The Florida Gators (11-4, 3-0 SEC) and the Mississippi State Bulldogs (13-2, 1-1 SEC) clash at Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators look to extend their five-game winning streak. Florida is an 8.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 143 points. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, and it can be seen on SEC Network.
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators Odds Preview
The Bulldogs lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in their last matchup, 64-58. With nine points on 3-for-6 shooting, Aric Holman led Mississippi State in scoring. Ole Miss had a turnover percentage of 8.9 (better than their season average of 14.3). Mississippi State, meanwhile, had a better offensive rebounding percentage (30.2 vs. 25.6).
The last time the Gators played, they topped the Missouri Tigers, 77-75. Florida’s Egor Koulechov was a key piece with 15 points and eight rebounds. The Gators had a turnover percentage of 7.9 (better than their season average of 12.1) and held the Tigers to an offensive rebounding percentage of 26.9 (below their season average of 37.5).
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the high-powered offense of Florida takes on the top-notch defense of Mississippi State. The Gators rank 25th in offensive efficiency, while the Bulldogs are 13th in defensive efficiency.
These two teams are complete opposites in terms of the O/U total. Games featuring Mississippi State have finished under 70.0 percent of the time, while 58.3 percent of Florida games have gone over. The Bulldogs have the superior straight up (SU) record (13-2 vs. 11-4), but the Gators hold the sizable advantage against the spread (ATS) (7-7 vs. 3-7).
Chris Chiozza has been exceptional over the last five games for Florida, averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Gators won the sole game played against each other last season, 57-52. The Gators played a nearly perfect game. They had a free throw rate of 0.231 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.433. The Bulldogs were 0.098 and 0.377, respectively, for those same stats.
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Florida Gators Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Florida, ATS Winner – Florida, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Gators rank 43rd in steals per game (7.6) while the Bulldogs rank 66th (7.1).
- Mississippi State is 35th in the nation with 11.1 assists allowed per game while Florida is 58th with 11.9 assists allowed per game.
- Florida is 2-5 ATS at home, while Mississippi State is 0-3 ATS on the road.
- The total has gone under in 3 of the Gators 7 home games, while 2 of the Bulldogs 3 road games have gone under.
- Florida ranks 68th in three pointers attempted per game (24.6) while Mississippi State ranks 201st in three pointers allowed per game (24.5).
- The Bulldogs average 40.2 rebounds per game, which ranks 27th in the NCAA. The Gators rank 155th in rebounds allowed per game (35.9).
- Mississippi State averages 6.0 blocks per game, which ranks 14th in the nation. Florida ranks 63rd in blocks allowed per game (3.1).
Betting Trends:
- Florida is 2-2 ATS with 3 overs and 1 under in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Mississippi State is 1-3 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over.
- The Gators average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.0, up from 9.6 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 75.8 points per game (0.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 66.4 points per game (2.9 above their season average).
