The Florida Gators (14-5, 6-1 SEC) will try to lengthen their five-game home winning streak in a matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks (12-7, 3-4 SEC) at Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 140.5 points with Florida set as a 10.5-point favorite. Action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, and it can be seen on SEC Network.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Florida Gators ATS Preview
The Gamecocks were beaten by the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers in their last contest, 70-63. With 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting, Wesley Myers was South Carolina’s high scorer. Tennessee did an excellent job of getting to and converting from the charity stripe (19-24; 79.2 percent). South Carolina, on the other hand, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.7 (above their season average of 33.7).
In the Gators last game, they topped the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats, 66-64. Florida’s Chris Chiozza played a key role with 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds. The Gators forced 17 turnovers, while the Wildcats had a free throw rate of 0.123 (below their season average of 0.304).
The game should be a matchup of strength against strength as the high-octane offense of Florida (29th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 115.0) takes on the top-notch defense of South Carolina (27th in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 94.7).
Of South Carolina’s 18 games with betting action, 10 have finished under the projected point total, while 8 of Florida’s 16 games have finished over the O/U total. The Gators hold a clear advantage in terms of straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 14-5 SU and 10-8 ATS, while the Gamecocks are 12-7 SU and 8-9-1 ATS.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams, after the Gamecocks won two out of three contests last season. In the last game, South Carolina won 77-70. The Gamecocks played a perfect game. They had an extraordinary free throw rate of 0.434 and a turnover percentage of 14.2. The Gators had marks of 0.217 and 19.5, respectively, for those same stats.
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Florida Gators Free Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Florida, ATS Winner – South Carolina, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Gamecocks rank 29th in assists allowed per game (11.1) while the Gators rank 63rd (12.0).
- South Carolina ranks 45th in three pointers allowed per game (19.3) while Florida ranks 65th (19.9).
- South Carolina is 4-5-1 ATS on the road, while Florida is 4-5 ATS at home.
- The total has gone under in 7 of the Gamecocks 10 road games, while 4 of the Gators 9 home games have gone under.
- Florida ranks 15th in steals allowed per game (4.8) while South Carolina ranks 170th (7.5).
- The Gamecocks rank 62nd in rebounds per game (38.3) while the Gators rank 205th in rebounds allowed per game (36.8).
- Florida ranks 35th in blocks per game (4.8) while South Carolina ranks 173rd in blocks allowed per game (4.9).
Betting Trends:
- Florida is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, South Carolina is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Gators average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.0, down from 9.1 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Gamecocks have scored an average of 67.2 points per game (3.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 66.2 points per game (0.7 above their season average).
