The Georgia Bulldogs have a 2-1 spread record in their last three road contests, while being held to 62.3 PPG in that span. They now head south after a five-game homestand for tonight’s matchup against the No. 19 Florida Gators, who have had the 'over' cash at 9-2 in their first 11 games battles.
Sportsbooks opened Florida as a 16-point favorite, while first
setting the ‘total’ at 139. It appears as if the NCAA basketball betting action has been very even as the lines remain firm at most shops, while some offer the total at half a point lower. ESPN will provide national television
coverage of the SEC affair, with the tip scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET).
Gators upset in Knoxville
The Florida Gators saw its national ranking drop five spots thanks to
Saturday’s 67-56 defeat as a 7.5 point road favorite against the Tennessee
Volunteers. The Gators were held to 35.7 percent field shooting, while
being outscored 34-27 in the second half.
Gators mates Kenny Boynton and Erik Murphy notched 13 points each,
while uniting for 10 rebounds and five blocks. Florida sank 9-of-15 free
throws, while its bench had a 0-for-8 day from the floor.
People who had placed their sports betting picks on the ‘Under’ had no sweat with the contest’s combined 123 points
plunging below the ‘total’ of 146. Boynton and Co. allowed Tennessee to
connect 51 percent of its field buckets, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Bulldogs shut down at home
Georgia had a five-game winning streak snapped in Saturday’s 74-59
setback as a six-point home dog against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The
Bulldogs were lit up for 55.1 percent field shooting from Alabama, who also
sank a stellar 14-of-15 at the foul line.
Bulldogs guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope piled in a team-high 22
points, while adding four of his team’s nine steals. Georgia’s Nemanja
Djurisic and Gerald Robinson united for 21 points and five boards, hitting
10-of-26 from the field.
The lopsided affair’s combined 133 points soared above the ‘total’
of 118, lifting the ‘over’ to 3-1 in the Bulldogs’ last four ‘board’
games. Georgia knocked down 4-of-17 from three-point land, while being
sizably outrebounded, 31-17.
Back the ‘over’ at the “O’Dome”
I am placing my NCAA basketball pick in favor of the ‘over’, looking for Florida to run
up the numbers in this home spot. The Gators have notched 83.6 PPG,
ranking first in the SEC and sixth nationally.
Florida’s Kenny Boynton saw a streak of three games with at least
20 points end against the Volunteers. Look for the junior to bounce back
for a big night, averaging 21.8 PPG in his four battles against Georgia from
the past two seasons.
Boynton’s mates Erving Walker and Patric Young rank second in the
SEC for assists (5.1 APG) and shooting (61.4 percent), respectively. Walker scorched the Bulldogs for 24 points in last January’s 104-91 overtime
win, with the matchup’s combined 146 points in regulation time not needing
extra minutes for ‘over’ backers to cash.
Georgia has not been known for its scoring this year, but has held
its own at the charity stripe. Robinson has sank 78.6 percent of his free
throws, ranking 10th in the SEC, while he and his mates have
combined to be the conference’s fifth-best from the line at 70.6 percent.
The ‘over’ is 7-0-1 in the last eight meetings between these
rivals, uniting for an average of 155.1 PPG scored in that stretch. Look
for ‘over’ tickets to cash again, with Florida rolling for 86.3 PPG in spots
that followed the season’s first three losses.
My pick: The Over