Florida at Auburn Odds, Prediction & TV Info

Posted by Kenny Bell on Monday,February 13, 2017 2:22, EDT in

The University of Florida hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament the past two years but that’s going to change next month. The No. 17 Gators could potentially get as high as a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance if they win the SEC — and they are tied for the conference lead. UF could be looking at a bit of a trap game, however, on Tuesday at Auburn. UF will be favored on NCAA basketball odds.

Florida at Auburn Odds, Prediction & TV Info

When: Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7 PM ET
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Ala.
TV: SEC Network
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Florida / Auburn
Opening NCAAB Lines: UF favored by TBA

Why Bet On Florida?

The Gators beat Texas A&M 71-62 on Saturday. They picked up their sixth straight win while improving to 20-5 overall and 10-2 in the SEC. It was the first time during this current streak they didn’t win by double digits, but it was a victory nonetheless. Forward Justin Leon led Florida with 18 points while going 4-of- 8 from 3-point range, guard Canyon Barry added 12 points and John Egbunu finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.

At one point, UF made just three of its 21 shots over a 17-minute span that bridged the two halves. The Aggies (13-11, 5-7), after erasing an 11-point first-half deficit, led 40-36.

“We’ll take it,” Coach Mike White said. “You learn from every game. You learn positively and you learn negatively, and when you learn about some of the things about yourself that you didn’t do so well andyou can still come out with a win against a really solid team, that’s a positive in and of itself. We’re very fortunate.”

After clanging 18 of those 21 field-goal tries, the Gators went on a spree where they hit nine of 11 to climb back into the game. Then they took it over. UF shot just 39 percent for the game and senior guard Kasey Hill, playing as well as anyone on the team, was held to just three points, three assists and committed five turnovers. The Gators, though held Texas A&M to the same 39 percent, while also forcing 20 turnovers.

The Gators have more SEC wins than last season (nine) while becoming the first conference team to reach 20 wins. They’re in prime position to not only make the NCAA Tournament — something UF hasn’t done since 2014 — but also land a top-four seeding, perhaps ahead of No. 15 Kentucky. Last year, UF destroyed its chances at an NCAA Tournament berth after losing four in a row to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, LSU and Kentucky in late February and early March. Florida’s final six opponents this season have a combined record of 100-49. Four of those games will come on the road.

Why Bet On Auburn?

The Tigers (16-9) are on the NCAA Tournament bubble at the moment, the wrong side of it. The come off a 90-84 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday. Auburn was accurate from behind the 3-point line, connecting on 8-of- 14 tries from deep. Bruce Pearl’s team went into the locker room with a comfortable 20-point lead over Andy Kennedy’s Rebels.

Auburn allowed Mississippi State to score 64 second-half points in its previous game. The Tigers followed that by giving up 63 points to Ole Miss through the final 20 minutes. For the second time this season, and the 10th-consecutive meeting, Auburn let one slip against the Rebels.

Ronnie Johnson had a season-high 18 points and eight assists off the bench to lead Auburn. Mustapha Heron added 16 points and six rebounds while Dajel Purifoy had 12 points. The Tigers committed 20 turnovers and were outscored 26-12 in points off turnovers.

Auburn was again without forward Horace Spencer, who has missed three games after injuring his shoulder against Tennessee on Jan. 31. Pearl said doctors are determining whether Spencer may need surgery.

Pearl is 8-7 all-time against Florida, including 0-2 coaching Auburn. Against the Gators, Pearl is 5-1 at home, 3-5 on the road and 0-1 in neutral site games. All but two games against Florida came when Pearl coached at Tennessee from 2005-06 to 2010-11. This is the 165th meeting between the Tigers and Gators with Auburn holding an 87-77 advantage. However, Florida has won nine straight and 19 of the last 20 in the series. The lone win came in the 2009 SEC Tournament quarterfinals in Tampa as the Tigers defeated the Gators 61-58.

Auburn has a 54-25 edge in Auburn, including a 0-3 mark in Auburn Arena. The Tigers’ last win over the Gators in Auburn came in 1999 when the eighth-ranked Tigers beat the Gators 88-69.

Florida at Auburn Prediction: Florida Gators

If Auburn were healthy, I might recommend the Tigers. So go Florida in NCAA betting.