Florida lost the SEC title game to Kentucky, but still managed a No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region, where they are heavily favored to dispatch the No. 15 Santa Barbara Gauchos today..
The Gators are favored by only 13 points, but reigning SEC Player of the Year Chandler Parsons is more than capable of turning this into a rout. Bettors should be careful of the Gators in this situation - as double-digit favorite, they 7-1 SU, but just 1-7 ATS past 8 outings.
The Gauchos, Sportsbooks of the Big Sky Conference despite a medicore 8-8 mark in league play, are 18-13 on the year, while the Gators are at 26-7.
View Santa Barbara vs Florida Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
The Gators opened as 14.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, but you can get them laying fewer points at Sportsbook and Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 157-rated Santa Barbara taking on the No. 7-rated Gators in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 76-70 win for the Gators on Thursday.
How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Florida's No. 98-ranked scoring average of 71.5 PPG, against a Gauchos defense rated No. 95 and allowing 65.4 PPG. The Gators FG% has averaged 46.2% to date this season, more than the Gauchos shooters have managed so far (45.6% per game).
Defensively, Santa Barbara features the nation's No. 67-rated defense on the road, allowing 66.3 points per game. Florida, meanwhile, comes in at No. 150 nationally in scoring at home.
Last time out for Santa Barbara, they were a 64-56 Sportsbook as they battled Long Beach State. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point underdog.
In their last action, Florida was a 70-54 loser against Kentucky. They failed to cover the 1–point spread as underdogs.
Santa Barbara Gauchos Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Long Beach State are 5-5
After a win are 5-5
Florida Gators Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Kentucky are 8-2
After a loss are 7-3
A few Gauchos at Gators trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Florida's last 8 games
Florida is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
