The Michigan State Spartans remain a top-10 team as they travel down to the Sunshine State to take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans will bring plenty of offense to the table against a defensive-minded Gators’ squad the showdown.
These are two storied basketball programs matching up on the hardwood this weekend. Florida’s been a consistent performer in the SEC with Michigan State consistently atop the Big Ten. These are two powerhouse teams in two powerhouse conferences making it a fun nonconference matchup and a must-watch game even if Florida’s gotten off to a slower start than many hoped.
Can Florida build some momentum heading into conference play with an upset at home against a top-10 team? Or will Michigan State continue to roll despite a tougher road environment in Gainesville?
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Michigan State Spartans vs. Florida Gators
Date and Time: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
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Spartans vs. Gators TV Coverage: CBS
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the Gators this season as the team has already suffered losses to Florida State, Oklahoma and Butler. They’re currently sitting on the outside, looking in to the Top-25 rankings despite some preseason optimism in Gainesville.
Florida has been unable to find a consistent scorer thus far. KeVaughn Allen is the only double-digit scorer on the season and he sits at an even 10.0 PPG. That said, there is some depth for the Gators who have eight different players with at least 16 minutes on the court and six points per contest.
Allen and Jalen Hudson were supposed to lead this team. The senior duo haven’t been what they were expected to be.
Allen was a great player in his first two years, but stalled out a bit last year and has continued his mediocre play in the 2018-2019 season. He’s shooting barely over 40-percent from the floor and hasn’t been a real threat on the outside. That said, he is coming off a 19 point performance against West Virginia where he went 3-for-7 from three.
As for Hudson, he saw just six minutes against West Virginia and didn’t scored. Deaundrae Ballard, Noah Locke and Andrew Nembhard have been the more consistent shooters on the outside.
Inside the paint, the Gators have Kevarrius Hayes owning the boards and notching nearly two blocks a game. Keith Stone has been another key player inside as he can space the floor and offer some additional size alongside Hayes.
It’s been the two inside that’s really helped the Florida defense keep what has ultimately been a lackluster offense in the games.
On the other side of the court, the Michigan State offense has been strong with 87 PPG in the first nine the team’s played.
The Spartans have used that firepower to go 7-2. The early season loss to Kansas, of course, is understandable. Michigan State played Kansas tough in the contest, falling by just five in a shootout. The loss that’s a bit more concerning is the one to Louisville. That was just a four-point loss on the road. The Spartans had a strong second half to push the game to overtime, but ultimately fell short.
That road loss does cause some concern for the Spartans heading down to Florida, but neither Joshua Langford, Cassius Winston, nor Nick Ward broke out in the game and that’s not likely to happen all that often. This team is built on their backs.
Langford leads the team in scoring with 17.1 PPG and has been an excellent all-around player. He’s a strong shooter, too, particularly on the outside where he’s got a 45.3-percent mark from three. Lanford and Winston form a nearly unbeatable backcourt. Winston has 16.8 PPG and a team leading 7.7 APG. He’s proven himself a leader on the court as he’s able to set up his teammates, but is a strong shooter himself.
Inside, Ward has 15.9 PPG. He’s the biggest offensive threat underneath. He may see his points drop a bit with Hayes and Stone, but Ward along with Xavier Tillman and Kenny Goins can certainly make things tough inside for Florida. The three have a combined 24.1 RPG and 3.7 BPG.
Live Betting
Michigan State ranks No.13 in college hoops in PPG and No.38 in field goal percentage. With Winston, Langford and Ward, this team can put the points on the board and dominate on the offensive side of the ball. For Florida to keep this close, they’ll need to slow the pace of play for the Spartans and win on defense.
That means rebounding and blocking, but Michigan State dominates there, too. While most the offense comes from Langford and Winston on the outside, Ward, Tillman and Goins are hard to beat inside for the opposition. They’re averaging 44.1 RPG, tied for seventh in college basketball, and five blocks per game, ranking No.37. By comparison, Florida has just 4.38 BPG and a far more concerning 35.4 RPG.
Take Michigan State to own the boards and take advantage of all the exciting live betting opportunities at BookMaker.eu in this one.
With the Spartans proving to be a better shooting team and better rebounding team, things don’t look good for Florida in this matchup.
Key Player
The biggest difference between the Gators and the No.10 Spartans is the lack of a star, or really a reliable shooter for Florida. Michigan State has three players with more than 15 PPG. The Gators have one in double digits and he just barely qualifies. With KeVaughn Allen as the team’s leading scorer, that leaves him as the closest thing Florida has to compete with Michigan State’s top scorers.
Allen didn’t score a point in the Gators’ loss to Florida State and he scored just three, going 1-for-5 from the floor and adding a free throw against Butler in that loss. Take out those games and Allen has 12.8 PPG in the other six contests. In the most recent game, he scored 19 against West Virginia, his highest total of the year.
Spartans vs. Gators Live Betting
The Gators have home court advantage on their side a solid defensive team. Florida always puts up a good fight on their home floor, but the Spartans are just too good, particularly on offense, for the Gators to compete.
Look for Michigan State to jump out to a quick early lead behind Winston and Langford who both figure to continue their strong starts to the season and put up big games once again. Meanwhile, Florida doesn’t have enough to compete. They’re a balanced team, but lack the top end talent to keep pace.
The Spartans can score inside under the basket and can deliver on the perimeter, spreading the Florida defense and creating lanes and cleaner open shots for Michigan State to exploit. In the end, Michigan State should get the win by at least 10 as they beat up on a good Florida team, but one far from the elite level that Michigan State represents.
Be sure to check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for this weekend’s college basketball action.
NCAA Basketball Score Prediction: Michigan State 77, Florida 63
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