The Florida Gators and the South Carolina Gamecocks will engage in some public betting NCAA basketball action on Wednesday, January 18th. The Gators are 5-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2013-14, and could improve to 6-0 for only the fifth time in the history of the school. Florida’s perfect conference record came close to being snapped on Saturday when the Gators needed an extra period to put away the Georgia Bulldogs. Rick Barry’s son Canyon scored a season-best 27 points off the bench – the most points by a SEC reserve this season. Who betta than Canyon? In spite of Barry’s and Keith Stone’s scoring prowess, college basketball odds are that this game is going to be a D-Fest.
Betting NCAA basketball Problem for the G-Cocks
Both UF and South Carolina average 8.4 steals per game, but USC has one more on the season (143) than the Gators. Additionally, the Gamecocks’ 13.5 forced turnovers per game ranks first the conference, followed by the Gators’ 11.4 ranking second. That last stat is important because the two teams’ lifeblood comes from converting TOs into scoring chances just like the pancreas turns sugar into energy. That was a problem for the G-Cocks in their previous two games, as the offence kept turning over the turnover the defense had just forced. Nonetheless, USC has won its last four straight games which coincidentally have been the first four in-conference games – their best SEC start in 20 years.
Chris Silva
The most recent of those victories was a 67-56 win over Ole Miss on Saturday. Chris Silva scored double digits (16) for the third time in those four games. Silva also had 11 rebounds as USC dominated the boards, getting second and third opportunities as well as free-throws. The Gamecocks’ college basketball odds weren’t very good without Sindarius Thornwell, who had been serving a suspension. The guard’s return to the starting line-up coincided with the start of SEC play, and while team as whole may have briefly stumbled, Thornwell certainly didn’t miss a beat, to the satisfaction of the South Carolina public betting NCAA basketball.
USC
Regardless of what the college basketball odds might say, though, USC is going to have their work cut out for themselves against the Gators. Not to take anything away from what head coach and the G-Cocks have accomplished this season, but things are really coming together for Florida in Mike Smith’s second year as head coach. Or, as FanSided’s Andrew Grimes writes, “the Gators are not only a good team, but they have the potential to be a great team.”
The one thing that could hinder them – their gruesome schedule – is actually what’s propelling them to new heights. According to Grimes, “not only are the winning more against tough competition, but they’re also are beating the teams they’re supposed to beat.” That “tough competition” of course includes South Carolina, but USC could also become another of those teams that the Gators are “supposed to beat.” Whether that will sway the public betting NCAA basketball opinion remains to be seen.