The Kentucky Wildcats (10-2) travel to face off against the Florida Gators (10-3) on Saturday, January 6th. This game will be played at Exactech Arena in Gainesville and televised on ESPN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 12:30 ET.
Kentucky Wildcats vs Florida Gators
The Kentucky Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win
Heading into today’s matchup, Kentucky is the underdog and will be looking to extend their winning streak to five games. So far this season, the Wildcats have an overall record of 10-2 and are 2-0 on the road.
In their last game, Kentucky faced off against Illinois State and came away with a convincing 96-70 victory. Over their last ten road games, the Wildcats are 8-2.
As the underdog, Kentucky has been an impressive 7-3 vs. the spread in their last 10 games. This season, the Wildcats have an ATS mark of 8-4 and are 2-0 vs. the spread on the road.
So far this season, the over/under record for Kentucky games is 9-3. The average over/under line in their games is 152.1 and their matchups have had an average of 164.5 points. Today’s over/under line of 169.5 is higher than the average OU line in their games this year. In their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 and the average scoring total is 168 points.
The Florida Gators Are Coming Off A Win
Florida comes into today’s matchup against Kentucky as the 1.5-point favorite and are 8-0 at home this season with an average scoring margin of +20.2 points per game. In their last game, the Gators defeated Quinnipiac by a score of 97-72 and have won their last six games.
So far this season, Florida is 10-3 overall and have been favored in 12 of their 13 games. Over their last 10 games at home, the Gators are 8-2.
Against the spread, Florida has gone 5-8 this season. At home, they are 3-5 vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Gators are 5-5 vs. the spread.
Florida’s over/under record this season is 9-3-1, and today’s line of 169.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (151.7). So far, 11 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 175 points.
Kentucky Offense Breakdown
The Kentucky offense is coming off a game where they scored 96 points against Illinois State. They posted a field goal percentage of 57.1% and connected on 11 threes. Offensively, the Wildcats have a season long field goal percentage of 50%, which is 26th in the nation. In terms of three-pointers, they are 24th in percentage and 11th in three-pointers made.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Reeves (G) | 19.0 | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Rob Dillingham (G) | 14.3 | 3.8 | 4.5 |
| Tre Mitchell (F) | 12.8 | 7.1 | 3.5 |
Florida Offense Breakdown
The Florida offense is coming off a game where they scored 97 points against Quinnipiac. They posted a field goal percentage of 51.5% and connected on 10 threes. The top scorer for the Gators was Will Richard with 22 points, while Zyon Pullin also added 16 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Clayton Jr. (G) | 15.2 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Tyrese Samuel (F) | 14.3 | 8.6 | 1.8 |
| Will Richard (G) | 11.8 | 3.8 | 1.4 |
Kentucky Team Defense
At this time, the Wildcats’ defense is positioned 182nd in the country, permitting 73.4 points per game. The Kentucky defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 70 points and allowed Illinois State to connect on 11 threes.
Florida Team Defense
Currently, the Gators’ defense holds the 191st rank in the nation, allowing 73.7 points per game. Against Quinnipiac in their most recent game, the Florida defense gave up a total of 72 points while allowing Quinnipiac to hit 51% of their shots.
Wildcats vs Gators Trends
- Across their last five road contests, Kentucky has been good against the spread posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 4-1, while averaging 83 points per game.
- Although Florida has a straight up record of 1-2 in their last three home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 1-2. The team averaged 89 points per game in these games.
- Kentucky has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 4-1 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
- As the betting favorite, the Gators have an ATS mark of just 5-5 in their last ten games. Florida posted a straight up mark of 9-1 in these matchups.
Wildcats vs Gators Prediction
We’re calling a win for the Gators, with a final score of 77-69, and we’re taking them to cover the spread. Our recommendation is to bet on the Gators at -1.5.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 169.5 and our model has the Wildcats and Gators finishing with a combined 146 points. Our pick is to take the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:January 6, 2024 Florida Gators, Florida International Panthers, Kentucky Wildcats, Uncategorized