Arkansas vs Florida Best Bets, Picks & How to Watch on Feb 28

• The 7th-ranked Florida Gators are hefty 9.5-point favorites vs 20th-ranked Arkansas in SEC play
• Arkansas is trying to secure a bye in Round 1 of the upcoming SEC Tournament
• See below for my Arkansas vs Florida best bets

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Already guaranteed a double-bye in the upcoming SEC Tournament, the no. 7 Florida Gators (22-6. 13-2 SEC) look to close in on the conference’s regular season crown when they host the no. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (21-7. 11-4 SEC)Saturday night.

Arkansas, can clinch at least a tie for a Top 4 seed and that same bye in the SEC Tourney with a win Saturday, but the books have them as hefty underdogs in the college basketball odds.

Before we get to the my Arkansas vs Florida prediction, let’s start off with a couple of tasty props to get your betting card going, starting with Arkansas’ dynamic scoring machine.

Arkansas vs Florida Player Prop #1: Darius Acuff Jr Points

• Pick: Over 22.5 points (-114 at FanDuel)

Analysis: Darius Acuff Jr has gone back-to-back games failing to lead his team in scoring, but don’t be discouraged to take him to score at least 23 points against the Gators.

He’s coming off a 22-point outing against Texas A&M, and the nation’s no. 9 leading scorer has gone for 20+ in 10 of his last 11 games, going Over his 22.5 scoring line five times, and missing it by a bucket on three other occasions.

The last time Acuff Jr played a ranked team, he lit up then 25 Alabama for 49 points on 16-for-27 from the field.

Arkansas vs Florida Player Prop #2: Xaivian Lee Points

• Pick: Over 10.5 points (-130 at FanDuel)

Analysis: Xiavian Lee has led his team in assists the last five games, but that’s overshadowed his scoring output, considering he’s got a gettable 10.5-point scoring line Saturday.

Lee has topped this total five out of his last six games, missing the Over by a single bucket the other time.

The Princeton transfer has had big games against ranked teams this season, lighting up Kentucky for 22, Vanderbilt for 20 and Connecticut for 19.

Arkansas vs Florida Odds & Betting Lines

Odds as of Feb 28. New customers can claim a FanDuel promo code to get a bonus to bet on college basketball.

Online sportsbooks have set the spread at 9.5 points, with the Razorbacks getting the points and -105 odds to cover, while also a healthy +430 road dog.

Florida winning outright is just not a bet worth much value, as it would take a $600 wager to get $100 in profit.

The total is set at 169.5 points, by far the highest total of any the last 10 Arkansas vs Florida matchups.

Arkansas vs Florida Prediction

• Arkansas +9.5 (-105 at FanDuel)

Both of these teams sit in the middle tier of favorites in the March Madness odds, the Gators sitting seventh at +2000 odds, while the Razorbacks are down in 12th at a more distant +5000.

This one is going to come down to whose style wins out.

The Gators are powered by one of the top front lines in the country, with the lengthy and rugged trio of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Ruben Chinleyu wearing out defenses, averaging 42.5 points and 25.3 rebounds.

It’s also helped Florida on the other end of the court, where they are second in the SEC in defense, allowing just 71.2 points per game, holding teams to a conference-best 40.5% shooting from the field.

They are going to have to contend with one of college basketball’s most dynamic backcourt, paced by a pair of freshman.

Acuff Jr is the only player in the nation to average 22 points and six assists per game, while fellow freshman Meleek Thomas is averaging 15.2 points per game which ranks second on the team.

Second-year man Billy Richmond III is fourth in team scoring at just under 11 points per game. That trio has helped pace an Arkansas attack that scores 90.3 points per game, which is fourth-best in college hoops.

Arkansas vs Ranked Teams This Season

Though they have just four wins in nine games against ranked opponents this season, the Razorbacks have risen to the occasion against top-tier competition.

In fact, their 90-76 loss to Georgia is the only defeat by 10 or more points. Now, they’ve come awfully close to getting pushed off that ledge, but if we put Arkansas’ record vs ranked teams and hold it against that +9.5 spread, the Razorbacks would be a very respectable 8-1-0 against the spread.

While Florida does have a regular season crown to play for, this matchup is definitely a case of one team clearly playing for more than the other.

It’s another reason that, despite Florida ripping off eight straight wins, with seven by double figures, I think John Calipari’s Razorbacks stay within range.

How to Watch Arkansas vs Florida

Action tips off Saturday night at 8:30pm ET from the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN. Florida is a sharp 12-1 at home this season, but the Razorbacks have shown they can compete on the road, going 4-4-0 straight up in eight away games this season.