Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball 2026 Big 12 Tournament Odds, Preview: UCF Knights

CINCINNATI — The nine-seeded Bearcats take on the eighth-seeded UCF Knights in the Big 12 Tournament this afternoon. Cincinnati is a 2.5-point favorite on the consensus betting line, with a point total sitting at 147.5.

The Bearcats are 18-14 straight up this season and 14-18 against the spread, while UCF is 20-10 and 14-16 against the spread.

Massive Contest

Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) dunks the ball in the second half of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Bearcats won 73-66. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cincinnati enters the game needing to win this game to have any chance at earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament this Sunday. Beating UCF by a wide margin is imperative to impress the committee as much as it can in these final days.

Bart Torvik gives the Bearcats a 27.6% chance to make the tournament, while Bracketologists has Cincinnati as the first team left out of the dance based solely on NET Rankings.

UC still has a chance to get in because of the horrific bubble profiles for almost every team on the cut line this season. UCF is right on the bubble as well and will be just as hungry to win this game as Cincinnati is.

Bart Torvik gives the Knights a 44.6% chance to make the tournament. One team's ultimate goal this season will be taken off the table this afternoon. Cincinnati is hoping it can replicate the 92-72 win over UCF at home last month, and not relive the 73-72 January loss in Orlando.

The Knights are led by fifth-year guard Themus Fulks, who sits 10th in the country with 6.8 assists per game to go along with 14.4 points per contest. Senior guard Riley Kugel adds 14.7 points per game, and junior forward Jordan Burks touts 13.3 points per contest this season.

UC assistant coach Chad Dollar laid out the biggest key to the game after Tuesday's 73-66 win over Utah.

"They have really done a good job this year. Man, I give Johnny (Dawkins) a lot of credit. Man, his team has battled this year. It's been unbelievable to watch it, because we both kind of made that transition from the American to the Big 12," Dollar said on 700 WLW. "And so I think one of the biggest keys gonna be getting back and defending the ball. I mean, they have guards that get in the lane and make things moving, just kind of like we were talking about with Baba (Miller). He's kind of the general (Fulks), and we did a really good job the second game with him, keeping him out of the lane and really getting back and defending. And then we gotta do what we do."

Cincinnati leads this all-time series 19-7. Catch the game at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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