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The Florida Gators will certainly be well rested by the time they host the Florida State Seminoles on Monday night. Florida will have had a full week of rest since the last time we saw them at the Phil Knight Invitational. There, the Gators nearly knocked off the No. 1 team in the country, the Duke Blue Devils, before falling 87-84. Now, Florida will get the chance to pick up the win against its biggest traditional rival, the Florida State Seminoles.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, December 4, 2017, at 9 p.m. ET at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Florida. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Monday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Florida State was not highly regarded coming into this season after Jonathan Isaac, Dwayne Bacon, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes all left Tallahassee for the bright lights of the NBA. Somehow, Leonard Hamilton has got this team to perform despite the losses, albeit against lesser foes. Florida State is undefeated on the season and has covered the number against every opponent. The Seminoles were double-digit favorites against everyone but Rutgers and have used a surprisingly good offense to cover these big numbers.
The Gators are looking like a team that is capable of making an extended run in March Madness. Florida acquitted itself well out at the Phil Knight Invitational, hammering Stanford by 21 and outlasting Gonzaga in overtime before blowing a late lead against Duke. Dating back to last season, the Gators have played seven straight over games and have already topped 100 points four times this year.
Matchup to Watch
Under Hamilton, Florida State has been known for having a lights out defense. The Seminoles have been able to shut down some of the best offenses in the country with their pressure and have flustered the Gators with their defense in recent years.
This season though, the Seminoles just don’t have the athletes they did in the past. Florida State has a lot of more experienced players that don’t much raw talent and younger players that are exceptionally raw and need time to continue to develop.
Florida is going to be one of the best offenses in the country this year. The Gators have been able to put up points against good defenses and have some great shooters. Jalen Hudson is a 6’6 guard that leads the team in scoring at this point and he has been lights out as a shooter. He is hitting 55 percent of his field goals and draining 48.7 percent of his threes this season.
Transfer Egor Koulechov has fit right in with the Gators too. He was a First Team All-Conference USA selection when he was at Rice and is draining an impressive 48.5 percent of his threes.
Key Injuries
Florida State won’t have its intimidator in the paint for this one. Christ Koumadje is a 7’4 center from Chad who was expected to play more of a role with the Seminoles this season, but is currently suffering from a leg injury and won’t be available until January at the earliest.
The Gators are missing one of their top defensive players too. John Egbunu is out until mid-January with a knee injury. He is the interior defender this team is lacking right now and might eventually lead this team to a title in April. Also, Chris Chiozza is considered probable with an upper-body injury.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Florida is likely to be a hefty favorite in this one. The Gators have played a far tougher schedule and have some big wins to their name. This is unquestionably one of the top teams in the country. However, Florida State always seems to hang tough in this game and will get the cover.
College Basketball Odds: Florida 78, Florida State 75
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