Florida Gators at Oklahoma Sooners Betting Preview
Wednesday features a battle of SEC versus Big 12 as the No. 14 Florida Gators (6-0) square off with the Oklahoma Sooners (6-1). The Sooners will host this one at Lloyd Noble Center, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
Florida comes into this one still undefeated through their first six games. In their last game, the Gators beat Troy 84-45. In the win, Florida had six players finish in double digits and were led by Myreon Jones and Tyree Appleby with 12 points apiece.
Since their 73-70 loss to Utah State, the Sooners have rolled off two in a row, including a 65-62 victory over UCF last Saturday. Umoja Gibson led the scoring with 13 points in the victory.
This one is basically a toss-up between the two teams. The Gators’ moneyline sits at -111 while the Sooners’ is -108. The spread features Florida +1.5 (-124), and the over/under for total points is 133.5.
More Odds
Oklahoma currently has the seventh-best odds of winning the Big 12 at +3500. For Florida, they are +700 to win the SEC (fourth-best odds).
In terms of winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, Florida is +5000 to win it all while Oklahoma is +12000
By The Numbers
Florida has been the slightly stronger team to date offensively. They rank 69th in scoring averaging 76.8 points per game. The Sooners rank 78th, averaging 75.9 points.
Defensively, Florida has been one of the best teams in the nation. They rank tied for seventh in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 55.7 points per game. Oklahoma ranks 31st, allowing 59.3 points (47.7 at home).
Florida Looks To Stay Hot
At 6-0, the Gators are off to their best start since 2013, and this has propelled them to being ranked No. 14 in the nation. After a big win over Troy, they will look to keep the momentum going against a tough Oklahoma team.
The Gators have been led this season by senior forward Colin Castelton. In six games, he is averaging a double-double with 14.8 points, ten rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. He is also shooting an impressive 54.8% from the field.
One of the most impressive aspects of Florida’s team is their scoring depth. In fact, they have five players averaging double-digits in the early going.
In addition to Castleton, Myreon Jones (11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds), Tyree Appleby (11.3 points, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals), Phlandrous Fleming Jr. (11 points, 3.2 rebounds, one assist, one block), and Anthony Duruji (10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals) are all off to strong starts.
Sooners Look To Defy Odds Under New Head Coach
When former Loyola head coach Porter Moser took over the Sooners, expectations were relatively low for what year one would look like. Through five games, though, the Sooners have looked impressive and hope to continue a strong start with a win at home (where they are 3-0) over the ranked Gators.
In the early going, the Sooners have featured a pair of double-digit scorers in senior forward Tanner Groves and senior guard Umoja Gibson.
Groves is averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. Not to be outdone, Gibson is averaging 11.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
Other contributors include Jordan Goldwire (9.6 points, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals), Jalen Hill (8.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, one block), and Elijah Harkless (8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, one steal).
Take Florida And The Points
Despite Oklahoma’s decent start, it is surprising to see the spread in this one.
Florida has shown dominance in the early going, especially on the defensive side. They have been one of the best defenses in the nation, and expect that to continue Wednesday night.
Don’t be shy about taking Oklahoma straight up (6-0 to date), but at the very least, feel comfortable taking them and the 1.5 points. They are currently 5-1 against the spread this season.
