Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators Predictions, Picks, Odds and NCAA Basketball Betting Preview – March 1, 2016

The No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats’ regular-season title hopes just took a huge hit after losing to Vanderbilt on Saturday. They’ll now have to win their final two games this season and pray that Texas A&M, who are in a first-place tie with them in the SEC, loses at least one of its remaining matches as well.

The odds are not looking really good for the Wildcats, but nonetheless, they’ll have no choice but to remain optimistic and take things one step at a time. Speaking of which, Kentucky will need all its focus for tonight’s crucial road game versus the Florida Gators.

Can the Wildcats bounce back? Or will the Gators manage to pull off a huge upset? Read on below for a complete breakdown of this intriguing matchup.  And if you’re looking for some NBA action as well, check out our preview of the Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators Preview

Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville

When: Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 7:00 PM ET

Line: Kentucky Wildcats (-3) vs. Florida Gators (+3) – view all NCAA Basketball lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (21-8, 11-5 SEC)

At this crucial juncture of the season, the Kentucky Wildcats have failed to rise to the occasion.

The Wildcats have now lost two of its previous three games and the latest one was handed by the Vanderbilt Commodores, who defeated them on Saturday, 72-62. Kentucky shot the ball well to start the game, but then apparently lost its touch in the second half, shooting just 7-of-26 or 26.9 percent from the field. And that’s exactly when Vanderbilt started taking over the game.

On the bright side, the 22nd-ranked Wildcats have a reason to smile about thanks to Jamal Murray’s notable efforts. The first-year guard continued his scoring spree, as he finished with a game-high of 33 points and nine rebounds while going 6-of-10 from three.

Now, the Wildcats will hope to receive another stellar output from Murray when they travel to Gainesville for a critical showdown with the Florida Gators at the O’Connell Center. Kentucky is 3-7 SU and ATS in its last 10 road games.

It’s likely the Murray will get his points once again; however, his efforts alone won’t be enough to guarantee them the win. That being said, the pressure is on Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe to establish their presences as well.

Ulis has scored in double-digits in his last 14 games, including a 27-point outburst against South Carolina on February 13. But in his last two contests, he’s struggled to put the rock inside the hoop, going just 10-of-33 from the floor.

Briscoe, meanwhile, has also gone cold with his shots. He’s gone 15-of-41 (36.5%) from the field in his last four games. Bricoe, who is tallying 9.6 points in 32.2 minutes, might be able to find some of his shooting confidence back opposite a Florida defense that’s giving up 85.3 points in its previous three outings.

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Betting on the Florida Gators (17-12, 8-8 SEC)

As for the Florida Gators, they walk into this game as losers of their last three contests. The latest one was a tough setback to LSU on Saturday, 96-91. The trio of Dorian Finney-Smith, KeVaughn Allen and John Egbunu combined for 51 points and 13 rebounds, but those efforts were unfortunately put to waste.

Moving forward, the Gators will look to stop the bleeding in their second-to-the-last game of the season versus the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats. Florida is 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS in its past 10 games at home.

Key to their triumph will heavily rely on their defense, which is giving up 66.7 points at home this season. The Gators will surely have their work cut out for them against the Wildcats, who are tallying almost 80 points per contest and have a scoring machine in Jamal Murray on their side.

On offense, meanwhile, look to Finney-Smith to lead Florida’s offense (73.6 points per game) from start to finish. The senior forward carries team-bests of 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds. He also went 8-of-11 from the field for 24 points and grabbed eight boards during their first meeting with Kentucky about three weeks ago.

If Finney-Smith ends up struggling though, the Gators still have Egbunu and Allen as reliable offensive options. Both are posting around 11 points per game this season and Egbunu, in particular, has imposed his will in the past two games. In that short stretch, he’s racking up 18.0 points on 68.4% shooting.

Writer’s Prediction

Kentucky (-3) wins it, 77-69.

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