The Jacksonville Dolphins and the Florida Gators meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Exactech Arena at the Stephen O’Connell Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Florida vs Jacksonville Prediction.
Jacksonville Recap
The Jacksonville Dolphins come into this game looking to build on their 78-65 win over Trinity Baptist last time out. After this game, Jacksonville will head on the road for a matchup against Furman.
Dolphins Looking To Pull Off In-State Upset
Stephon Payne III led the Dolphins with 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting with 13 rebounds for the double-double while Zach Bell had 11 points on 5 of 10 shooting as the only other double-digit scorer for Jacksonville in the win. Robert McCray V added 9 points with 4 assists, while Donovan Rivers chipped in 7 points and 9 rebounds while Simon Wheeler had 5 points with a team-leading 7 assists and 5 steals. As a team, Jacksonville is averaging 78 PPG on 39.7% shooting from the field, 18.8% from three, and 63.6% from the foul line this season.
Why the Jacksonville Dolphins will win
- Jacksonville has won four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
Florida Recap
The Florida Gators come into this one looking to build on their season-opening win over USF by a final score of 98-83. After this game, Florida will meet Grambling, Florida State, Florida A&M, Southern Illinois, and Wake Forest.
Gators Looking To Keep Rolling
Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with 29 points on 10 of 15 shooting with a pair of threes while Will Richard added 25 points along with a team-high 6 rebounds, a pair of threes, and a pair of steals. Alijah Martin had 13 points with 6 rebounds, a team-high 3 assists, and 4 steals and Alex Condon added 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting with 5 rebounds as well to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Florida in the win. As a team, Florida is averaging 98 PPG on 52.4% shooting from the field, 20% from three, and 81.8% from the foul line this season.
Why the Florida Gators will win
- Florida has won each of its last 12 games at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Jacksonville has lost each of its last nine night games following a home win.
Florida vs Jacksonville Prediction
I’m on Florida here. It’s a bit of a big number, but it stands out to me how well Florida put up points despite shooting just 20% from behind the arc in the opener. Jacksonville’s a defensive-minded team, but I think the Dolphins at best are built to compete in the ASUN once conference play rolls around. This Florida team is stacked, and I think that Florida takes advantage of the mismatch and wins by a margin here. Give me Florida.