Everybody wants to see future NBA lottery pick Ben Simmons play. There is no other reason for a pair of 9-5 teams to be on national television. But LSU’s fantastic frosh won’t be the only one on the court Saturday. Florida’s KeVaughn Allen is pretty darn good and the pair should put on a show that fans in Gainesville will get one chance to witness.
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HOW THE LSU TIGERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
After suffering a loss to Wake Forest on Dec. 29, LSU was 7-5 with its best win of the season to that point coming against North Florida. No disrespect to the Ospreys, but come on now. At the time LSU’s hopes of being competitive in the SEC, and NCAA tournament hopes further down the road, looked bleak at best.
But the Tigers have this kid named Ben Simmons, and while he may not be the best player in college basketball right now, he’s as talented as anyone. Things can change quickly in college hoops. The Tigers, now fully equipped with a healthy Keith Hornsby and an eligible Craig Victor, have notched a road win against Vanderbilt and a home win against Kentucky in the past week. The fact that they beat the Wildcats by 18 with Simmons only attempting five shots, shows just how much potential this team has.
Based on those last two games, the remaining scheduled looks favorable for the Tigers, with the exception of a tilt with Oklahoma – though LSU has the talent to upset anyone.
Victor has provided a defensive presence next to Simmons in the front court that’s been absolutely vital for LSU. On the other end of the floor, Hornsby has been just what LSU needed to play alongside Simmons. The senior sharpshooter has connected on 47.1 percent of his threes this season and is averaging 16.3 points per game. Throw in the improved play of Tim Quarterman lately, and this LSU bunch has reason for optimism.
HOW THE FLORIDA GATORS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Florida has its own fantastic freshman in KeVaughn Allen, who remained committed to Florida after former coach Billy Donovan’s departure to the NBA. And he’s a cornerstone of new coach Mike White’s first-year group of players. But with youth come growing pains.
With the exception of a few scattered games, Florida has shot poorly from long range all season, even while players Brandone Francis-Ramirez and Devin Robinson touted it as their strength in October. As a team the Gators are shooting just 28.9 percent from beyond the arc and 41.6 percent from the field, both last in the SEC.
Much of Florida’s early season success has come on the strength of its aggressive defense. White knows his team’s limitations on the offensive end and says focusing on playing solid team defense makes the Gators better. “When we approach games where that’s our mindset, to be as good as we can be defensively and on the glass, we’ve played better.”
Entering Wednesday’s matchup with Tennessee, the Gators were holding opponents to 62 points per game with a scoring margin of +11.5. Florida held then No. 1 Michigan State to a season-low 58 points on Dec. 12 and limited then No. 17 Miami to 66 points on Dec. 8, a season-low for the Hurricanes. If the Gators can limit the effectiveness of Simmons and up their three-point percentage, they could claim a victory.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
LSU’s thrashing of No. 9 Kentucky on Tuesday gave us a glimpse of just how good the Tigers can be, and it looks like Simmons won’t always have to dominate for LSU to beat some of college basketball’s best. Simmons and the Tigers seem to be figuring things out after a disappointing 7-5 start in non-conference play. LSU started it’s SEC slate by beating the preseason picks to finish first and second in the league, starting with last Saturday’s triumph at Vanderbilt. The Tigers also proved to coach Johnny Jones what they could do without Simmons when he went to the bench in the first half against Kentucky with foul trouble. They doubled their lead thanks to explosive plays from Hornsby and Quarterman. All is not lost for Florida, though. On the road after an emotional home victory could set the Tigers up for a letdown. If the Gators’ aggressive defense can frustrate LSU’s scorers, they could come away with a signature win for their first-year coach.
LSU 75, Florida 66
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators will go down Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the O’Connell Center. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
