The Florida Gators take on the UConn Huskies in New York, NY, as part of the Jimmy V Classic. Tip-off is set for approximately 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
UConn is favored by -4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -210. The total is set at 145.5 points.
Here’s my Florida vs. UConn prediction and college basketball picks for December 9, 2025.
Florida vs UConn Prediction
My Pick: UConn -4.5 (Play to -6)
My Florida vs UConn best bet is on the Huskies 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. UConn Odds
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | +175 |
| UConn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -210 |
- Florida vs UConn spread: UConn -4.5
- Florida vs UConn over/under: 145.5 points
- Florida vs UConn moneyline: Florida +175, UConn -210
Florida vs UConn College Basketball Betting Preview
Florida Basketball
Florida might be the toughest team in America to figure out. Just when you try and hop off the "Gators might just not be top-25 good" train, they beat Providence by 12 and nearly beat Duke in Cameron Indoor.
What should we make of the Gators now? I'm not sure my view is any different. They have one of the best interior groups in America. You won't find a better quartet of bigs than Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten.
Haugh is the least talked-about superstar in America. Condon often overshadows him, but Haugh leads the Gators with 18.6 points per game. The problem is Haugh is just a 31% shooter from 3.
And there lies the issue: Florida is an awful shooting team, connecting on just 27% of its shots from 3. It still attempts 3s on 43% of its shots, but it often leads to empty possessions. The only saving grace is that Florida grabs offensive boards at an absurd 42% clip.
Todd Golden is a guard whisper of sorts, but the whispers have been unintelligible thus far. Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee scored 20 against Providence and then went 1-for-10 from the field against Duke. The other guard, Boogie Fland, scored 16 against Duke, but he's still shooting just 25% from deep.
The Gators' chances of being a legitimate top-25 team with Fland and Lee playing this poorly aren't very high. We can only convince ourselves that they'll figure things out for so long until we just come to grips and admit that the fit is poor.
Now, let's be positive for a moment: Florida remains an outstanding defensive team. The Gators rank 11th in defensive efficiency, holding teams to 26% from 3 and 46% from inside the arc.
Plus, they limit teams to offensive rebounds on just 24% of misses.
UConn Basketball
Now let's talk about UConn, whose lone loss came to Arizona in a game in which the Huskies didn't have stud big man Tarris Reed Jr.
The Huskies are back to what made their championship teams so dangerous, being an elite defensive squad. They rank seventh in defensive efficiency and have done an excellent job of forcing tough shots.
That shows via them ranking top-16 in three pivotal categories: 2-point field goal defense (43.9%), e-point defense (26%) and effective field goal percentage (42.5%).
Dan Hurley has a lot of positional length in his starting lineup. All five of the Huskies' starters are 6-foot-4 or taller, with a seven-footer in Reed as the linchpin inside and Jaylin Stewart serving as a wing-scoring stopper.
Offensively, the Huskies are no slouch, and they haven't reached their ceiling yet. They just got five-star recruit Braylon Mullins back recently. He's an elite shooter and will help UConn boost its 33% 3-point percentage.
If you told me that UConn is still shooting 33% from 3 with Solo Ball hitting 27% from that area, Mullins missing the first three weeks of the year and Silas Demary Jr. making 25% from downtown, I wouldn't believe you. Alex Karaban has done a great job of keeping defenses honest, since he's shooting 41% from deep.
I see the path to UConn getting better offensively. Now that it's fully healthy, it can be a lot better than 18th in offensive efficiency. That feels like the floor for UConn's potentially potent offense.
Florida vs. UConn Betting Analysis
For Florida, in its current state, to compete with a team like UConn, a few things have to occur. For one, the Gators either need to shoot the 3-ball well, or dominate the glass.
The latter will be tough against UConn because of its rebounding chops. So, Florida probably has to shoot well.
Second, the Gators likely need a lower-scoring game, as they had against Duke. Neither of those feels super likely.
UConn is head and shoulders better than Florida and this feels like a potential blowout.
My Pick: UConn -4.5 (Play to -6)
