SEC rivals will battle it out Wednesday night as the Florida Gators (13-10, 6-4) take on the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-3, 10-0). The Crimson Tide will host this one at the Coleman Coliseum, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 pm ET.
Alabama comes in as the heavy favorite playing at home. They are -480 to win, while the Gators’ moneyline sits at +360. The spread features Florida as 9.5-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 146.5.
Gators Trying To Bounce Back From Loss
After beating No. 6 Tennessee last Wednesday, the Gators suffered a disappointing loss to unranked Kentucky 72-67 over the weekend. Now, they will look to get back into the win column on the road, where they are just 3-4 this season.
Head coach Todd Golden relies on senior forward Colin Castleton to lead an offense that ranks 158th in the nation in scoring, averaging 71.3 points per game (65.4 on the road). For Castleton, he has put up an average of 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 23 games.
The only other Gator averaging double digits is Will Richard. The sophomore guard is averaging 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Defensively, Florida is much better as they rank 41st in the country, allowing opponents an average of just 64.8 points per game.
Crimson Tide Hope To Stay Undefeated At Home
At 20-3, it has been a remarkable season for head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide. Not only are they undefeated in the SEC (10-0), but they have yet to lose a game this season at the Coleman Coliseum (11-0).
Offensively, the team has been elite. They rank sixth in the nation in scoring, averaging 83.1 points per game (87.5 at home).
Alabama is led by freshman forward Brandon Miller, who is averaging 18.8 points while shooting 45.2% from the field. He is also averaging 8.2 rebounds and two assists per game.
The Crimson Tide have two others averaging double digits in guard Mark Sears (13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists) and forward Noah Clowney (10 points, 8.3 rebounds).
Alabama ranks 140th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 68.7 points per game (61.7 at home).
Take Alabama To Win And Cover
Looking at the trends, Florida is 5-3 straight up and 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games. In their last six games against Alabama, though, they are just 2-4 against the spread.
As for Alabama, they are not only undefeated at home this season, but they are 11-1 in their last 12 games overall. In their last 11 games, they are 8-3 against the spread.
Alabama is the superior team in this one, and that is only enhanced by the fact that they are playing at home. The Crimson Tide have simply played at a whole different level in front of their home faithful, while Florida has struggled on the road.
Expect those trends to continue Wednesday night, and expect Alabama to both win and to cover the 9.5-point spread (-110) at home.
