In the one-and-done era of college basketball, seeing superstars go into combat with one another in the NCAA Tournament is what we live for. Just a week ago, it seemed as though the tourney would go on without Ben Simmons and the LSU Tigers. However, after the Bayou Bengals took out both Vanderbilt and Kentucky in successive games, it now looks like they're ready to strap on their dancing shoes. Saturday's game against the Florida Gators though, could be a massive trap.
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SCHEDULING
Gators lurk in the swamp and wait for their prey, and that might be precisely what's happening in this game. All too often, clubs which play their hearts out during the week have nothing left for the weekend game, and live bettors need to be aware of that on Saturday. The win for the Bayou Bengals at home against Kentucky on Tuesday will resonate throughout that campus for the whole week, and Simmons has never had to deal with that type of notoriety as a student on campus.
Meanwhile, Florida's student section has been waiting for the arrival of the Aussie all week and doesn't particularly care if he and his mates just beat one of the Top 10 teams in America or not.
The concern we have for the Gators from a live betting standpoint is fatigue. The orange and blue just played on Wednesday against Tennessee, and they have to turn around relatively quickly for this game.
KEY MATCHUP
Perimeter defense is going to be the key to live betting in this game for the Gators. Go back and watch the tape of that Tennessee game earlier this week. John Egbunu, Dorian Finney-Smith and Devin Robinson were running all over the place to try to get out to the perimeter to guard against three-point shots. They were mildly effective, but the bottom line is that the Vols had just far too many really good looks from deep, and UF was lucky not to get burned more often.
LSU isn't a great three-point shooting team at just 32.5 percent, and clearly, its best damage is done on the inside. But again, look at the games to kick off SEC play against Vandy and Kentucky. The Tigers weren't awesome from deep, but they did go 6-for-14 against the Wildcats and 6-for-16 against the Commodores.
If men like Keith Hornsby and Tim Quarterman get going from long range, the Gators are going to be in a lot of trouble in live betting. Those defenders in the middle have to stay there to watch Simmons, and abandoning their positions because the guards can't keep up with ball movement on the perimeter is asking for trouble.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
It should be noted that the Gators have played four straight over games, and if there was a line on the game against Jacksonville, that duel would've gone over as well. The defense has allowed at least 63 points in five straight games, and we see no reason for that to not continue in this one.
The Tigers are perfectly content to run up and down the floor, something that the Gators have to prevent from happening if they want to have a shot to make good in live betting. However, do remember that LSU is very likely to come into this game a little complacent and sluggish after the win over Kentucky, and it is likely to not quite be playing the game that we've gotten used to seeing early in the SEC campaign.
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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 Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
