The Florida Gators made the Final Four as a national powerhouse last season, but things quickly went south this year as they missed several key players. To even make it to the national tournament, the Gators need to repeat as SEC champions. That’s a tall task considering they face undefeated Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinal.
Get yourself deep into the entire Championship Week craze. Check out our complete previews for the Big Ten’s Michigan vs. Wisconsin and the Big East’s Providence vs. Villanova.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats Preview
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
When: Friday, March 13, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Florida Gators (+13.5) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (-13.5) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
Betting on the Florida Gators
Dorian Finney-Smith is a monster. He did everything for the Florida Gators in Thursday night’s 69-61 win over Alabama. He finished with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 11 rebounds.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]What makes Finney-Smith so devastating is his well-rounded play, especially on offense. He has an excellent shot from beyond the arc (he hit 4-of-9 against Alabama) as well as a dominant presence on the offensive glass (he had six against Alabama).
Finney-Smith struggled on the boards in two matchups against Kentucky’s towering frontcourt as he finished with a total of nine rebounds. But he was still an offensive machine, averaging 14 points on 52 percent shooting. He hit 5-of-8 from downtown against Kentucky.
The trio of Michael Frazier II, Eli Carter and Kasey Hill enjoyed some degree of success against Kentucky. They combined to score 33 points in the first matchup at Florida, but faltered in the return game at Kentucky, putting up a combined 24 points. Hill, in particular, could be up for another big scoring night after finishing with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting at Kentucky on March 7.
The Gators are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as double digit underdogs.
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Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats won’t have it easy in their first SEC tournament game despite entering with almost a week’s worth of rest. They’ve gone 2-4 against the spread when given four or more days off.
The Wildcats ended the regular season with a comfortable 17-point blowout of the Gators. Forward Trey Lyles led the team with 14 points off the bench. Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns wreaked havoc on both sides of the floor. Towns had 13 points and nine rebounds (four on the offensive board), while also finishing with six blocks.
Towns was even more dominant against Florida away from home. He had 19 points, eight rebounds and two blocks as the Wildcats held off a resilient Gators squad at Florida, a 68-61 win. Towns’ frontcourt partner, Willie Cauley-Stein has also been effective, averaging 10.5 points on 50 percent shooting against Florida this season.
What has set the Wildcats apart from Florida is their size and length. Using their physical advantages, the Wildcats have forced Florida to commit plenty of fouls to send them to the charity stripe. Kentucky has gone 36-for-43 from the free-throw line across two games against Florida. The Gators are allowing opponents an average of 18.6 free-throw attempts per game this season.
Kentucky is 2-4 ATS playing away from Rupp Center.
Writer’s Prediction
Kentucky ekes out a close win against a resilient Florida side. Take the Gators to cover +13.5.
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