Florida at Kentucky: 2/27/21 College Basketball Picks and Prediction
Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kentucky Wildcats (8-13) vs Florida Gators (12-6)
Game Info: Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 4:00 pm (Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center)
Betting Odds: Kentucky Wildcats -1.5 -- Over/Under: 139.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Florida Gators will travel to Rupp Arena to take on the Kentucky Wildcats this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Florida Gators won their 2nd straight game and improved to 12-6 on the season after defeating the Auburn Tigers, 74-57, this past Tuesday. Florida was outstanding defensively against a very good Auburn offense and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 44-22 halftime lead. Florida shot 44.4% from the field and 35.0% from beyond the arc while Auburn shot 35.3% from the field and 22.6% from beyond the arc. Florida outrebounded Auburn by a 40-39 margin while also winning the turnover battle by a 21-14 margin in the victory. Leading the way for the Gators was Tre Mann who had a double-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 steals.
On the season, Florida is averaging 76.2 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Gators are averaging 7.0 three-pointers per game on 35.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Florida has been led by Tre Mann (14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.6 spg), Colin Castleton (12.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.5 bpg), Noah Locke (10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg), & Tyree Appleby (10.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg).
Defensively, Florida is allowing their opponents to average 70.1 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Gators have a rebound margin of 1.4 and a turnover margin of 0.7.
The Kentucky Wildcats won their 3rd straight game and improved to 8-13 on the season after defeated the 19th ranked Tennessee Volunteers, 70-55, this past Saturday. Kentucky dominated Tennessee on both sides of the ball in this one and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 45-30 lead. Kentucky shot 40.4% from the field and 50.0% from beyond the arc while Tennessee shot 32.1% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc. Kentucky outrebounded Tennessee by a 43-31 margin and forced 10 turnovers in the victory. Leading the way for the Wildcats was Isaiah Jackson who had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.
On the season, Kentucky is averaging 69.9 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Wildcats are averaging 6.0 three-pointers per game on 33.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Kentucky has been led by Brandon Boston Jr. (11.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.5 spg), Keion Brooks Jr. (10.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 bpg), Davion Mintz (10.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg), & Olivier Sarr (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 bpg).
Defensively, Kentucky is allowing their opponents to average 70.2 ppg on 40.5% shooting from the field. The Wildcats have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of -2.5.
The Gators are 7-16 ATS in their last 23 games vs. a team with a losing straight up record and just 6-15 ATS in their last 21 Saturday games. The Wildcats are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Florida is coming off a solid win against Auburn, however, the Gators have not looked as strong as of late as they have split their last 4 games which included a tough 72-66 loss to a less than average South Carolina team. Kentucky is playing much more like the team we expected at the beginning of the season as of late and between the fact they defeated Florida by a 76-58 margin on the road earlier season and that I think the Kentucky defense will once again have success slowing the Gators offense, I think the play here is to take Kentucky to cover this small spread. Good Luck!
Brett’s Pick Kentucky Wildcats -1.5
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
Mitch's Take...
