Georgia looks to pull off an upset against No. 5 Florida in ‘The Swamp’

After overcoming a 14-point deficit earlier this week in Columbia against South Carolina, Florida looks to get a big win against the Bulldogs on Saturday. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. has been a key player for the Gators all season, leading them in points and assists, and will be a key player in this game as well. Another key player for the Gators is Alijah Martin who has been very hot recently over the last 10 games, averaging 16.8 points per game, and will look to keep that going in Gainesville on Saturday.

The Bulldogs are on a 3-game skid after starting the season well and making it into the AP top 25 rankings, losing to Tennessee and Arkansas on the road, and giving Auburn a scare in Athens before losing at the buzzer. The key for the ‘Dawgs’ is freshman forward Asa Newell. He is their leading scorer and rebounder, and if he can have a big a game, Georgia might be able to make some noise in ‘The Swamp’.

This game could be a little bit of a look ahead spot for the Gators, as they have showed vulnerability to “weaker” opponents this season, and there next game is a big one, against No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville. I think this is an interesting spot. Georgia is coming off choking on the road against Arkansas, giving up a 15-point deficit, while Florida did the opposite in Columbia against the Gamecocks. Florida is 9-1 and home this year, and besides the Missouri slip up, the Gators have dominated on their home floor.

Best Bet: Gimme Florida -9.5 (-120) on FanDuel.

No. 16 Ole Miss tries to bounce back on the road against No. 22 Missouri

The Rebels are coming off back to back losses after their win against Alabama, losing on the road at No.14 Mississippi State and then in a heartbreaker at home against No. 13 Texas A&M. The A&M loss was particularly brutal, as the Rebels gave up an 11-2 run down to the stretch, and the go-ahead 3-pointer down with 13 seconds left. Missouri is also coming off a loss in Austin against the Texas Longhorns. Similar to Ole Miss, they gave up a run down the stretch, only scoring 3 points in the final 4 minutes while Texas would pull away.

‘Mizzou’ is 14-0 at home this season and have had some big wins, including a top 5 win over No. 1 Kansas at the time. Caleb Grill has been a standout player for Missouri this season and has been deadly from 3-point range (48%) has brought a great veteran presence to this Tigers team. Another key player for Mizzou has been the junior guard Mark Mitchell who is leading the team in scoring (13.4 points per game) and rebounding (5 points per game) this season. If Missouri is going to get another ranked win at home, Caleb Grill and Mark Mitchell are going to need to have big games for the Tigers.

For the Rebels, the key is guard Sean Pedulla. He runs the offense for the rebels and is their leading scorer this season with 14.3 points per game. He has also had a pretty good last 3 games and is shooting well from 3-point range. The X-factor for Ole Miss, is Malik Dia. If he can have the type of game he had against Alabama, The Rebels are a very hard team to stop offensively, but he also boosts their defense a lot with his rim presence. The junior forward has slowed down slightly after having his big game in Tuscaloosa, showing how crucial he is to the Rebels success.

This is a critical game for both teams, as both squads are looking to avoid major losing streaks. Missouri has to play four ranked opponents in a row, including Ole Miss, which includes battles on the road in ‘Stark Vegas’ against No. 14 Mississippi State, and on ‘Rocky Top’ against No. 6 Tennessee. Ole Miss plays three ranked teams in the next four games, including matchups against No. 1 Auburn and No. 9 Kentucky in Oxford.

Best Bet: Gimme Ole Miss +1.5 (-110) on FanDuel.

No. 7 Houston takes on No. 12 Kansas in Lawrence

Houston is 7-0 in conference play and on eleven game winning streak, dominating throughout, although the Cougars had a scare at UCF. They have not faced any of the top teams in the Big 12 this season, making Saturday their biggest test yet. L.J Cryer has been the ‘Cougs’ best player throughout, averaging 13.8 points a game. If Houston wants to extend this win streak he needs to have a big game.

For the Jayhawks, Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo are going rto be the key players in this game. Zeke Mayo, the South Dakota State transfer, is a great 3-point shooter, averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc this season. Hunter Dickinson will also have to have a big game if the Jayhawks want to hold off the Cougars at home. The big man is averaging 15.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and he will have to come up big on the offensive and defensive glass against a very physical Houston team.

After being dominated on the road by No. 3 Iowa State, Kansas has dominated Kansas State and TCU, and is 9-1 in in the Allen Fieldhouse this season. It’s going to be a tough test for the ‘Cougs’, who have lost to the only two ranked teams they have played this season, No.1 Auburn and No. 4 Alabama.

Best Bet: Gimme the Jayhawks ML (-110) on FanDuel.

No. 6 Tennessee looks to shock No. 1 Auburn in the Jungle (7:30 PM EST)

Auburn looks to continue dominating in conference play against the ‘Vols’ in its third top 25 matchup in a row. Besides a late push from Georgia and a scare against South Carolina, the Tigers have dominated in conference play, with Chad-Baker Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford carrying the load in the absence of star forward Johni Broome. Bruce Pearl has revealed that Broome is a game time decision for this game, and that would be a massive get for Auburn if he were able to suit up. If Broome is able to play, it’s going to be hard for Tennessee to keep up with the Tigers explosive offense.

The ‘Vols’, who are great defensively, have struggled to score recently. Leading scorer Chaz Lanier is averaging 18.4 points per game, but went on a bit of a cold streak before finally bouncing back against No. 14 Mississippi State with 23 points. He will be the key for the Volunteers, as he is the one player on the Tennessee roster that can take over the game offensively.

Senior guard Chad-Baker Mazara and freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford have both had big games in the last two games with both being in double digits. If Johni Broome doesn’t play in this game, look for them to be key pieces of the offensive side of the ball for Auburn. Auburn has been dominate at home, leading to an 8-0 start in ‘The Jungle’ this year while scoring 85.7 points per game at home. Tennessee’s offense has gone quite on the road this season, like at No. 5 Florida where they only scored 43 points and got completely shut down offensively by the Gators.

Best Bet: Gimme Auburn -7.5 (-104) on FanDuel.

Bonus Bets!

No. 8 Michigan State @ Rutgers (Madison Square Garden)

Rutgers +5.5 (-105) on FanDuel.

No.13 Texas A&M @ Texas

Texas A&M ML (-110) on FanDuel.

TRAP ALERT – No. 23 West Virginia @ Kansas St

Kansas St ML (-115) on FanDuel.

LSU @ No.4 Alabama

Bama -16.5 (-120), Over 165.5 (-105) on FanDuel.

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