Predictions for Kentucky vs Florida, Plus How to Watch

• The 14th-ranked Florida Gators are 13.5-point favorites vs 25th-ranked Kentucky on Saturday
• The Wildcats have won nine of the last 11 head-to-head matchups
• See below for my Kentucky vs Florida prediction and best bets

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After an uneven start to the year, the 25th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (17-7, 8-3 SEC) have wedged their way into the SEC title picture, as they visit the conference leading Florida Gators (18-6, 9-2 SEC).

Currently rolling with nine wins in 10 games, the 14th-ranked Gators are the heavy betting favorites in the college basketball odds, but they’ve struggled in this head-to-head with their conference rivals.

Read below for my Kentucky vs Florida preview and best bet.

Kentucky vs Florida Odds & Betting Lines

The Gators are heavy home favorites with the books, who’ve set the line at 13.5 points, while the Gators’ outright win checks in at a extremely short -1200.

Kentucky is a sizeable +720 to pull off an upset, while the total checks in at 153.5 points.

Odds as of Feb 14. New customers can claim a FanDuel promo code get a bonus to bet on college basketball.

Kentucky vs Florida Prediction

• Kentucky +13.5 points (-110) at FanDuel

The Gators currently sit eighth in the latest March Madness odds, but Kentucky has worked its way from unranked to inside the Top 25 wagers to win it all.

Since opening the SEC slate 0-2 and a mediocre 9-6 on the season, the Wildcats found a next-level gear, reeling off eight wins in their last nine, all conference W’s and now sit tied with Arkansas, looking up at only the first-place Gators.

After a rough start against ranked teams, with just one win in six games, UK has won three of four against Top 25 teams, including a close 74-71 win over Tennessee last time out. They’re definitely battled-tested, sitting in 16th on KemPom’s strength of schedule metric.

The Wildcats are just the 10th highest-scoring team in the SEC at 81.6 points per game, but their defense of last has helped them hold up. Over the last nine games, they’ve allowed just two opponents to touch 80 points.

Kentucky vs Ranked Teams This Season

The Gators have been rolling, literally crushing the competition while on a current 4-game win streak. They wallopped Georgia 86-66 last time out, making it four straight wins by at least 19 points.

In fact, during this streak with nine wins in 10 games, Florida has prevailed by double digits in eight of them.

The Gators are among the most balanced teams in the SEC, one of just two teams to rank inside the Top 6 in both scoring offense (86.3 ppg) and scoring defense (71.0 ppg).

But regardless of those numbers, Kentucky has more than held its own against its conference rival. The Wildcats have won eight of the last 10, including five straight at Stephen C. O’Connell Center in the Swamp.

The matchups have been remarkably close, with the margin of victory staying at eight points or less in eight of the 10 games. Even in the two Florida wins — Jan 2024, a 94-91 OT victory and Feb 2021, a 71-67 triumph — a few plays here and there could have changed the outcome.

While the Gators have just lost one game at home all season, they are just 5-6-0 against the spread. The Wildcats will also carry a major rest advantage: they haven’t played since beating Tennessee a week ago.

With Kentucky playing its best ball of the year, and their recent ability to hang with the Gators, that 13.5-point cushion is just too good to pass up.

How to Watch Kentucky vs Florida

Tip-off is scheduled for 3pm ET from Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, with ABC providing the play-by-play coverage for this all-SEC battle.