The February 29th Florida at Tennessee betting pick is basically a PK with the Gators being listed at -1 on the road Saturday afternoon. UF was able to bounce back from a tough loss at Kentucky by beating LSU by 15 on Wednesday as -5 point favorites.
There is value on the Volunteers despite the fact that they have lost 7 of their last 10. Tennessee seems to match up well with the Gators as they’ve won 3 straight in the series including by 12 and 11 points in two games last season.
Gators Looking for Consistency Towards Postseason
It’s been an up-and-down year for the Gators as they head into the February 29th Florida at Tennessee betting pick. The Gators are 10-6 since January 1st but 4 of those defeats have come when favored.
UF dropped a close 59-65 game in Kentucky last Saturday as -4.5 favorites but bounced back nicely in beating LSU 81-66. Leading scorer Keyontae Johnson put in a career high 25 vs. the Tigers while adding 11 rebounds. The Gators showed great scoring depth though with Scottie Lewis adding 18 points and Andrew Nembhard 17.
Florida could be playing their best basketball of the season right now though. They are 4-1 over their last 5 with the lone loss that close defeat in Lexington. The Gators offense has hit their season average of 73+ points scored in each of those wins and it’s great timing to meet up with a Vols offense that is struggling a bit.
Vols Struggling Ahead of Saturday’s Tilt
Tennessee did beat Florida twice last year but that was also a 30-win Volunteers squad. Rick Barnes has struggled to replace a majority of key players from last year’s team including NBA bound Grant Williams (Celtics) and Admiral Schofield (Wizards).
Tennessee has dropped 3 of their last 4 with a 4-point win over lowly Vanderbilt as -13 favorites being the only victory over that span. Florida still hasn’t won in Knoxville since 2013 however. Tennessee is also 4-1 vs. UF since Barnes has taken over the program.
Despite their past success against the Gators, Tennessee still needs to find a way to score on Saturday. The Vols have broken the 70 point barrier just once in their last 7 games. That streak spans Jordan Bowden averaging 21.3 over the last three as well. The Vols are turning the ball over 17 times a game over the last four and were down 14-1 5 minutes into the game vs. Arkansas on Wednesday.
February 29th Florida at Tennessee Betting Pick
Florida should be favored in this one despite being on the road in Knoxville and for the fact that Tennessee has had so much success over the Gators the past few seasons. Roughly 81% of bettors are on Florida though, the 7th highest tally of Saturday’s slate. Even so, the Gators absolutely need this win for their tournament hopes and is the more talented team.
Pick: Florida Gators -1
