The Kentucky Wildcats remain in the hunt for an SEC title and No. 1 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. That quest continues on Saturday with a matchup against the rival Florida Gators on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Sixth-ranked Kentucky (25-5, 14-3) is one game out of the top spot in the SEC and is also fifth in the NET rankings. Meanwhile, Florida (17-13, 9-8) is in dire need of a top-tier win plus a deep run in the 2019 SEC Tournament to solidify to its March Madness resume. Vegas lists the Wildcats as 10-point favorites, while the over-under for total points is 128.5 in the latest Kentucky vs. Florida odds. Before you make any Kentucky vs. Florida picks, you'll want to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has raked in the winnings for those following its picks. Over the past two years, the SportsLine Projection Model has returned nearly $4,200 to $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks. It also entered Week 18 of the 2018-19 college basketball season on a strong 111-87 run against the spread. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now it has analyzed all relevant data and crunched the numbers for Kentucky vs. Florida. We can tell you it has generated a point-spread pick that hits in over 50 percent of simulations. That pick is only available at SportsLine.
The model knows Kentucky's SEC regular-season title hopes need help, but a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is likely still in its court. The Wildcats have a three-headed scoring monster in PJ Washington (14.9 ppg), Tyler Herro (14.1), and Keldon Johnson (13.7). The Gators had no answer for that trio in the Feb. 2 meeting in Gainesville, as they tallied 44 of the team's 65 points in a 65-54 win.
Also, Saturday is Senior Day for the Wildcats at Rupp Arena. They've won eight Senior Days in a row, three of which were against the Gators. The program is an eye-popping 99-15 all-time on Senior Day.
But just because the Wildcats are motivated with a No. 1 seed on the line and playing at home doesn't mean they can cover the Kentucky vs. Florida spread.
Florida fared well against UK in the first go-around before the Wildcats rallied from an 11-point deficit to win by 11. UK will be short-handed this time around too, as Kentucky senior Travis Reid (knee) is unlikely to play, leaving an 11.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg void in the paint.
Senior Jalen Hudson scored 33 points in a one-point overtime loss to LSU on Wednesday. The 6-6 guard is averaging 17.8 points over the last five games, adding a much-needed punch to the defense-first Gators.
Who wins Kentucky vs. Florida? And which side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Kentucky vs. Florida spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed college hoops, and find out.
