How To Watch UCF Men's Hoops' Visit To Cincinnati: Tip-off Time, TV Channel, And Odds
In this story:
Venue: Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Tip-off: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2:00 p.m. EST
TV/Streaming: CBS Sports Network (Play-by-Play: Chris Lewis, Analyst: Steve Lappas)
Radio: FM 96.9 FM / AM 740 (Play-by-Play: Marc Daniels)
Live Twitter/X Updates: @itsBrysonTurner and @UCFKnightsOnSI
Odds: Cincinnati is a 3.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series Record: Cincinnati leads the series, 18-7 (UCF has won last two meetings.)
Quick Facts:
1. Visiting an old friend
On Wednesday, Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam gets a second chance to pick up a win against his former school.
This season was actually supposed to be Thiam's freshman season. He was even the 2025 class's top center. Instead, he reclassified to the class of 2024 and was a part of coach Johnny Dawkins' squad last season.
Thiam started all 34 games he played, totalling 976 minutes on the court. He averaged 10.4 points per game with a 49.8% shooting percentage from the floor and 66.7% shooting from the free-throw line. He also averaged 6.4 rebounds per game while getting 25 assists, 88 blocks and 16 steals.
Heading into his second game against the Knights, Thiam is averaging 10.8 points per game and 6 rebounds per game.
2. Last Time...
all We need pic.twitter.com/QO0M8kDJ9f
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) January 12, 2026
Just under a month ago, UCF edged out Cincinnati in a close game at Addition Financial Arena, with neither team gaining a lead of more than seven points.
The Bearcats got the advantage in points off turnovers, second chance points and fast breaks, but the Knights were able to cancel them out thanks to a scoring advantage off the bench. Though that was mostly due to center Jeremy Foumena, who scored 12 points, and guard Chris Johnson, who scored 10. They helped UCF outscore Cincinnati's bench, 24-9.
In the end, however, it came down to who made their last shots. While the Bearcats missed a three-point attempt near the buzzer, UCF guard Riley Kugel's floater from the paint, shot close to 13 seconds earlier, proved to be the winning shot.
3. Battles Down Low
The Knights are coming off a loss to the No. 8 Houston Cougars, which used their taller big men to keep UCF out of the paint and force it to take more high-risk shots from distance. The Bearcats have a chance to do the same.
UCF's two largest margins of defeat, both coming on the road, were against Iowa State and Houston. Both were not only ranked in the Top 10, but also had a pair of regular starters in the frontcourt that were 6'10" or taller. In Cincinnati's case, it has 6'11" forward Baba Miller and 7'2" center Moustapha Thiam.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Catch up on more UCF News below:
Three Things UCF Hoops Needs To Remember In Lead-up To March
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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