Florida vs Pitt Odds, Pick
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -110 | 156.5 -110o / -110u | -250 |
| Pitt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -110 | 156.5 -110o / -110u | +195 |
Here's everything you need to know about Florida vs. Pitt on Wednesday, Nov. 22 — our expert pick and betting guide.
The Florida Gators and Pittsburgh Panthers meet at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, for the second game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The winner of this game faces the winner of Baylor and Oregon State on Friday.
Both the Gators and Panthers enter this contest as top-40 teams in KenPom, which is a nice improvement from last season (UF closed at 74, Pittsburgh finished 59th).
Here are college basketball odds and a prediction for Florida vs. Pitt.
Florida Gators
The Gators made a splash prior to last season by hiring San Francisco head coach Todd Golden to take over the program in Gainesville. USF qualified for the 2022 NCAA tournament at 22-10, which helped Golden ascend to the SEC.
Last season was up and down for the Gators, who finished 16-17. That marked the first losing record for Florida since Billy Donovan’s final season as head coach in 2015. Florida has started this season at 3-1, with the lone loss coming by three points against Virginia.
The Gators cruised past the likes of Loyola Maryland and Florida A&M, which is not surprising. But Florida’s signature win this season came against rival Florida State, 89-68, as a nine-point home favorite last Friday.
The Gators led by 20 points halfway through the first half and built a 31-point edge in the second half. Florida won easily in spite of missing 14 free throws. It also held FSU to 2-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.
There isn’t a better team in the country on the offensive glass than the Gators, who own the best offensive rebounding percentage at 50%. Florida has pulled down 20 or more offensive boards in each of its last three games.
Zyon Pullin made his Gators debut against the Seminoles following a three-game suspension. He scored 15 points in the win.
Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. has stepped up the last two games by scoring 37 points, while Riley Kugel is averaging 13.8 points per game, a four-point improvement from last season.
Pitt Panthers
Following six straight losing seasons, Jeff Capel finally got Pittsburgh over the hump last season, as the Panthers finished 24-12. Pitt reached the second round of the NCAA tournament by winning two games, including a victory over Mississippi State in the First Four.
There’s still a long way to be talked about in the same breath as Duke, Miami, Virginia and North Carolina in the ACC, but Pitt is currently the fifth highest-ranked team in the conference, according to KenPom.
Florida will definitely be Pittsburgh’s biggest test so far this season, as the Panthers have defeated North Carolina A&T (355th in KenPom), Binghamton (253rd), Florida Gulf Coast (203rd) and Jacksonville (259th). Pitt has covered the spread each time, so there hasn't been threats from these lesser opponents so far.
Both Pitt and Florida are shooting below 64% from the free-throw line, which should make things interesting in crunch time.
Pitt does have three games this season in which it knocked down at least 10 treys, including hitting 15 3-pointers against Jacksonville.
Blake Hinson leads the Panthers in scoring at 20.5 points per game. He's actually improved his scoring average each year of his career dating back to his first two seasons at Ole Miss.
Freshman Carlton Carrington is averaging 18 points per game, and the Baltimore native has knocked down 14-of-27 attempts from 3-point range.
Florida vs. Pitt
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Panthers are listed as an underdog for the first time this season, as Pitt owns a 12-3 ATS record in its last 15 opportunities in this role.
Florida was nearly perfect against Florida State its last time out, but the Gators are 2-8 in their last 10 games away from Gainesville since last season.
Let's back Pitt here as an underdog and bet it down to +2.
Pick: Pittsburgh +3.5 (Play to +2)
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