The Florida Gators (17-12) will close out the regular season when they take on the No. 22-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (21-8) at Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 1 and will air on ESP and ES3.
The Gators fell to LSU 96-91 on Saturday. Devin Robinson was a top performer for the Gators, putting up 15 points, four steals, and two rebounds. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 74-62 loss at the hands of Vanderbilt on Saturday. Jamal Murray had a game-high 33 points.
Murray has upped his play over the last five games for the Wildcats, averaging 26.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wildcats won the first game 80-61. Murray had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 35 points, six rebounds, one assist, and eight three-pointers.
The Gators are hoping to build on their records of 17-12 Straight Up (SU) and 14-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Gators have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 79.7 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 73.6 points per game. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Florida in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.3 offensive boards per game.
Over on the other bench, the Wildcats have records of 13-16 ATS and 21-8 SU. Kentucky has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. Offensively, they average 76.5 points per game on the road, which is 34th in the country. Kentucky is one of the better offensive rebounding teams in Division I. The Wildcats average 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, making them the 33rd-best team in the country for that category. The Wildcats average 67.2 points allowed per game, but have damaged those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 73.6 points per game during that span. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Wildcats, who are the 16th-best team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .393. Blocking shots is an area where Kentucky has excelled. The Wildcats average 5.7 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation. Don’t expect Kentucky to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.3 turnovers per game ranks 48th in the country.
Kentucky won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Florida and Kentucky each held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once over the last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Kty, ATS Winner – Kty
Notes
Florida scores an average of just 73.6 points per game (ranked 133rd). Kentucky ranks 60th in points allowed, giving up 67.2 points per game.
Kentucky scores 76.5 points per away game (ranked 34th). Florida ranks a poor 122nd in points allowed at home, allowing 67.9 points.
The Kentucky Wildcats rank 23rd for their offensive rating of 115.2. The Florida Gators have a defensive rating of 98.1 (ranked 51st).
The Kentucky Wildcats average a field goal percentage of 47.2% this season. The Florida Gators are a winless 0-4 when opponents have a FG% of 47.2% or greater.
The Florida Gators average 22.0 three point attempts per game, and the Kentucky Wildcats attempt 18.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Florida is 13-8 and Kentucky is 10-6.
Kentucky, the ninth-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.7 blocks per game. Florida ranks 55th with 4.5.
Florida is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 24th. Kentucky ranks just 127th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Florida makes 6.6 steals per game. Kentucky has a solid 5-2 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
