NCAAB Odds, Pick for Florida vs Ole Miss

Ole Miss welcomes Florida to town on Wednesday night for a SEC showdown on the hardwood.

The Rebels won their first 13 games this season before getting dominated at No. 5 Tennessee in their SEC opener last weekend.

Meanwhile, Florida also fell to a nationally ranked foe, dropping a close one in overtime against No. 6 Kentucky.

This could be a resume-building win for both squads, which should give us a great battle in Oxford, Mississippi.

Before the loss over the weekend, coach Todd Golden’s squad hit its stride in December, posting a perfect 6-0 record. This is also a Gators team that racked up solid wins in the non-conference slate over Florida State, Pittsburgh, Richmond and Michigan.

However, Florida hasn’t been able to secure a victory over a Quad 1 foe as it's 0-3 on the season. The strong schedule so far has put the Gators in the top 50 in the NET with a good shot to go to the NCAA Tournament.

One of the keys to the solid start has been the play of Walter Clayton Jr. as the Iona transfer leads the team in scoring at 15.7 points per game.

Clayton is nine points from the 1,000-point career mark, and with how he’s playing this season, I believe he’ll get it here.

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In his debut season at Ole Miss, coach Chris Beard is already architecting a huge turnaround in Oxford. The 13-0 start equaled the best in school history, and the 13 wins tied the longest overall win streak in program history.

This is the type of winning that has followed Beard during his coaching career. He ranks 10th in career winning percentage among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience.

While he did bring in transfers to flip his roster, it has been the returning duo of Jaemyn Brakefield and Matthew Murrell that has carried the Rebels.

Murrell leads the team with 16.4 points per game on over 46% shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Brakefield has averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game over the past five contests.

Once you add in the seven transfers, Beard has built a solid roster in his first year at Ole Miss.

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I don't see any value in either the spread or total, but I do have an interesting way to bet this matchup.

With that said, my best bet is for Ole Miss to win the Race to 5 that will be offered at FanDuel closer to the first tip. I like this play at -105 odds or better.

One of those key transfers that Beard brought in over the summer is center Jamarion Sharp from WKU. The 7-foot-5 senior has given the Rebels a clear advantage in securing the opening tip.

In 14 contests this season, Sharp has won the opening tip 10 times. As a result, Ole Miss often gets the first shot.

This same play would have cashed in all but one contest for the Rebels, with the lone loss coming in the most recent game against Tennessee.

Meanwhile, the Gators haven't been as successful early. In their 14 contests, they have been beaten to five points by their opponents on eight occasions.

Florida does have a 7-footer in Micah Handlogten, but he is still giving up four inches to Sharp.

This was an angle I enjoyed playing when Sharp was at WKU last season, and I like the opportunity to get Ole Miss at a good price here.

Pick: Ole Miss – Race to 5 Points (-105 or Better)