College Basketball Odds, Pick for Florida vs South Carolina

At the start of the college basketball season, not many would have pegged a March 2 battle between Florida and South Carolina as a critical game within the SEC race.

That's exactly what it has become.

The Gamecocks have been the surprise team in the conference, and the Gators have been playing high-level basketball of late.

This will be the first and only matchup of the regular season between two teams that have both already reached double-digit wins in the conference.

South Carolina just opened as a small favorite in a game that figures to be nip-and-tuck throughout.

Are the Gamecocks rightfully favored, or can Florida pick up the road victory? Here's college basketball odds and a pick for Florida vs. South Carolina.

The Gators have won five of their last six with the only loss coming in overtime to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Florida has been an offensive juggernaut all season, but the defense has really picked up in recent weeks.

Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin are both dynamic in the backcourt, and each can attack opponents in different ways.

Additionally, Tyrese Samuel is an absolute workhorse on the glass, and Alex Condon is another long big who moves well and can step out a bit.

Riley Kugel has struggled of late, but if he can return to solid form, this is a team that has the talent to make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.

In Saturday's matchup against South Carolina, it will be interesting to see how Todd Golden's team reacts to playing a Gamecock squad that likes to slow the tempo down. Florida has been very good in transition all year, but South Carolina will force it to methodically move the ball around in the half-court.

23-5. For a team that was picked to finish near the basement of the league. What a job Lamont Paris has done in Year 2 in Columbia.

Meechie Johnson has been terrific all season for the Gamecocks, and you won't find many players nationally with more toughness than Collin Murray-Boyles.

Defense has been the backbone of South Carolina, and that was the case in a 2-0 road trip over the last week.

South Carolina held a good offensive Mississippi team to under 60 points by taking away the 3-point line and followed that up with a road win in College Station, where A&M was held under 70 and struggled for much of the night.

The Florida offense will be another difficult challenge, and it will be imperative for the Gamecocks to give the Gators' shooters minimal breathing room.

If they can guard the arc and hold Florida to one shot a trip, they can pick up another big victory and stay alive in the SEC race.

I expect this to be an extremely competitive game throughout, so I don't see a ton of value on the short spread given it could very well come down to game situations.

The total, however, is intriguing to me.

Florida has cranked up its defense a notch or two over the last few weeks, and South Carolina has played tough and physical defense all season.

Additionally, there won't be as many possessions in this one compared to a typical Florida game given the Gamecocks' more methodical style.

With this total rising all the way up to nearly 150, I believe there's value on the under in a game where most buckets will be hard-earned.

Pick: Under 147.5