Florida Gators (17-7) vs. Georgia Bulldogs (14-10)
February 17, 2024 1:00 pm EDT
The Line: Georgia Bulldogs +3; Over/Under: -
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The Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs meet Saturday in college basketball action from Stegeman Coliseum. Florida is sitting at 17-7 this year following a win over LSU on Tuesday. As for Georgia, they’re coming off a loss to Arkansas that dropped the Bulldogs to 14-10 so far. Let’s get into our Florida vs. Georgia prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Florida Gators
The Gators lost six of their first 17 games this year, falling to Virginia, Baylor, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tennessee in that stretch. Florida is 6-1 since then with wins over Missouri, Mississippi State, Georgia, Kentucky, Auburn and LSU (alongside a loss to Texas A&M).
In their latest matchup versus LSU on Tuesday, the Gators jumped out to a 48-34 halftime lead. Florida had to hang on in the second, getting outscored 46-34 in an eventual win 82-80. Leading team scorer Walter Clayton put up 21 points with three assists in the victory.
Georgia Bulldogs
Over on the Bulldogs’ side, they lost to only Oregon, Miami, Providence, Tennessee and Kentucky in their first 19 outings. Georgia is riding a five-game losing streak since then however, taking losses to Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Arkansas in that time.
Matched up against Arkansas last weekend, the Bulldogs faced a five-point deficit in the locker room. Georgia fought back on a 46-44 second-half run but it wasn’t enough in a 78-75 defeat. Silas Demary led the team in the losing effort with 19 points and three assists in 29 minutes of action.
ANDREW’S FREE FLORIDA VS GEORGIA PREDICTION
I’ll stick with Florida here, but you could probably make a case either way. The Gators were highly permissive on defense versus LSU in their last outing, giving up 50.9 percent from the field and 52.4 percent from 3-point range. That said, Florida shot 48.5 percent themselves and had a 43-29 rebounding edge. The 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from outside and 12-of-20 (60 percent) from the line didn’t help, though.
The last time these teams met up back on January 27, Florida powered out a dramatic double-overtime win 102-98. Both teams shot upwards of 52 percent from the field, but Florida had a 48-27 rebounding advantage that propelled them toward the win. The Gators coughed up 19 turnovers in that one however, so they’re going to have to clean up their act for the road rematch. Should be a fun one to watch, and another competitive game overall.
