The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Florida Gators meet Saturday in college basketball action from O’Connell Center in Gainesville. Here’s a Florida vs. Arkansas prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Florida vs. Arkansas pick.
Arkansas Razorbacks Betting Preview
Arkansas managed to win 12 of their first 15 games out of the gate. The Razorbacks fell versus Auburn and Georgia in the next three, then got victories in six of the next seven outings. Those wins came against Vanderbilt, LSU, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn (with a loss to Kentucky). After another loss to Alabama came another win over Missouri. That gave Arkansas a 20-7 run through 27 games.
In game 28 versus Texas A&M on Wednesday, the Razorbacks were ahead by a pretty comfortable 37-28 margin at halftime. In the second half, Arkansas continued the onslaught on a 62-56 run and powered out the victory on their home court in the end, 99-84. Leading the large was Billy Richmond with 23 points and three assists with a pair of rebounds and two steals.
Florida Gators Betting Preview
Over on the Florida side, they posted a 9-5 run over the first 14 games of the year. The Gators then took wins over Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and LSU before another loss to Auburn. After that came a series of wins over South Carolina, Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Ole Miss. Over the first 27 games, that gave the Gators a 21-6 record overall.
Matched up against Texas on Wednesday, the Gators were in the locker room looking up at a three-point deficit, 39-36. Florida woke up in the second half on a 48-32 run, though, and eventually powered out a nice win on the road, 84-71. Alex Condon led the way with 23 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Boogie Fland had 22 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Why the Florida Gators will win
- Florida has won each of its last 15 February home games as a top-15 AP-ranked team.
- Arkansas has lost seven of its last eight night games against top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Florida has won the first half in each of its last 11 games as an AP-ranked team against an AP-ranked team at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Why the Arkansas Razorbacks will win
- Arkansas has won 12 of its last 13 February games as an AP-ranked team.
- Arkansas has won the first half in each of its last 10 February games as an AP-ranked team.
Total Points: Facts
- Each of the last 13 games between Arkansas and Florida has produced a total of 161 or fewer points.
- Each of Arkansas’ last five games at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center has produced a total of 161 or fewer points.
Florida vs Arkansas Prediction
I’ll lean toward Florida. The Gators pulled off a nice win over Texas in a road matchup this week, despite starting a bit slowly. Florida ended up shooting 59.3 percent from the field with 80 percent (12-of-15) from the line and a 38-30 advantage on points in the paint. The Gators gave up 43.1 percent shooting on defense and had nine turnovers along the way. Florida is riding a nice eight-game win streak right now, and they’ve got 84 or more points in seven of those wins (76 in the other).
As for Arkansas, they shot a nice 50.8 percent from the field in their win over Texas A&M but also gave up 52.6 percent shooting on the other side. The Razorbacks had 17 points off 15 Aggie turnovers, though, and added a 32-25 rebounding advantage. Arkansas has five wins in the last six games, and they’ve scored a combined 193 points in the last two. We’re likely looking at a pretty high total here.