It's a rivalry renewed when the Georgia Bulldogs face off with the Florida Gators.
Georgia coach Mike White will still be looking for his first career win over his former school. The Bulldog head man is now 0-5 against the Gators in five close games.
Beyond that, he'll also be looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Florida will look for the season sweep over the Bulldogs and three consecutive SEC wins.
We like their chances.
Read on for my Georgia vs. Florida predictions and college basketball picks for Saturday, January 25.
Georgia vs Florida prediction
My best bet
Georgia +11.5 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Georgia Bulldogs key this season has been getting to the free-throw line. Its offense isn't exactly efficient or particularly good, but it's been elite at doing that.
Entering this one, the Bulldogs rank 19th in college basketball in free-throw rate.
The Florida Gators have had some issues fouling this season, and for whatever reason, those issues have been prominent at home, with a foul rate of nearly 30%.
Uniquely, the Bulldogs have had the benefit of keeping this good whistle on the road. That free throw rate goes from 19th nationally to 11th nationally.
That's a long explanation to tell you that the fouls they are drawing are actually fouls and not just a friendly home whistle. I like the Bulldogs to stay close in this spot, and I'm grabbing them as my best bet at +11.5.
Aside from the free throws, other aspects of this game lean me towards the side of the Bulldogs. They center around a defense that has bordered elite at times this season.
Even though it's picked up a few losses, that elite defensive comment remains particularly true since it's got into conference play. In the SEC games alone, the Bulldogs rank 5th in defensive efficiency, according to BartTorvik.
We see that on display here.
So much of Florida's offense in the half-court is predicated around isolation. Yes, the Gators are elite at creating second-chance points and running, but when you get them slowed down (like I expect Georgia to do), this is what it boils down to: Florida's frequency of plays is defined as dribble jumpers being in the 88th percentile.
This is a strength of the Georgia defense, which ranks in the top 20% of college basketball in dribble jumper defense, a number that has only improved as the year has progressed.
With that in mind, I suspect that Georgia can turn this into a grinder by cutting off Florida's most reliable half-court offense.
When they have to work deep into shot clocks, they tend to struggle, similar to what happened against South Carolina when they escaped with a miracle win.
As mentioned, White has never beaten his former team, but all games have been close, with them all decided by single digits. This is a desperate spot for the Bulldogs.
Just two weeks ago, it was a top-25 team. Now, it's trending towards playing itself towards the bubble.
This is a market overreaction for me.
Georgia vs Florida same-game parlay (SGP)
Georgia +11.5
Alex Condon over 7.5 rebounds
While I suspect Georgia remains competitive, I am worried about how it fares on the backboard.
Its defensive rebounding percentage has tumbled toward the 300s in conference play, and it's probably the single statistic that sticks out the most about this game.
Alex Condon has been a monster on the backboard in recent weeks, with double-digit rebounds in three of his last four games.
That makes this an easy pairing.
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Georgia vs Florida odds
Georgia vs Florida live odds
Georgia vs Florida opening odds
- Spread: Georgia +10.5 (-110) | Florida -10.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Georgia (+390) | Florida (-530)
- Over/Under: Over 148 (-110) | Under 148 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Georgia vs Florida betting trend to know
Florida has hit the Moneyline in 20 of their last 23 games at home (+11.40 Units / 1% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Georgia vs Florida.
How to watch Georgia vs Florida
| Location | Stephen O'Connell Center, Gainesville, FL |
| Date | Saturday, 1-25-2025 |
| Tip-off | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | SEC Network |
Georgia vs Florida key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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