It’s been a roller coaster season for the Kentucky Wildcats, but they hope to begin postseason play on a high note. Kentucky has won three consecutive games and will aim to end the regular season in similar fashion when it hits the road to face the Florida Gators.
Florida is also readying for March Madness, and while it isn’t nationally ranked like Kentucky, the home court advantage should be enough to make the Gators the favorite in this conference showdown. Florida and Kentucky have often battled for SEC supremacy, and while Auburn is the team wrapping up that championship this season, the Gators and Wildcats are both talented enough to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky has seen more losses than usual this season but is playing well currently and would love to claim a key road win to wrap the regular season.
Don't miss the hardwood action from O’Connell Center at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 3, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on CBS.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Kentucky is 20-9 straight up and 13-16 against the spread. The Wildcats have covered in four of nine attempts on the road this season. Kentucky is 3-4 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Florida is 19-11 straight up and 15-15 against the spread. The Gators have covered in seven of their 16 games at home this season. Florida is 11-13 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
Player To Watch
Kevin Knox – The freshman forward is Kentucky’s leading scorer this season and he enters this game after back-to-back games of 20 points or more. Knox finished with 23 points in a win over Arkansas last week and had 21 points against Missouri on Saturday.
Knox is averaging 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds on a well-balanced Kentucky offense. He is averaging 18.8 points over the last five games coming into this matchup with Florida.
Knox has reportedly been named in a wide-ranging FBI investigation of college teams or agents paying players, but he declined comment after the team’s most recent victory. Kentucky announced it has cleared all players of eligibility concerns, so Knox should be available for this game.
If any other news leaks out in the coming days, make sure it doesn’t affect any player availability, as that would obviously have a huge impact on the spread.
Last Meeting
Florida pulled off the upset against Kentucky on Jan. 20, winning 66-64 at Rupp Arena. It wasn’t a flawless performance for Florida in that first matchup, shooting just 33 percent from the field, but a strong finish in the final seconds helped seal the win.
Jalen Hudson had 17 points off the bench for the Gators while Chris Chiozza and Keith Stone combined for another 27 points for Florida. Kentucky, which had a 30-game winning streak at home before this loss, finished with just two players in double-digits in scoring.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wenyen Gabriel were the leading scorers for the Wildcats in that first matchup with 10 points apiece. Kentucky has gone 6-4 since that meeting and comes into this week with a three-game winning streak.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
The Gators don’t have a great overall record but they are getting respect from both the oddsmakers and the bracketologists for the schedule they have played. Florida has some impressive wins on the season and will aim to pick up another nice on in this matchup.
However, Kentucky seems to finally be putting it all together, and the Wildcats are the choice to come away with this important road upset in the season finale. Kentucky and Florida are both aiming to get as high of a seed in the NCAA Tournament as possible, and the winner of this game will help their cause.
Take the Wildcats to not only cover the spread but pull off the upset.
NCAA Odds: Kentucky 79, Florida 78
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