Megan Teske breaks down her pick and prediction for Tuesday’s game between the UCF Knights and TCU Horned Frogs.

A pair of teams looking to make their case for the NCAA Tournament will meet for the first time this season when the UCF Knights host the TCU Horned Frogs on Tuesday evening as part of a loaded Tuesday slate.

Taking a peak at the odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Horned Frogs are slight 1.5-point road favorites with -112 odds on the Moneyline. The Knights are -108 as an underdog on the Moneyline while the total o/u is set at 155.5 points.

Below is my preview, pick and prediction for Tuesday’s UCF vs. TCU matchup.

UCF vs. TCU prediction, pick

The UCF Knights will be looking to right the ship and get a more firm lock on an NCAA Tournament spot after a recent string of defeats in conference play. UCF has some strong Big 12 wins over then-No. 17 Kansas and then-No. 11 Texas Tech, but three straight losses has the team sitting eighth in the conference and needing to bounce back.

The Knights have been one of the stronger offensive teams in a conference ruled by defense. UCF averages 81.8 points a game, seventh in the conference, while ranking third in the Big 12 in three-point shooting percentage at 37.1%. However, in the Knights’ last three games, they have averaged just 64.7 points a game, shooting the three at a 29.3% clip.

UCF has been led this season by transfer guards Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks. Kugel averages a team-leading 14.3 points a game while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc, while Fulks is not far behind with 13.5 points a game and leading the team with a 44.4% three-point percentage. Fulks also leads the Knights with 6.8 assists a game. Forwards Jordan Burks and Jamichael Stillwell are the other two double-digit scorers for UCF, averaging 12.5 and 12.3 points, respectively. Stillwell also collects a team-high eight rebounds a game, though his status for tonight’s game is questionable.

The TCU Horned Frogs are going in a bit of an opposite direction of UCF, though they will still be looking to get on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble. TCU made some noise in nonconference play after downing defending champion Florida, however once Big 12 play started, the Frogs toppled after seeing three of the conference’s top teams in consecutive games. Momentum has swung back in their favor, though, with three straight wins, including one over then-No. 5 Iowa State.

Although TCU is more of a defensive team, ranking seventh in the conference by allowing 72.1 points a game and turning teams over 13.8 times a game, good for third in the Big 12, its current win streak has come more by way of the offense. The Horned Frogs, typically averaging 78.9 points a game, averaged 80.3 points a game on 43.7% shooting.

Forwards David Punch and Xavier Edmonds continue to be the leaders for TCU. Punch leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks with 14.2, 6.9 and 2.1 a game, respectively, while Edmonds adds 12.4 points and six rebounds a game. Also scoring in double figures for the Frogs is guard Jayden Pierre and forward Micah Robinson, each adding around 10 points a game, while transfer guard Brock Harding leads the team with 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals a game, also pitching in 8.4 points.

UCF vs. TCU Best Bet

Both these teams are very similar statistically, with both having plenty to play for with a solid chance to still make the postseason. The Knights get to play host at home, where they are 13-3 this season, but they haven’t been playing good basketball lately, with the Horned Frogs and UCF trending in opposite directions.

UCF has had trouble recently playing against some top defenses, and although TCU isn’t quite in the same tier as Houston or West Virginia, it can pull its own in a tough defensive conference. The Horned Frogs just held Iowa State to 55 points, turning the ‘Clones over 17 times, while they are second in the Big 12 in blocks as well with five a game.

With TCU’s offense coming on stronger lately as well, it should be able to find ways to score against UCF while keeping the Knights in check to build that win streak to four.

Best Bet: TCU Moneyline (-112)