The red hot Florida Gators are in Lexington tonight to take a shot at the nation’s No. 1 team, the Kentucky Wildcats. The two conference rivals, which presently sit first and second in the SEC standings, are scheduled to tip off at 7:00pm ET tonight at the Rupp Arena; the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. The latest NCAAB Picks have the Wildcats listed as a -9 against the spread home favorite and the game total set at 142.5 points.
No. 8 Florida, which represents the most significant threat Kentucky has faced in quite some time, ran its current win streak to seven games on Saturday with a 73-65 victory against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Gators, now 19-4 overall and 7-1 in league play, shot just 38.3 percent from the field in the win but they did connect on 11 of their 24 three point attempts and 16-of-17 from the charity stripe.
Guard Kenny Boynton led Florida with 18 points, but he received plenty of help from back-court mate Bradley Beal, who logged 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Erving Walker and bench guard Mike Rosario also scored in double figures, finishing with 11 and 10 points respectively.
While the Gators recent run has been impressive, it pales in comparison to Kentucky’s extended dominance. The Wildcats won their 15th straight game on Saturday with a 86-52 thrashing of South Carolina in Columbia. John Calipari’s squad improved to 23-1 overall and 9-0 in SEC action with the win, which saw them hold the Gamecocks to 30.5 percent from the field.
Freshman forward Anthony Davis turned in another remarkable performance in the easy route, totaling 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight blocks. The game marked the 11th time that Davis, who is averaging a double-double for the season, recorded five or more blocks in a game.
Kentucky, which is 15-0 at Rupp Arena this season, has won four of its last five meetings with Florida, including the last four in Lexington. The Wildcats figure to continue that success tonight against the undersized Gators. Florida will need a lights out three point effort from its guard trio of Boynton, Beal, and Walker in order to get past Kentucky. The Wildcats will own the paint, forcing the Gators to win from the outside or not at all.
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Florida vs Kentucky 2012 NCAAB Picks: Provided by SBG Global
Florida Gators +9 (-110), Over 142.5 (-110), +400 (Moneyline)
Kentucky Wildcats -9 (-110), Under 142.5 (-110), -500 (Moneyline)
