Wednesday night in CBB and will see the Arizona Wildcats travel to take on the 12th ranked Florida Gators. The start time is scheduled for a 7:00 pm tipoff and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Currently the odds are favoring Florida in this contest. Florida is favored by 11 points with the total being set at 145 for the game. Arizona enters the game at 7-0, while Florida is 5-2.
Free Analysis: Arizona (2-0 on the road), which opened the season in the Top 25 but has since fallen out, knows it'll be in for a challenge as it visits the 12th-ranked Gators on Wednesday night. The Cats arlready start in the hole a bit as they will be without freshman guard Josiah Turner after he was suspended for this game Tuesday due to violations of team policy. Turner is averaging 7.1 points in 21.3 minutes. Scoring has been a problem for this team of late as they have scored 57 points or less in 3 of their last 4 games, including putting up just 53 points vs a very bad N. Arizona team on Saturday. In that game vs the Lumberjacks, Arizona had just 10 shots made during the second half, with 6 of those being from long range. For the Year Arizona has hit 35.9 % from long range, but tonight they will find getting those shots very difficult vs a team that is 33rd defending the 3 (27.4%). On defense this Arizona squad has been good as they have allowed just 62.6ppg on 41.4% shooting, they have yet to face an offense this good. With 87.6 points per game, Florida (4-0 at home) ranks as one of the most potent teams in country. Tonight they even get a boost to their offense as 6-foot-10 forward, Erik Murphy, who is averaging 10.0 points on 53.8 percent shooting, is expected to return to the court following a three-game absence due to a bruised right knee. Murphy has also proven dangerous from long distance, making 8 of 14 from beyond the arc. While getting Murphy back would certainly help, the Gators are hoping to see an improved effort from junior Mike Rosario. Rosario, who transfered from Rutgers - where he averaged 16.4 points from 2008-10 - is still getting acclimated to his new reserve role. He's recorded 10.6 points per game but scored just two in a season-low six minutes versus the Orange. On defense this Gators team has been tough, especially at home where they have allowed just 61.5 ppg on 37.3% shooting overall, including just 28.8% from beyond the arc. Arizona is good from the FT (71.1%), while Florida has struggled there (62.1%). While the Gators have been able to overpower weaker opponents by an average of 32.0 points in their five wins, they've come up short against two of the nation's top programs. Tonight marks the first meeting between these teams since then-No. 8 Florida beat then-No. 4 Arizona 78-77 on Nov. 28, 2003.
Free Pick: I am now 4-1 in the free picks here. Let's keep it rolling. The Gators have been playing out of their minds on offense at home, where they have averaged 98 ppg on 50.4% shooting. Overall Gator games have averaged 153.9 ppg, while their home games have put up 159.7 ppg. The OU is 18-5 when the Gators face a team with a winning PCT of 60% or better and 10-1 in their last 11 games as a favorite. For the cats they have had some struggles scoring of late , but they have recently played some slow down teams in Miss State, SDSU and N. Arizona in their last 4 games, while in a game vs an uptempo squad (N. Mex State) they were able to hit 83 points. Arizona diD put up 73.5 ppg in their first 4 games and they have averaged 82 ppg on the road, so this team does have some pop and the OU is 5-1 in their last 6 as a road dog of 7 to 12.5. This should be a faced paced game that should hit 150+.
Well done! Did not even know this was here. 5-1! I will be checking this more often. BOL on next write up.