Second Round Matchup: UConn vs Florida – Odds, Picks, and Predictions for March 23

• The #1 Florida Gators are a heavy 9.5-point favorite over the #8 UConn Huskies in Sunday’s second-round game
• The Gators are coming off a 26-point win, and UConn won their first-round game by eight
• See my UConn vs Florida odds and predictions for the West Region second-round contest, below

The #8 Uconn Huskies (24-10, 15-7 Big East) have their sights set on winning three straight national titles. In the first round, they dispatched of the #9 seeded Oklahoma Sooners 67-59. They’re in tough, however, as they square off versus the #1 seeded Florida Gators (31-4, 17-4 SEC), who easily handled the #16 Norfolk State Spartans 95-69.

Sunday’s college basketball odds have the Gators as heavy favorites in this tilt. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:10pm ET at Lenovo Center, in Raleigh, North Carolina with CBS providing the broadcast coverage in the United States and TSN in Canada.

Uconn vs Florida Odds

The Gators are currently favorites by 9.5-points and they’re -535 on the moneyline, while the total is sitting at 150.5. Per the college basketball public betting trends, the public likes Florida to hold serve with a whopping 92% of moneyline wagers on them.

Odds as of March 22 at DraftKings. Download the best March Madness betting apps.

UConn vs Florida Analysis

The first game of the Sunday slate features what appears to be a match the #1 seed Florida Gators should easily win. However, UConn is attempting to be the first team since UCLA in the 1970’s to win three straight national titles. The -535 odds on the moneyline for the Gators represents a win probability of 84.25%.

However, our SBD model believes it’ll be a tighter battle than that, with UConn Huskies vs Florida Gators shaping up to be a 78.2-74.5 close contest, won by Florida, according to the formula. That obviously points to the Huskies covering the 9.5 spread, and it being over the listed 150.5 total.

The Gators are 27-2 as the favorite on the moneyline, while UConn is 4-3 as the underdog. The Huskies are also 4-3 against the spread as the underdog, while the Gators are 20-8-1 ATS as the fave.

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How Is the Public Betting UConn vs Florida?

UConn vs Florida public betting splits as of 4:30pm ET, March 22.

The March Madness public betting splits show Florida getting 92% of wagers on the moneyline, and 75% of bets to cover the spread.

The public is a little more split on the game total, where 63% of O/U handle is on under 150.5.

UConn vs Florida Prediction

• Over 150.5 points (-105)

All-time, the UConn Huskies have won five of six meetings against the Florida Gators. However, this season the Gators are averaging 85.7 points, which is third best in the nation. UConn is 89th, scoring 77.1 points per duel. The Huskies are a little bit better defensively (67.8 vs 69.2). Florida senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the team during the season, putting up 17.7 points per game, and he poured in 23 points in the first round, the fifth time in six games with 22 or more points. In three career NCAA tournament battles, he’s put up an average of 23.7 points.

As for the Huskies, they’re paced by a trio of players with over 14 points per game (Solo Ball, Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley.) Those players put up over half the team’s points against the Sooners in the first round.

In the March Madness champion odds, Florida is +350 second favorite to win it all on DraftKings, while UConn are +7500 longshots. Eight straight Gators contests have resulted in there being over 150 points, and I think they won’t have a ton of trouble racking them up in the second round. I don’t believe UConn can keep up with them to give the #1 seed a huge run at victory, but they can also put up points to go over the 150.5 total.

Be sure to check out SBD’s other March Madness content:

The second round matchup between the UConn Huskies and the Florida Gators is set to be an exciting game in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 23. Both teams have had successful seasons so far, with UConn finishing with a record of 23-8 and Florida finishing with a record of 20-9.

When it comes to the odds for this matchup, UConn is currently favored to win with a spread of -2.5 points. This means that oddsmakers believe UConn will win by at least three points. The over/under for the game is set at 140 points, indicating that oddsmakers expect a relatively low-scoring game.

In terms of picks and predictions for this game, it’s important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each team. UConn is known for their strong defense, ranking 22nd in the nation in points allowed per game. They also have a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging double-digit points per game.

On the other hand, Florida is a talented offensive team, ranking 45th in the nation in points scored per game. They are led by guard Tre Mann, who is averaging 16 points per game this season. However, Florida has struggled at times on the defensive end, giving up an average of 72 points per game.

Ultimately, this game could come down to which team is able to impose their will on the defensive end. If UConn is able to slow down Florida’s offense and control the pace of the game, they should be able to come out on top. However, if Florida is able to get their offense going and force turnovers on defense, they could pull off the upset.

In conclusion, the matchup between UConn and Florida is sure to be a competitive and exciting game in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. With UConn favored to win, it will be interesting to see if they can live up to expectations or if Florida will be able to pull off the upset. Either way, fans can expect a thrilling game with plenty of action on both ends of the court.