PREMIUM
Rogers' *10* Saturday Afternoon SHOWCASE (Florida @ UK) >> 12-5 L17 NCAAB 10*s!
(NCAAB) Florida vs. Kentucky,
Point Spread: -4.50 | -115.00 Kentucky (Home)
Result: Win
Point Spread: -4.50 | -115.00 Kentucky (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The 23-5 Florida Gators and the 23-5 Kentucky Wildcats not only own similar overall records but both teams are also 13-2 in SEC play, leaving them tied atop the league. The Gators ripped the Wildcats 88-66 in Gainesville back on Feb. 4, so if Florida could win here in Rupp Arena, it would give them a season sweep and the tie breaking advantage for the upcoming SEC tourney. If that's not enough drama we have Kentucky head coach John Calipari announcing that it will be a game-time decision as to whether his prized freshman PG, De'Aaron Fox (15.5 & 5.3 APG), will be able to play.
Florida: The win over Kentucky was the fourth contest in what has become a nine-game Florida winning streak in which the Gators have also gone 7-2 ATS. A look at the team's stat sheet shows seven palyers averaging 21-plus minutes and contributing between 6.5 and 13.6 PPG. The leading scorers are guards Allen (13.6) and Barry (12.7), with the 6-8 Robinson (11.2 & 5.8) rounding out the players in double digits. He was paired up front with the 6-11 Egbunu (7.8 & 6.6) but he was lost to a season-ending injury in mid-February. The 6-9 Hayes (6.4 & 4.1) is getting most of his minutes. The Gators are an excellent defensive team, allowing just 65.9 PPG (47th) on 40.7% shooting (34th).
Kentucky: The Wildcats counter with an offense scoring 88.2 PPG (4th) on 48.2% shooting (27th) but off course, they could be without their starting PG. Fellow freshman guard Monk (21.1) is the team's top scorer and 6-10 freshman Adebayo (13.0 & 7.4) is the team's best frontcourt player. A veteran by Kentucky standards is sophomore guard Briscoe, who adds 13.5 & 5.4.
The pick: In the teams' earlier meeting, Florida was led by guard Kasey Hill (9.7 & 4.8 APG), who scored 21 points. Devin Robinson had 16 & 9, Barry came off the bench for 14 and Allen scored 12. Egbunu had eight points and seven rebounds but as noted, is out for the season after tearing his ACL on Feb. 14. The Wildcats shot only 37.7 percent in that Feb. 4 game and here's the rub, only two opponents have reached their season average in scoring against the Gators this season, Georgia in overtime and Auburn in regulation. However, after getting 'spanked' in Gainesville by the Gators, I'm not going against the revenge-minded Wildcats who average 91.7 PPG in lined contests here at Rupp. Kentucky is a 10* play.
Florida: The win over Kentucky was the fourth contest in what has become a nine-game Florida winning streak in which the Gators have also gone 7-2 ATS. A look at the team's stat sheet shows seven palyers averaging 21-plus minutes and contributing between 6.5 and 13.6 PPG. The leading scorers are guards Allen (13.6) and Barry (12.7), with the 6-8 Robinson (11.2 & 5.8) rounding out the players in double digits. He was paired up front with the 6-11 Egbunu (7.8 & 6.6) but he was lost to a season-ending injury in mid-February. The 6-9 Hayes (6.4 & 4.1) is getting most of his minutes. The Gators are an excellent defensive team, allowing just 65.9 PPG (47th) on 40.7% shooting (34th).
Kentucky: The Wildcats counter with an offense scoring 88.2 PPG (4th) on 48.2% shooting (27th) but off course, they could be without their starting PG. Fellow freshman guard Monk (21.1) is the team's top scorer and 6-10 freshman Adebayo (13.0 & 7.4) is the team's best frontcourt player. A veteran by Kentucky standards is sophomore guard Briscoe, who adds 13.5 & 5.4.
The pick: In the teams' earlier meeting, Florida was led by guard Kasey Hill (9.7 & 4.8 APG), who scored 21 points. Devin Robinson had 16 & 9, Barry came off the bench for 14 and Allen scored 12. Egbunu had eight points and seven rebounds but as noted, is out for the season after tearing his ACL on Feb. 14. The Wildcats shot only 37.7 percent in that Feb. 4 game and here's the rub, only two opponents have reached their season average in scoring against the Gators this season, Georgia in overtime and Auburn in regulation. However, after getting 'spanked' in Gainesville by the Gators, I'm not going against the revenge-minded Wildcats who average 91.7 PPG in lined contests here at Rupp. Kentucky is a 10* play.
