The Virginia Cavaliers and the Florida Gators meet Friday in college basketball action from Spectrum Center. Virginia took a blowout win over Tarleton State in their first outing of the year. As for Florida, they’re 1-0 so far as well following a Monday win versus Loyola MD. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Virginia Cavaliers 

The Cavaliers improved their record from the 2021-22 season last year, going 25-8 overall with a 15-5 run in ACC play. That would give Virginia a regular season conference co-championship with Miami, but the Cavaliers eventually lost in the ACC Tournament to Duke in their third game. Virginia’s NCAA Tournament run ended quickly with a First-Round loss to Furman. 

Virginia didn’t have many issues in their season opener versus Tarleton State. The Cavaliers stormed out to a 43-19 halftime lead and cruised on another 37 points from there in an 80-50 win. Reece Beekman led the team on his 16 points and seven assists, while Isaac McKneely posted 15 points with four rebounds. 

Florida Gators 

Over on the Florida side, they weren’t able to make it to .500 overall last year, going 16-17 overall with a 9-9 run in SEC play. The Gators landed near the middle of the pack in the standings, and lost to Mississippi State in the first game of the conference tournament. After an NIT berth, Florida lost to UCF 67-49 in the first round. 

The Gators got off to a good start this year as well, winning their opener on Monday versus Loyola MD. Florida scored 42 points in the first half and 51 more in the second for a 93-73 victory. Leading the scoring was Riley Kugel with 23 points and four assists. Micah Handlogten put up 16 points with six rebounds, and Tyrese Samuel added 15 points with eight boards. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’m going to try Virginia in this one. You could make a case either way with such a close line, though. The Cavaliers rolled through their first game on Monday, shooting a nice 48.9 percent from the field with 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from 3-point range. Virginia was hot on the boards versus an overwhelmed Tarleton State team, securing a 40-27 rebounding advantage. 

As for Florida, they shot a blistering 58.1 percent against Loyola MD with a 39-29 edge in rebounds. The Gators hit a rough 15-of-30 (50.0 percent) from the line however, and gave up 45.8 percent shooting on the other side. This one could very well turn into a high-scoring affair, and should be a fun one to watch. Ultimately I like Virginia’s shooting potential a little better cover/win-wise, though.