The Florida Gators take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Florida is favored by 9.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -525. The total is set at 148.5 points.
Here’s my Florida vs. South Carolina predictions and college basketball picks for January 28, 2026.
Florida vs South Carolina Prediction
My Pick: Florida -9.5
My Florida vs South Carolina best bet is on the Gators to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Florida vs. South Carolina Odds
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 148.5 -110 / -110 | -525 |
| South Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 148.5 -110 / -110 | +390 |
- Florida vs South Carolina spread: Florida -9.5
- Florida vs South Carolina over/under: 148.5 points
- Florida vs South Carolina moneyline: Florida -525, South Carolina +390
Florida vs South Carolina College Basketball Betting Preview
Florida Basketball
After cashing a 60/1 futures bet on the Gators to cut down the nets last season, I was unsure what to expect from Todd Golden’s bunch entering 2026, especially without superstar guard Walter Clayton Jr., who put on arguably the best individual performance in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
Fortunately for Florida, its young head coach got to work quickly with a massive offseason in the transfer portal. Golden landed two of the most talented players available, former Arkansas point guard Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, who excelled in the Ivy League at Princeton.
Given the big offseason moves and the Gators returning most of its frontcourt production from the championship roster, most expected Florida to once again have one of the best teams in college basketball.
But Florida dropped its opener and posted a 6-4 record over the first 10 games of the 2025-26 season. Looking back, three of those losses came at the hands of a few of the best teams in the sport, most notably Arizona, Duke and UConn.
Since that difficult early-season schedule, Florida has won nine of its last 11 games, including a very impressive victory against Vanderbilt on the road.
While the Gators boasted the most explosive offense in the entire country last season, they've replicated some of that offensive efficiency, ranking 18th in that metric in 2025-26, according to KenPom.
Forwards Alex Condon and Alex Haugh, who both were vital assets to last season’s championship roster, have excelled on both ends of the floor. Haugh leads Florida in scoring, posting over 17 points per game with just under seven rebounds on average.
Haugh, Condon and Rueben Chinyelu have been some of the best rim protectors in college basketball, making it extremely difficult for opponents to find open looks near the basket.
Chinyelu is seeing far more minutes in 2025-26 than he did last season, and he's certainly making the most of that opportunity, averaging a double-double in under 25 minutes per game.
Florida’s defense also ranks just outside the top 10 in the country in defensive efficiency, according to Haslametrics.
South Carolina Basketball
In his fourth season at the helm, Lamont Paris’ Gamecocks are 11-9 overall, having won just two of their first seven matchups in SEC play.
Upon leading his Chattanooga Mocs to the Big Dance in 2021, South Carolina hired Paris, hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since its Final Four appearance in 2017. In just his second season as Gamecocks head coach, Paris led South Carolina to just its second NCAA Tournament bid in the last 20 years.
After a horrific 2024-25 season, with South Carolina winning just two of its 18 contests in conference play, it appears to be well on its way to missing consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Leading the way for South Carolina is senior guard Meechie Johnson, who’s posting nearly 16 points per game over the first 20 contests. After playing just 10 games last season, Johnson has bounced back nicely in his sixth season playing at the collegiate level.
If the Gamecocks are to go on a late-season run, Johnson will surely need assistance from the remainder of the team's core. In Saturday's 23-point loss to Texas A&M, Johnson converted on 7-of-12 field goal attempts, while the rest of the starting lineup shot a dreadful 32% from the field.
South Carolina ranks outside the top 80 in college basketball in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Florida vs. South Carolina Betting Analysis
There's really only one side to look at in this one, and that's the Gators.
While the Gators have been a better team on their home floor in Gainesville, you can feel the Gamecocks’ season slipping away. With the Gators also coming off a disappointing home loss this past Saturday, I trust Golden’s coaching experience with his back against the wall.
This is a South Carolina squad that's really struggled defending the perimeter this season, and that should prove very problematic when matched up against a Florida team that lets it rain from beyond the arc.
While the Gamecocks may hang around early on their home floor, I'll be backing the Gators to cover the spread.
My Pick: Florida -9.5
