The Florida Gators are happy to be in Gainesville on Wednesday night as they face the Arizona Wildcats in a college basketball betting matchup at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The No. 12 Gators (5-2 straight up, 2-1 against the spread) are listed as 11-point favorites with a total of 145. The SEC school has had two of the toughest road assignments in the country with losses at top-5 Ohio State (81-74) and Syracuse (72-68).
The Syracuse loss was just last Friday and the Gators again relied too much on scoring from the beyond the arc. They should catch a break tonight with the probable return of big man Erik Murphy (knee), which can send Will Yeguete back to the bench.
Pac-12 Arizona (6-2 SU, 2-6 ATS) is going in the opposite direction personnel-wise as guard Josiah Turner is suspended tonight. The freshman is averaging just 7.1 PPG, but the team needs all the help it can get at 68 PPG, ranked 176th in the country.
The Wildcats are trying to find their identity after Derrick Williams took his 19.5 PPG and 8.3 RPG to the NBA after last year. Florida is the first ranked team they’ve faced and they’re already one of the worst ATS teams in the country. That’s the reason for the double-digit spread.
There are several other highly ranked teams in action tonight with No. 5 Louisville (NL) hosting IUPUI, No. 7 Duke (-21 ½) hosting Colorado State and No. 8 Xavier (-5 ½) visiting Butler.
Duke (7-1 SU, 3-5 ATS) will have the Cameron Crazies out in full force. It’s the student’s first chance to see their beloved players since the 85-63 blowout loss at Ohio State. A 3-of-15 effort (20 percent) from 3-point land hurt the cause, but the Buckeyes dominated in all statistical categories and it was essentially over by halftime (47-28).
The Blue Devils could be rusty at the outset, playing only the Ohio State game since Thanksgiving. Their three games at Cameron Indoor Stadium have produced just one cover, and they barely beat Belmont (77-76) as 11 ½-point favorites in the first one. The offense has done fine at home at 85 PPG, but the defense has allowed 66.7 PPG to questionable competition. The ‘over’ is 3-0 in those contests.
Colorado State (5-3 SU, 3-4-1 ATS) is out of the MWC and last lost at Northern Iowa on Saturday, 83-77 as 12-point ‘dogs. Junior guard Wes Eikmeier (17.5 PPG) leads the way and team point production has really increased the last four games (79.5 PPG), helping the ‘over’ go 4-1 in the last five.
Thursday has one of the most intriguing games of the young season when the Harvard Crimson (8-0 SU, 4-0 ATS) visit the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies. The No. 25 ranked Crimson are in the AP top-25 for the first time in school history and are the first from the Ivy League since Princeton in 1998.
Tommy Amaker is building an Ivy powerhouse in his fifth year with the team, bringing a major program feel from his playing days at Duke and his coaching stints at Seton Hall and Michigan. Harvard incredibly won the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament over Thanksgiving weekend, dispatching Utah (75-47), No. 22 Florida State (46-41) and Central Florida (59-49).
The ‘under’ is 3-1 on the season for Harvard, allowing 54.4 PPG in total. The ‘under’ is 35-15-1 in its last 51 road games overall.
Big East Connecticut (7-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) is ranked No. 9 after being No. 4 in the preseason. It was also in the Battle 4 Atlantis tourney, shockingly losing to Central Florida (68-63) in the second round. The Florida State Seminoles were next and UConn let up far more than points against them than Harvard did, although still winning the consolation game 78-76 in OT.
The Huskies are scoring 76 PPG with swingman Jeremy Lamb (20.3 PPG) and point guard Shabazz Napier (16.8 PPG) helping make up for the loss of Kemba Walker. Freshman guard Ryan Boatright has scored 37 points in two games after being suspended the first six. He provides a potent option off the bench and they will need it against the upstart Crimson.
UConn beat Harvard 81-52 last year, but just 79-73 in 2009, going 1-1 ATS as 12 ½ and 18 ½-point favorites respectively.
Friday is a light night in the top-25 with Florida the only team in action. The opponent will be Rider, who has the worst overall record (1-8 SU) in the mid-major MAAC.