ESPN Analytics predicts outcome of Arkansas-Florida primetime matchup in Gainesville
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ESPN Analytics believes Florida has an overwhelming chance to keep its surge going on Saturday night and take down SEC rival Arkansas, with 2 of the conference’s elite teams colliding in Gainesville in an 8:30 p.m. ET tipoff on ESPN.
The 7th-ranked Gators have ripped off 8 straight wins, showing they’re poised for another deep NCAA Tournament run in their quest to repeat as national champions. The streak has Florida looking down at everyone else in the conference standings with a 13-2 record.
But right behind the red-hot Gators is John Calipari’s 20th-ranked Arkansas team, which is tied for 2nd place with Alabama at 11-4 and has won 5 of its past 6 games. The Razorbacks’ only loss during their torrid stretch was a double-overtime defeat against the Crimson Tide, so these are 2 SEC powerhouses who’ve done a whole lot of winning in the month of February who’ll be hooking up in primetime on the final night of the month.
Florida is coming off a hard-fought victory over Texas on Wednesday night, when the Gators rallied from a halftime deficit to keep their winning streak alive. ESPN’s BPI believes that winning streak has a great chance to continue on Saturday night despite Arkansas’ own recent success. The BPI is giving Florida a massive 79.9% chance to protect home court and cool off the Hogs, who are coming off a thorough home victory over Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Here is Kalshi’s take on Saturday night’s heavyweight showdown in Gainesville:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
