March Madness Betting: Florida Gators hope to regain momentum vs hard-charging Tennessee
Defending NCAA Basketball champions Florida Gators suddenly look vulnerable or at least human with two losses in three games, but that hasn’t prevented the fifth-ranked Gators from sewing up the SEC regular-season championship.
The road has been unkind to Florida the last two Saturday, with losses at Vanderbilt and LSU. Now the Gators head to Knoxville to take on hard-charging Te
nnessee at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday.
The Volunteers (20-9, 8-6 SEC) were the only team that swept Florida last season and are making a bid to claim the East Division’s second seed and a first-round bye at the league tournament.
UT, which lost to the Gators 94-78 on Feb. 3, has claimed six of its last eight games. The Vols lead the SEC with 80.2 points per game (Florida is second with 79.5) and has won five games vs. ranked opponents this season - three in the last four victories.
Tennessee junior sharpshooter Chris Lofton seems to have recovered from his mid-season ankle injury and leads the SEC with 20.8 points a game and 85 3-pointers made. He dumped in 31 points in an 83-72 victory at Arkansas Saturday, the sixth time this season he has hit for 30 or more.
Florida is coming off a season-worst offensive output in a 66-56 loss at LSU. The Gators’ perimeter game has slumped, with Lee Humphrey, Taurean Green and Corey Brewer combining to hit only 20-of-72 3-pointers over the last five games.
Humphrey, the SEC’s top shooter from long distance at 45.7 percent (75-of-164) has been especially off-mark, missing 23 of his last 32 tries from outside the arc.
Florida was 2-for-17 against LSU, a season-worst 11.8 percent. No Gator guard scored a field goal vs. LSU until the last 5 minutes of the loss in Baton Rouge.
The Gators have lost three of their last four games at Thompson-Boling Arena and take on a Tennessee team trying to wrap up a perfect home season. The Vols are 15-0 at home this season, with three of the last four SEC home games decided by four points or less.
Al Horford gives Florida a huge advantage inside. The 6-10 junior has recorded 10 double-doubles this season and is averaging 12.9 points ad 8.8 boards a contest. Green is the Gators’ leading scorer with 13 per game and has recorded 99 assists.
Florida is a 3-point favorite tonight on Bodog.com.
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NCAA Basketball Prediction: Look for Florida Gators to be strong again and dominate NCAA Basketball this season.
