Iowa State basketball vs. UCF game prediction, 3 things to watch

Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger didn’t mince his words when asked for his opinion on UCF, which will be making the trip to Ames for a Jan. 20 game at Hilton Coliseum.

“It’s coach (Johnny) Dawkins’ best team without a doubt; he’s done a great job putting the roster together,” Otzelberger said.

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It’s more than just flattery or praise.

The Knights were picked to finish 14th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll, but they haven’t looked the part of a basement-dweller.

UCF flirted with the top 25 earlier in the year after getting off to a program-record 12-1 start that includes a win over Kansas. The Knights (14-3, 3-2 Big 12 Conference) are coming off an 84-77 loss to top-ranked Arizona on Jan. 17.

Iowa State (16-2, 3-2) is looking to regroup from back-to-back losses to Kansas and Cincinnati, two teams that the Knights have beaten.

Tuesday night’s game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. CT. It will be available on CBS Sports Network.

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Here are three things to watch for:

UCF turning a corner with new roster

UCF went 37-33 in its first two years in the Big 12. The Knights have made only one tournament appearance in the last two decades, playing in the 2019 NCAA Tournament behind the lead of 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall.

At the pace this season’s UCF team is going, this year should be different.

Dawkins has a reconstructed roster that features 13 new players and only two holdovers from last season, but those two returners didn’t score a single basket or play significant minutes last season.

Mississippi State transfer Riley Kugel is enjoying a career-best season. He is averaging 14.6 points per game, while shooting 41.6% overall and 38.3% from deep. The 6-foot-5 guard is a go-to scorer and a solid rebounder out of the backcourt.

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Themus Fulks is coming off an impressive 30-point performance at Arizona, where he also grabbed five rebounds and dished out eight assists. The Milwaukee transfer is averaging 14.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and…

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Publish date : 2026-01-19 22:31:00

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