The Florida Gators take on the Kansas State Wildcats. Our college basketball odds series has our Florida Kansas State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Florida Kansas State.
The college basketball season has involved a lot of fascinating stories. One of them has to be the Kansas State Wildcats, who are 17-3 for the season and are tied with Iowa State and Texas atop the Big 12 standings at 6-2 through eight league games. First-year head coach Jerome Tang has been a wonder-worker in Manhattan, Kan., instantly transforming a Wildcat program which made the Elite Eight as a No. 9 seed in 2018 but has not been consistently strong in college basketball over the past decade. Kansas State has shown it can win in different ways, but the Wildcats are clearly better than they have been in the past because they can score: 116 at Texas, 83 against Kansas, 97 in overtime at Baylor. Kansas State gets buckets when it has to. The offense does not bog down the way it did under previous coach Bruce Weber. Tang's instant remake has the Wildcats dreaming big about what they can achieve this season.
The other really big plot point of this game: Keyontae Johnson, who collapsed to the floor a few years ago in Florida's game against Florida State due to a heart-related issue (believed to be myocarditis), wasn't sure if he would ever be able to play competitive basketball again. The medical professionals at the University of Florida helped him recover. Johnson chose to transfer to Kansas State with former UF coach Mike White moving to Georgia. Johnson will face the Gators in a very emotional encounter.
Here are the Florida-Kansas State college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Florida-Kansas State Odds
Florida Gators: +4.5 (-110)
Kansas State Wildcats: -4.5 (-110)
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
How To Watch Florida vs. Kansas State
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Florida-Kansas State LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Florida Could Cover The Spread
The reunion with Keyontae Johnson will make this game a very emotional one for Florida. The Gators, particularly the players who played with Keyontae Johnson, will want to show him what they can do. It won't be a situation in which Florida feels pressure to win. More precisely, it's a situation in which Florida will be inspired to win. The emotions surrounding this game give Florida a strong incentive to compete well and put forth a great showing. Florida also needs this game for its NCAA Tournament hopes, given that the Gators are on the bubble (and more particularly, the bad side of the bubble). They need a huge high-end win which will transform their overall profile. This is it. You're going to see Florida represent itself well in the Little Apple and Bramlage Coliseum.
Why Kansas State Could Cover The Spread
If the Gators will have motivation, Keyontae Johnson will have motivation too, going up against his former teammates. Expect Johnson to play well and be part of a special day which means a lot to him and his Kansas State teammates.
The other point to make here is that Kansas State is simply a much better team than Florida, and the Big 12 is the best, toughest, deepest conference in college basketball. West Virginia beat Auburn in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Oklahoma, at the time this article was published, had a double-digit lead over Alabama early in the second half. Trust the Big 12 team at home against the SEC team, especially when the Big 12 team is at the top of the conference and the SEC team is on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Final Florida-Kansas State Prediction & Pick
Kansas State is a lot better than Florida and is playing at home. Don't overcomplicate this one.
Final Florida-Kansas State Prediction & Pick: Kansas State -4.5
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