Updated January 3, 2026
As the 2025-26 college basketball season hits the first weekend of January, the Kansas Jayhawks visit the UCF Knights on Saturday afternoon. Both teams have enjoyed strong starts, with UCF riding a lengthy winning streak and Kansas entering conference play off four consecutive victories. Both teams are looking to set the tone for the rest of their season in this Big 12 opener from Orlando. Here, I break it all down and give you my Kansas vs UCF prediction.
Pick: | UCF +4.5 |
Confidence: | 4/5 |
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Kansas (10-3) opens Big 12 competition after closing December with a decisive 90-61 win over Davidson, earning its fourth straight victory. The Jayhawks bring a strong defensive identity into Big 12 play, allowing only 63.3 points per game and ranking near the top of the nation in field goal percentage defense. Flory Bidunga leads the team with efficient scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking, while Darryn Peterson has been a key offensive catalyst with 19.3 points per game. Kansas has dominated the Big 12 historically and will try to get off to a fast start on the road here.
UCF (11-1) has one of the nation’s longest active win streaks at 10 games and ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring at 88.3 points per contest. The Knights enter off an 85-80 victory over Florida Atlantic, led by Themus Fulks’ 24 points. UCF’s offense is efficient, shooting 50% from the field, and features scoring from Jordan Burks and Riley Kugel, both capable of stretching defenses. No player averages 15 points per game for UCF, which speaks to their balance. UCF’s defense is less reliable, ranking outside the top 200 nationally in points allowed, which could be exposed by a high-octane Kansas attack.
Score Projection: Kansas 76 – UCF 75
Win Probability: Kansas 56%, UCF 44%
My best bet for this Big 12 opener between Kansas and UCF is for the Knights to cover the spread as an underdog at home. The Jayhawks have a slight edge in my projections, but taking the points with the home team looks like the right move here. Expect UCF to hang with Kansas throughout and for this game to come down to the final possessions in Orlando.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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