The Kentucky Wildcats and the Florida Gators meet Friday in SEC Tournament college basketball action from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Here’s a Florida vs. Kentucky prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Florida vs. Kentucky pick.
Kentucky Wildcats Betting Preview
The Wildcats opened up the season on a 9-6 run, then won eight of the next nine games with a lone loss to Vanderbilt amid wins over Mississippi, LSU, Tennessee, Texas, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. A 2-5 run came next with losses to Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Texas A&M and Florida again, then wins over LSU and Missouri. That gives Kentucky a 21-12 run this year.
In the tournament matchup versus Missouri, the Wildcats held a 38-29 advantage by the end of the first half. Kentucky hit a 43-40 deficit the rest of the way but held on for the 78-72 victory in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Otega Oweh with 21 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Denzel Aberdeen added 16 points with seven assists and two steals as well.
Florida Gators Betting Preview
Over on the Gators’ side, they powered through their first 19 games with a 14-5 overall record. After a loss to Auburn on January 24, Florida hit a win streak versus South Carolina, Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Kentucky in succession. That makes for a 25-6 overall record this year for the Gators.
In the Kentucky matchup last weekend, the Gators were in command with a 49-32 advantage by halftime. Florida was outscored 45-35 the rest of the way but still powered out the victory on the road in the end, 84-77. Leading the team in scoring was Thomas Haugh with 20 points and nine boards. Boogie Fland added 16 points with six assists and a pair of rebounds also.
Florida vs Kentucky Prediction
I’ll just stick with Florida. The Gators pulled off another nice win versus Kentucky in their latest outing, hitting 45.9 percent from the field while giving up just 39.4 percent on defense. Florida had a 38-32 edge in the paint and 38 rebounds but they weren’t spectacular from the line at 62.5 percent (20-of-32) there. The Gators are cruising right now on 11 straight wins. They’ve scored 84 or more points in 10 of those games (76 in the other) as well.
These teams have met twice this year, with Florida taking both: 92-83 at home on Valentine’s Day and 84-77 on the road on March 7. In the road win, the Gators shot a pretty nice 45.9 percent from the field while holding the Wildcats to just 39.4 percent on defense. Florida added a 38-32 edge in the paint and on the boards along with a 24-4 advantage on fast break points. If the Gators shoot well in this tournament rematch, they should be fine.