Florida basketball vs. South Carolina TV info, odds, preview, prediction
The Florida Gators and the South Carolina Gamecocks will be vying for their respective NCAA tournament lives when they meet in an ever-important conference clash today at noon.
Florida (17-9, 8-5 SEC) enters today’s matchup on the heels of a big win at Georgia that not only gave them just their second road victory in conference play, but kept the Gators within striking distance in the SEC race.
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Meanwhile, the Gamecocks (21-5, 8-5 SEC) are coming off of back-to-back losses; they were routed by 27 points at home last weekend against first-place Kentucky, and followed that up with a loss to last-place Missouri on Tuesday.
Both teams have comfortable RPI numbers — Florida 31st and South Carolina 34th — but both are also projected to receive bids seeding in the bottom half of the tourney. Needless to say, the outcomes throughout the final stretch of games will be critical.
Florida leads the all-time series by a margin of 43-22, including a 21-13 advantage on the road and seven consecutive wins over the Gamecocks (the last South Carolina win over UF came in the 2010-11 season).
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Today’s game marks the third straight game in Columbia for the Gators — who edged the Gamecocks in last season’s league-opener in a 72-68 thriller.
Game information
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2016
Time: Noon ET
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
TV: SEC Network
Livestream: WatchESPN
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network
Spread: South Carolina (-2.5)
Over/Under: 140.5
For Florida, shooting continues to be a huge problem.
In the first half against Georgia, the Gators hit just 24 percent from the field and went an abysmal 1-for-19 from three-point range. The issues from the charity stripe persist as well, as UF connected on just 14 of its 24 free throws.
Florida did manage to turn it around in the second half, hitting 50 percent of its shots on both fronts (13 of 26 overall, 4-for-8 from beyond the arc). But more often than not, shooting that poorly in a half is too much to overcome.
Another area of concern is rebounding.
The Gators struggled mightily on the defensive glass against Georgia, as the Bulldogs managed to haul in 15 offensive boards and 23 second-chance points. Statistics like that won’t cut it against a veteran South Carolina squad that’s notorious for its effort, especially on the glass.
The Gamecocks have some of the best rebounding numbers in the country, averaging 41.4 per game (1st in SEC, 10th nationally), 14.3 offensive rebounds per game 1st in SEC, 8th in the nation) and a plus-7.7 rebounding margin (1st in SEC, 20th nationally). Additionally, South Carolina is the best free-throw shooting team in the conference, averaging 19.9 points per game off of freebies (ranked No. 4 in the country).
On a positive note, Florida only committed six turnovers in the last contest. Similar ball security would certainly give the Gators a much better chance against a team that specializes in forcing turnovers.
Prediction
Florida’s confidence will be sky-high after an emotional comeback win against a bitter rival last Saturday.
But South Carolina will be energized and hungry in front of a sold out Colonial Life Arena crowd of 18,000, especially after the Gamecocks dropped its last two games — and in embarrassing fashion.
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Carolina has the clear size and experience advantage over the Gators in this contest. Add in the fact that the Gamecocks are 13-1 at home (compared to UF’s 3-6) and it’s obvious that Florida has a pending brawl on its hands.
It may be close for a half or so, but South Carolina is the more talented team — and the final score will be indicative of that.