PREMIUM
Rogers' *10* Elite 8 TOP TOTALS TICKET!
(NCAAB) South Carolina vs. Florida,
Total: 135.00 | -105.00 Under
Result: Win
Total: 135.00 | -105.00 Under
Result: Win
The set-up: 25-10 Arkansas and 27-8 Florida will meet Sunday at Madison Square Garden for the right to go to the Final Four. It's the first time since Kentucky and LSU in 1986 that two SEC teams will meet in a regional final. Florida and South Carolina split its two regular-season meetings, with the Gamecocks taking a 57-53 decision on Jan. 18 in Columbia and the Gators paying them back with an 81-66 win on Feb. 21 in Gainesville.
Arkansas; The seventh-seeded Gamecocks ended a 44-year NCAA drought with their first round win over Marquette and have followed with wins over Duke (No. 2 seed) and Baylor (No. 3 seed). South Carolina used an 18-0 first half run to back up another strong defensive performance in its upset of Baylor. The Gamecocks enter this game having allowed 64.8 PPG (30th) on the season, after forcing 16 turnovers while holding Baylor to 30.4 percent shooting. That Arkansas "D" has allowed opponets to shoot just 39.8% on the year (16th), including 29.9% on threes (8th). Arkansas is a guard-oriented team, led by SEC player-of-the-year, Thornwell (21.4 & 7.2). Thornwell may have been "under the radar" coming into this tourney but that's no longer the case. He's averaged 26.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in the Gamecocks' three tourney wins. He's joined on the perimeter by Dozier (13.7 & 4.7) and Notice (10.3), with South Carolina's lone big man of note being the 6-9 Silva (10.1 & 5.8).
Florida; While South Carolina rolled in its Sweet 16 matchup, the Gators blew a 12-point lead against the 8th-seeded Badgers, who sent the game into OT with a dramatic leaping, one-legged 3-pointer by Zak Showalter at the buzzer. Then, the Gators won the game on Cris Chiozza's (7.1) buzzer-beating three-pointer of his own, as Florida escaped 84-83. Like South Carolina, Florida is a perimeter-oriented team, led by guards Allen (14.1), Barry (11.6), Robinson (11.3) and Hill (9.7 & 4.4 APG). Florida's bet big man, Egbunu (7.8 & 6.5), was lost in mid-Feb. to a knee injury, leaving only the 6-8 Leon (7.1 & 4.0) and the 6-9 Hayes (6.1 & 4.3) up front.
The pick: Like Arkansas, Florida is also an excellent defensive team, allowing 66.2 PPG (44th). That gives us a 'workable' t\over/under number, favoring the over. In this neutral-site setting, expect a game similar to the one we saw when the teams met in late Feb. at Gainesville, one in which the final score totaled 147 points. The Over is a 10* play.
Arkansas; The seventh-seeded Gamecocks ended a 44-year NCAA drought with their first round win over Marquette and have followed with wins over Duke (No. 2 seed) and Baylor (No. 3 seed). South Carolina used an 18-0 first half run to back up another strong defensive performance in its upset of Baylor. The Gamecocks enter this game having allowed 64.8 PPG (30th) on the season, after forcing 16 turnovers while holding Baylor to 30.4 percent shooting. That Arkansas "D" has allowed opponets to shoot just 39.8% on the year (16th), including 29.9% on threes (8th). Arkansas is a guard-oriented team, led by SEC player-of-the-year, Thornwell (21.4 & 7.2). Thornwell may have been "under the radar" coming into this tourney but that's no longer the case. He's averaged 26.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG in the Gamecocks' three tourney wins. He's joined on the perimeter by Dozier (13.7 & 4.7) and Notice (10.3), with South Carolina's lone big man of note being the 6-9 Silva (10.1 & 5.8).
Florida; While South Carolina rolled in its Sweet 16 matchup, the Gators blew a 12-point lead against the 8th-seeded Badgers, who sent the game into OT with a dramatic leaping, one-legged 3-pointer by Zak Showalter at the buzzer. Then, the Gators won the game on Cris Chiozza's (7.1) buzzer-beating three-pointer of his own, as Florida escaped 84-83. Like South Carolina, Florida is a perimeter-oriented team, led by guards Allen (14.1), Barry (11.6), Robinson (11.3) and Hill (9.7 & 4.4 APG). Florida's bet big man, Egbunu (7.8 & 6.5), was lost in mid-Feb. to a knee injury, leaving only the 6-8 Leon (7.1 & 4.0) and the 6-9 Hayes (6.1 & 4.3) up front.
The pick: Like Arkansas, Florida is also an excellent defensive team, allowing 66.2 PPG (44th). That gives us a 'workable' t\over/under number, favoring the over. In this neutral-site setting, expect a game similar to the one we saw when the teams met in late Feb. at Gainesville, one in which the final score totaled 147 points. The Over is a 10* play.
