The eighth-ranked Houston Cougars have been on a roll lately, winning 13 of their last 14 games, and look to keep it going on Wednesday night. The Cougars welcome fellow Big 12 Conference foe UCF to the Fertitta Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET.
The Knights come into Wednesday night’s road game with a 17-4 overall record, currently in fifth place in the Big 12 with a 6-3 conference record. UCF is three games behind the conference-leading Arizona Wildcats. As for the Cougars, they are 19-2 overall, 7-1 in Big 12 play, and sit behind Arizona, too.
UCF vs. Houston Projected Lineups and Key Matchups
UCF Knights Starting Lineup
- G Riley Kugel
- G Jordan Burks
- C John Bol
- G Themus Fulks
- F Jamichael Stillwell
Houston Cougars Starting Lineup
- F Chris Cenac Jr.
- G Kingston Flemings
- G Emanuel Sharp
- F Joseph Tugler
- G Milos Uzan
UCF vs. Houston Prediction and Preview
So, Houston is known for playing an up-tempo brand of basketball. It’s one of the trademarks that Cougars head basketball coach Kelvin Sampson has been known for during his tenure. At the same time, the Cougars also have the ability to tighten things up on the defensive side of the ball when necessary.
This will prove challenging for UCF head basketball coach Johnny Dawkins to strategize against in this road matchup. Dawkins will have to lean on his dual guard team of Kugel and Fulks to come out fast in the hopes of catching Houston napping in front of the home crowd.
But, don’t look for that to happen as Sampson and Co. keep things pretty active and firing on all cylinders at the Fertitta Center.
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Kugel leads the Knights in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game. Fulks tops UCF in assists (7.2 per game) and field goal percentage (49.3%) entering Wednesday night’s matchup.
As for the Cougars, Flemings leads in points per game at 17.0 and assists at 5.4 points per game. Cenac tops Houston in rebounds per game at 7.7.
If Flemings can keep the Houston offense moving consistently against UCF, this might turn into a romp. The Cougars are not shy when it comes to making sure their opponents are, in essence, down for the count. The Knights will have to play tough, though, and do their best to keep the Houston offense shut down as much as possible.
Prediction: Houston 89, UCF 77
How To Watch UCF vs. Houston
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Houston, TX
- Arena: Fertitta Center
- TV Channel: FS1
