the second half 39-24 however, leading to a rough loss on their home court 59-54. Tops in the team in the defeat was Jizzle James with 18 points, while Baba Miller added 15 points with eight rebounds. Jalen Celestine had 10 rebounds with eight points and six assists as well.

UCF Knights @ Cincinnati Bearcats Betting Trends: February 8, 2026

Why the Cincinnati Bearcats will win

• The home team has won eight of Cincinnati’s last nine games.
• UCF has lost each of its last three games at Fifth Third Arena.

Why the UCF Knights will win

• UCF has won each of its last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Cincinnati has lost five of its last six day games against Conference opponents.

Central Florida vs Cincinnati Prediction

I’ll stick with the Knights. Central Florida needs to bounce back after a demoralizing blowout road loss to Houston this week, though. The Knights shot just 30.8 percent from the field in that one with a 38-24 rebounding deficit and an ugly 42-14 disadvantage on points in the paint. UCF is a spotty 3-3 in their last six games, but to be fair each of those losses came versus a ranked squad.

These teams last met up back on January 11 in a tight 73-72 home win for the Knights. In that one UCF shot an excellent 57.7 percent from the field with 26 rebounds, 20 team assists and 44 points in the paint. The Knights did get a little careless with turnovers (13) however, so they’ll need to watch the ball control in the road rematch. Should be a good game.

Andrew Jett's Pick: UCF Knights +4