Bet On College Basketball: Gators vs Wildcats
Florida and Kentucky had more difficult games yesterday than most expected, but they both managed to survive and advance.
SEC Tournament Basketball Matchup: Florida vs. Kentucky
12:00 PM EST on ABC
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: UK -9.5
Over/Under: Off
Kentucky is the clear number one team in the country right now, and the Gators have been widely considered to be the second best team in the SEC this season.
Florida slumped down the stretch in the regular season, but they are definitely a dangerous team. This should be a very interesting SEC semifinal matchup.
Alabama made a late run and nearly knocked off the Gators yesterday. Florida will have to better on Saturday if they hope to knock out the Wildcats. The Gators have as much talent in the backcourt as anyone in the nation. Bradley Beal is only a freshman, but he is one of the most athletic players in the nation.
Beal averages 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. He also leads the team in steals. Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker are the returning guards. Boynton is the team’s best outside shooter, while Walker is the team’s best passer. The frontcourt is much thinner for Florida, and that is where they will struggle to matchup with Kentucky.
Patric Young is a great low post player, but the Gators really don’t have anyone else in the blocks. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Kentucky seemed to be sleepwalking through the LSU game yesterday. The Tigers actually led by five points in the second half before the Wildcats woke up enough to win 60-51. Kentucky had 18 turnovers and they were just 1 for 8 from three-point range. Don’t expect another effort like that from Coach Cal’s team.
Anthony Davis is probably the leader for the National Player of the Year. Davis is growing by leaps and bounds offensively, and he is the best defender in the nation.
He leads the nation in blocks with 151. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will present matchup problems for Florida. Terrance Jones could also play a major role in this game.
The key to this Wildcats team is their defense. Opponents are shooting a miserable 36.2% against the Wildcats.
Kentucky is a much more complete team than Florida. The Gators will struggle to keep Kentucky off the boards and out of the paint.
Look for Kentucky to win comfortably here.
Prediction: Kentucky 76 Florida 63
