Upcoming Match-ups

Florida vs Kentucky Odds and Picks

John Hyslop

by John Hyslop in College Basketball

Updated Feb 26, 2021 · 6:55 PM PST

Keion Brooks
Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. (12), Isaiah Jackson (23) and Brandon Boston Jr. (3) leave the court after beating Vanderbilt in an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
  • The Florida Gators (12-6, 8-5 SEC) play the Kentucky Wildcats (8-13, 7-7 SEC) on Saturday, February 27th 
  • Both teams are coming off wins and appear to be rounding into form heading into the SEC Tournament
  • See the odds, spread, analysis, and our best bet below

The Florida Gators will try to make it three in a row when they head to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday at Rupp Arena (4 pm ET).

Florida is on a mini-run winners of their last two straight after losing two in a row. The latest victory was a 74-57 thumping of the Auburn Tigers Tuesday night in Auburn.

Meanwhile, what started as a lost season for Kentucky may not be after all. The Wildcats have seemed to turn a corner offensively with their latest victims being the Tennessee Volunteers last Saturday.

The Wildcats have owned the Gators lately winning the last five meetings including a 76-58 smackdown as 4-point underdogs last month. The current odds show Kentucky as 1.5-point favorites in this matchup.

Florida vs Kentucky Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Florida Gators +1.5 (-110) +100 Over 139 (-110)
Kentucky Wildcats -1.5 (-110) -118 Under 139 (-110)

Odds as of Feb. 26th at FanDuel.

The Gators Will Try to Stay Hot

February could not have started much worse for the Florida Gators. They began the month with a loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks and then had three games postponed due to Covid-19 concerns. They have righted the ship for the most part with two straight wins, including an absolute beatdown of Auburn on the road in their last game.

Florida smelled blood in the water when Auburn’s Sharife Cooper was ruled out before the game. Without Cooper, the Tigers are a shell of themselves and the Gators made them look as such. The Gators doubled the Tigers up in the first half 44-22 and never looked back. Tre Mann led the way for the winners with 19 points and 13 boards.

Kentucky is Waking Up

To say the Wildcats haven’t lived up to expectations this season is an understatement. They were the favorites to win the SEC before the season started and they currently sit seventh in the standings.

But suddenly things are turning around for the Wildcats. They’ve won three straight games and they are starting to look like the team that many thought they were before the season started. They absolutely manhandled a very good Tennessee Volunteers team 70-55 last time out.

The Volunteers were a 7.5-point favorite in this one and it became apparent early that they weren’t covering this game. The Wildcats kept up their hot 3-point shooting canning 50% of their attempts. Isaiah Jackson was the high-point man for Kentucky pouring in 16 to go along with his seven rebounds.

Best Betting Angle

It’s hard to discount what Kentucky has done in the month of February. Sure they are only 3-3, but they have won their last three games ,two of which were on the road. In the losses, they were in every game except the Tennessee game who they soundly beat a couple weeks later. They just look better now.

The Wildcats are doing it with an improved offense as their efficiency has improved by 5 points per 100 possessions in the last three games. It helps that they are somehow a good 3-point shooting team seemingly out of nowhere. In the past three games, they are connecting on 40% of their long range attempts whereas on the season they are 33.2%.

While Florida has won their last two, neither was impressive. One was over Georgia and the other was against Auburn who was without Sharife Cooper. This line seems to be based on the Kentucky team that couldn’t score which is not the case anymore. Kentucky could roll in this game and cover this number easily.

Pick: Kentucky -1.5 (-110) 

Author Image