NCAA basketball on Saturday afternoon and we will see the Florida Gators travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Mississippi Rebels. The game has a start time of 12:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on CBS. Vegas odds have the Gators listed as 6.5 point favorites, while the total has yet to be set.
Analysis: The Gators come in at 24-2 overall and 13-0 with in the ACC and while they are currently ranked 2nd in the nation they are off a scare vs Auburn in their last game, in which the Gators trailed for much of the game before finishing up with a 71-66 win. The gators are led by their stifling defense that is one of the best in the nation. The Gators come in having allowed just 58.3 ppg on just 39.8% shooting, which is 6th and 28th in the nation respectively. On offense they have averaged a modest 71.1 ppg on 45.8% shooting. 4 players average in double figures for the Gators, led by Casey Prather, who scores 15.7 ppg and is also 3rd on the team in rebounding at 5.4 rpg. Dorian Finney-Smith leads the team in boards (7.1), while Patric Young is second at 6.4 boards per game. Florida has made 62 of its last 78 attempts (79.5 percent) from the free-throw line over the last three games.
The Rebels come in with a mediocre 16-10 record overall, while posting a solid 10-6 mark within the SEC. The Rebels do come in struggling as they have lost 3 in a row, including Tuesday night's home game vs Kentucky by a 84-70 count. The Rebels have one of the better offenses in the SEC, averaging a solid 76 ppg on the year, but they have scored just 64.5 ppg in their last 4 losses. The Offense is led by Marshall Henderson, who scores 19.4 ppg and is a solid threat from deep (37.1%) and at the FT line (81.2%). Only one other payer averages in double figures for the Rebels and that is Javaris Summers, who scores 17 ppg and is also a threat from deep hitting 46.3% of his long range shots. Defensively, the Rebels are not all that good, allowing 72.1 ppg, which is 234th in the nation.
Pick: I like the Gators in this one. I think the scare vs Auburn will wake them up and they will play hard here. The Rebels are not playing very well right now and they have really struggled to score of late, especially in losses and I can't see them getting too many points vs this tough Gator defense. A win here by the Gators will give them the number 1 ranking in the nation and that is just extra motivation for a team that is angry already. Look for the Gators to take this one by at least 10 points.
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