The Florida Gators have hit a rough patch of late, which has dropped them from contention to win the SEC. But they are still in line to secure an NCAA Tournament berth and will aim to improve their standing in a conference game this week against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Florida has been the better team but South Carolina has the home court advantage, which should help even out the odds. Even so, look for the Gators to be slight favorites to pick up this victory. Florida is hoping to avoid a three-game losing streak by finally coming away with a victory.
This isn’t the right time of year to fall into a funk and the Gators hope to begin playing better.
At 12 p.m. ET, tune into CBS for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at the Colonial Life Arena.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Florida is 15-8 straight up and 11-12 against the spread. The Gators have covered in three of five attempts on the road this season. Florida has only covered in seven of 18 attempts as the underdog on the season.
South Carolina is 13-11 straight up and 10-13 against the spread. The Gamecocks have covered in four of their 10 home games this season. South Carolina is just 3-8 against the spread as the underdog this year and needs to have a better showing if it has any ideas of pulling the upset.
Last Meeting
South Carolina’s last win came against Florida on January 24th. Behind Wesley Myers’ season-high 22 points, the Gamecocks captured a 77-72 victory over the Gators, who have gone 2-3 in the last five games.
South Carolina was on fire from three-point range in that contest, finishing 11-of-21 from behind the arc. The Gators kept it close for most of the first and second halves — and led by as many as 11 — but the Gamecocks pulled away late and sealed the win on free throws.
Florida had five players finish in double-digits in the loss to South Carolina. Egor Koulechov and Jalen Hudson both finished with a team-high 16 points
Player to Watch
Chris Silva — South Carolina’s star forward leads the team in points and assists this season and will be key for the Gamecocks. Silva is averaging 14.5 points and 7.7 assists this season and has remained fairly consistent, despite the team’s four straight losses coming into this one.
Silva has captured five double-doubles this season, including one against the Gators during the team’s first matchup two weeks ago. He finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds in that first game against Florida, finishing 5-of-9 from the field.
The 6-foot-9 junior will be looking to put his last performance behind him in this one. He finished just eight points and 1-of-5 from the field in Tuesday’s loss to Arkansas.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
The Gamecocks don’t have a particularly impressive resume, but they have already beaten Florida once this season, and teams at home always have a shot at coming away with a win against a slightly superior foe. While this one could be close, Florida will be angling for revenge and should be able to pull it out.
Take the Gators to win this game, and they may be able to cover as long as the spread doesn’t come in larger than expected. The Gamecocks don’t play a particularly quick brand of basketball and they should be able to keep this pace slow.
The “under” is the side to consider on the scoring total as this one could be an ugly affair with no shortage of missed shots.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Florida 74, South Carolina 68
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