NCAAB: SEC BETTING SHOWDOWN
The Florida Gators and South Carolina Gamecocks square off tonight in Gainesville in an SEC betting showdown.
Sportsbook.com has established Florida as nine-point favorites, with a Total of 151.5. The game will be on ESPN starting at 9 pm ET.
Florida (18-4, 7-8 ATS) is trying to become the flagship team in the conference but was dragged around like a gator by the tail at Tennessee in being wiped out, 79-63 as 3 ½-point underdogs.
Though the Gators have talented players, they are dependant on point guard Nick Calathes to set the offense in motion. Against the Vols, Calathes picked up two quick fouls less than three minutes into the game. He ended up playing just nine total minutes in the first half and Florida never found an offensive flow.
We were a little rushed,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “We took some ill-advised shots. On a couple of those possessions you want to push and attack, but there has to be a balance to it, and sometimes we didn’t show good judgment.”
Coach Donovan teams are 31-20 ATS off a road loss.
South Carolina (16-4, 8-7 ATS) is also trying to bring excitement to the SEC. After suffering a pair of road defeats, the Gamecocks hosted Florida 17 days ago and ran away, literally, with a win which has started a streak.
South Carolina scored on a breakaway throw and catch at the buzzer to defeat the Gators 70-69 at home. They have a four-game conference winning streak after junior guard Devan Downey provided the winning basket on an eight-foot jumper with three seconds left for a 78-77 come from behind triumph at Kentucky.
Downey is the face of this club that is 13-4 ATS in road games after three consecutive conference games, having scored 20 or more points in half their games.
A win in Gainesville keeps South Carolina in first place in the SEC East race, pending the outcome of Kentucky’s game. Even with the conference having a down year in basketball, any team being able to go to Lexington and Gainesville and win in consecutive games would have to draw attention.
The Gamecocks are 11-2 ATS on the road versus teams outscoring their opponents by eight or more points a game after 15 or more contests over the last three seasons.
The Gamecocks are 17-7 ATS as a road underdog or pick, however 0-6 ATS if the previous upset win came as a road dog. The Gators are 13-0 (4-3 ATS) at home playing a non-conference schedule loaded with empty tomato cans.
Florida has won nine of 10 (5-5 ATS) at home against South Carolina, with the Gamecocks having covered four in a row.
