11. Kentucky vs 12. Florida: Preview

Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Kentucky vs Florida: College Basketball Saturday

Saturday afternoon features Kentucky and Florida going at it for the SEC's top spot and a potential No. 2 tourney seed. Both sides entering the matchup with the exact same conference (13-2) and regular season (23-5) record.

Kentucky opened up at 3-point favorites, with the total set at 157. At the time of publication, UK is a 4-point favorite, with the total down to 155.5.

What to Watch For

Gators Dominating Lately: Florida is playing some of the best ball in the country right now, winning nine straight including seven by double-digit margins. Florida recorded a 22-point victory over UK down in Gainesville earlier in February. The Gators enter Saturday's matchup following an 81-66 victory over South Carolina in which Florida shot 9-of-19 from beyond the arc.

Fox, Out: UK guard De'Aaron Fox is still listed as questionable for Saturday's matchup, according to head coach John Calipari on Friday. More so than Fox being in or out, what's been UK's biggest hurdle this season is inconsistency. They squeezed out a 10-point victory over Missouri, most recently, but struggled at the charity stripe to start the game - a sign of potential struggles come March.

This game being in Lexington should be enough to see a top-notch performance from the Wildcats.

Florida Dominating the Boards: Florida ranks fairly low -- nationally --in terms of total rebound rate. They're No. 96 in the country, whereas Kentucky is substantially better at No. 33. Surprisingly, though, Florida dominated the boards in their most recent matchup 45-29.

Keep an eye on the offensive boards, especially early on. UK is No. 9 in the nation with an average of 11.8 offensive rebounds per game.

AccuScore has predictions for every major NCAA Division I college basketball game against the spread and on the over/under, along with player projections and hot trends analysis. Starting the week off, the computer was picking 55% winners against the spread for the season for a profit of $13,650… Try a Free 7-day trial - Become a member today!

Betting Trends

• The Gators are 7-2 against the spread(ATS) in their last 9 games overall.
• The Gators are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. SEC opponents.
• The OVER is 12-5 in the Gators' last 17 road games.
• The Wildcats are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
• The Wildcats are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 vs. SEC opponents.
• The Wildcats are 22-10 ATS in their last 32 home games.

Final Word

There's no doubt the game will be a close one. There's just too much on the line, at this point of the season. The Wildcats will be looking to avenge their loss in Gainesville and should cover the 3-point spread listed at the time of publication. UK and the UNDER.

2018 NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16 Picks

Written by AccuScore Staff
Follow @AccuScore on Twitter

2018 NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16

After starting with 68 teams, the field is down to only 16 teams, and this year's madness has been a bit crazier than most. UMBC takes the cake at the cover story of the year, but this year's Sweet 16, perhaps, isn't as crazy as we all thought. After all, Duke, Syracuse, Michigan, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Villanova, Purdue and Kansas aren't exactly small upstart programs on the dance floor for the first time. Loyola is probably the best story of the Sweet 16, but it's probably time to pull the plug on the fairytale.

With Thursday and Friday set to cut the field down to eight teams, and the Elite 8 cut to the Final Four by the end of the weekend, AccuScore simulated the remaining bracket 10,000 times, and Villanova comes out on top. But before we get there, let's go region-by-region and work from the Sweet 16 to the Final Four.

Sweet 16: South Region Predictions

Thursday's college basketball action tips off with the South Region with no. 7 Nevada and no. 11 Loyola of Chicago tipping off the Sweet 16. This matchup is actually AccuScore's free forecast, and Nevada is 65% to win this game, which is significantly over the 55% Las Vegas currently has the Wolf Pack. There's significant side value on picking Nevada on the moneyline and also a 61% chance they cover the Nevada -1 spread...

click on the image below for free forecast

On the other side, AccuScore projects Kentucky to finally end Kansas State's run and the no. 5 Wildcats to go on to face the no. 7 Wolfpack in the Elite 8. Coach John Calipari has history on his side, so the computer likes Kentucky to advance to the Final Four as a no. 5 seed. Here's a full breakdown of the South Region:

All of AccuScore's College Basketball Picks
Note: AccuScore's Side Value Picks for the tournament are +2401 profit

Sweet 16: West Region Predictions

Along with the South, the West Region also plays on Thursday and Saturday to decide its corner of the bracket. Gonzaga is a HEAVY 70% favorite over Florida State on Thursday, while the AccuScore computer likes Michigan to put down Texas A&M. With the no. 3 Michigan Wolverines facing the no. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite 8, AccuScore likes another upset with the Bulldogs advancing to the Final Four.

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Sweet 16: Midwest Region Predictions

Duke vs Syracuse is a classic matchup, but AccuScore doesn't think the Orange stand much of a chance against the Blue Devils. Of all the Sweet 16 matchups, this game appears to be the most lopsided according to the computer. Duke is a no. 2 seed and Syracuse is a no. 11 seed that barely made the tournament. Add in that the Blue Devils beat the Orange by 16 points this season, and this game could get ugly.

On the other side of the Midwest region, Kansas takes on Clemson, with the no. 1 seeded Jayhawks expected to put down the no. 5 seeded Tigers with a 61% chance. In the Elite 8, Duke is projected to pull the upset in a close game and add another Final Four appearance for Coach K.

Sweet 16: East Region Predictions

Like the Midwest Region, the East Region also has its no. 1 and no. 2 seeded teams alive. No. 1 Villanova is 70% to get past no. 5 West Virginia, while no. 2 Purdue is 61% to advance past no. 3 Texas Tech. As far as regions go, the East has been as clean as they come, so seeing no. 1 Villanova and no.2 Purdue face off in the Elite 8 shouldn't be a shock. AccuScore projects a close game with Nova edging Purdue 54% to 46% to advance as the only no. 1 seed into the Final Four.

NCAA Tournament 2018 - Final Four

According to AccuScore, Kentucky vs Gonzaga is a coin-flip game, with the Wildcats edging out the Bullsdogs by the slightest of margins, 51% to 49%. Meanwhile, Villanova is considered a favorite over Duke with a more notable 54%-46% edge, but that's hardly a heavy favorite. Upon reaching the final, Villanova actually enjoys more of an edge with a 60% to 40% edge over Kentucky.

In terms of raw percentages, Villanova enters the Sweet 16 with a 16.1% chance to win it all, while Duke is close behind at 15.9%. Gonzaga is 11.9% to go all the way, while Kentucky is 9.2% to complete the magical run. On the opposite end of that spectrum, Syracuse is the longest shot to win it all with only a 0.2% chance. Kansas State isn't far behind at 0.3% chance to win it all, while Loyola of Chicago is 2.05% to do the unthinkable.

AccuScore's Sweet 16 Game Picks: Spreads, Totals & Side Value