USF vs Florida prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
Yesterday at 07:48 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a USF-Florida prediction and pick. Find out how to watch USF-Florida.
Jacksonville is the neutral site for this college basketball season opener. It is not an on-campus game for South Florida and Florida. Betting analysts will want to take note of that particular detail as they size up this game, which occurs in the shadows of the saddest and most heartbreaking story of the entire college basketball offseason.
In late October, South Florida basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, who led the Bulls to an AAC regular-season championship in his first season on the job and was viewed as a rising star in the coaching profession, died at the age of 43. Abdur-Rahim died from a blood clot which developed as a complication from a medical procedure in a Tampa hospital. College basketball lost one of its bright young minds. South Florida — the school, the athletic program, and the basketball team — lost a man who inspired young athletes to be better than what they ever realized they could be. Abdur-Rahim had a unique gift for connecting with young athletes, teaching them how to compete, and getting the most out of their talents. He infused the South Florida program with a new sense of belief and confidence. Abdur-Rahim blended a sharp basketball mind with a special gift for being able to coach effort well.
A lot of casual sports fans might think that effort is something an athlete naturally possesses, or which an athlete should always bring to the table as a matter of course, but that’s not true. There is an art to coaching athletes how to put forth effort, and that was one area where Abdur-Rahim particularly excelled. He was really good at his job, but it’s important to emphasize the point that a coach doesn’t just teach technique; he teaches how to develop and cultivate a winning mentality and a way of proceeding which leads to consistent effort, intensity, and concentration. Abdur-Rahim figured that out. South Florida players didn’t just lose a great coach; they lost a friend and someone who deeply resonated with them on a personal level. It’s a loss beyond words, and it casts a very long shadow over this game and the USF Bulls’ season. We are here to deliver a betting preview, and it’s simply impossible to ignore a story like this, which is front and center in this matchup against the Florida Gators.
Here are the USF-Florida College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: USF-Florida Odds
USF: +10.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +390
Florida: -10.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -530
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
How to Watch USF vs Florida
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
TV: SEC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why USF Will Cover The Spread/Win
It’s hard to assess this matchup, given the enormity of South Florida losing its beloved and talented coach roughly two weeks before the season started. Obviously, if you are going to make the case for USF covering the spread, it will simply be this: Every player will play harder than ever this season as a tribute to and remembrance of Amir Abdur-Rahim. Guys will be supremely motivated to leave it all out on the court every night.
Florida has a good team, but it might take a little time to come together under coach Todd Golden. The Gators were inconsistent last season and have to prove they can be steadier this year.
Why Florida Will Cover The Spread/Win
Todd Golden might be figuring things out at Florida. He really seemed to get the hang of his job in the SEC midway through last season, guiding Florida to the NCAA Tournament. Some core pieces of last season’s roster are back, and the Gators might be good enough to turn the corner as a program. If UF plays to an NCAA Tournament standard in this game against a USF team which is without the head coach it learned so much from last season, it could run away with the game.
Final USF-Florida Prediction & Pick
We absolutely hate picking a game in which one team is still grieving the loss of its head coach. Just stay away from this game.
Final USF-Florida Prediction & Pick: Florida -10.5
The post USF vs Florida prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
