The Georgia Bulldogs take on the Florida Gators in Gainesville, FL. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
Florida is favored by 11.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -700. The total is set at 147.5 points.
Here are my Georgia vs. Florida predictions and college basketball picks for January 25, 2025.
Georgia vs Florida Prediction
My Pick: Florida -9.5 (Play to -10)
My Georgia vs Florida best bet is on the Gators spread, with the best odds currently available at BetRivers. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Georgia vs Florida Odds, Lines, Pick
| Georgia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+11.5 -110 | 147.5 -110 / -110 | +500 |
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-11.5 -110 | 147.5 -110 / -110 | -700 |
- Georgia vs Florida spread: Florida -11.5
- Georgia vs Florida over/under: 147.5 points
- Georgia vs Florida moneyline: Florida -700, Georgia +500
- Georgia vs Florida best bet: Florida -9.5 (Play to -10)
My Georgia vs Florida College Basketball Betting Preview
Georgia Basketball
It was heartbreak in Hog heaven this week for Georgia, as the Bulldogs blew a 15-point lead in Tuscaloosa against previously winless-in-the-SEC Arkansas. The chance for a rare league road win slipped away late, and now the task gets significantly more challenging against a top-10 team in Florida.
Georgia will rely on its tremendous positional size (11th nationally in average height, per KenPom) and overall athleticism to get the job done. A deep and physical frontcourt has caused issues for many opponents, with five bodies rotating at the two spots. That ensures the onslaught is always ongoing.
The most notable among those is Asa Newell, a likely lottery-bound freshman whose preternatural skill level belies his size. The smooth southpaw can score inside or out, but he has a mean streak as a rim protector and elite offensive rebounder.
Classmate Somto Cyril is a monster athlete, while Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey excels at carving out space to score.
Without a true point guard, though, the offense can have some issues generating quality looks. No one in the Georgia lineup has an assist rate of 19% or higher (not an overly high bar), and that’s part of why Georgia ranks last in the conference in that category.
It has a trickle-down effect: Georgia is 14th in overall offensive efficiency in SEC play, relying heavily on the charity stripe to get points.
Size is a clear advantage in the backcourt, though. Like on the frontline, coach Mike White rotates five players to stay fresh, with 6-foot-5 sophomore Silas Demary Jr. and 6-foot-4 super senior serving as the nominal lead guards.
Sophomore transfer De’Shayne Montgomery could help unlock a higher ceiling for the Dawgs’ guards, but he's been catastrophically unplayable in conference games (8-of-34 from the field, 0-of-10 from deep, 3:11 assist-to-turnover ratio) after dealing with an early-season injury.
Florida Basketball
On the contrary to Georgia’s road collapse, Florida made a great escape from Columbia, South Carolina, against a feisty Gamecocks squad. The Gators trailed by 13 with 8:30 remaining, but they methodically worked their way back into the game before taking their first and only lead with less than five seconds remaining. It was truly a heist of a victory.
Will that emotional comeback lead to an emotional letdown? Or will returning home off such a triumph catapult Florida into an elite performance against White, the former boss in Gainesville?
That remains to be seen, but Florida has the perfectly-constructed rotation with pristine role allocation to unfurl a demolition at home (just ask Tennessee). Todd Golden has had a consistent eight-man rotation all season, and Florida has used the same starting lineup in every contest this season.
The Gators’ guards have gotten most of the headlines, surfacing in any “best backcourt in the country” conversation. Walter Clayton Jr. has lived up to his All-American potential as a lethal scorer while also expanding his playmaking package.
FAU transfer Alijah Martin could be in line for All-Conference honors, as well. He's provided a steady scoring and secondary playmaking option, and his linebacker build and instincts make him a shutdown defender, too.
Like Georgia, Florida cycles through a deep stable of productive big men up front. Alex Condon is the headliner in terms of scoring/rebounding production, but Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu are invaluable in their own rights.
Chinyelu starts, setting the tone with his immense size, elite two-way glass cleaning and rim protection. Haugh simply finds ways to impact winning, scooping up crucial loose balls and finishing efficiently from everywhere on the court.
Georgia vs. Florida Betting Analysis
Florida has a clear statistical advantage on the offensive glass. As outstanding as Georgia’s interior defense has been, the Dawgs’ big men can get caught out of position while hunting for blocked shots. Georgia ranks outside of the top 200 nationally in defensive rebound rate (15th in the SEC), per KenPom.
That could be a death knell against Florida’s top-five offensive rebounding unit.
Second shots are especially crucial for the Gators to get Clayton, Martin and Will Richard some open looks from deep. If Georgia can't secure the boards, Florida could go on some wildfire runs.
The coaching matchup is worth noting here, as well. Golden is a rising star on the sidelines, credited with being one of the most analytically-progressive coaches in the country. He's headed for his third NCAA Tournament bid in the last four years (one at San Francisco) and has his best team ever.
White, meanwhile, parachuted to the other side of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party after a frustrating lack of progress in Gainesville.
With Georgia coming off a loss and Florida coming off a win, it could be argued the spot sets up better for the Dawgs — that’s if they’re not demoralized, though, having lost three in a row and staying on the road to face a third top-10 opponent in that span.
Florida, meanwhile, has covered six straight home games, including emphatically so in SEC play against Tennessee and Texas.
I’m buying the idea that Florida will be energized and motivated by its close shave at South Carolina. At this point, the Gators are a better version of Georgia, possessing more potent guards and a frontcourt that can match or exceed a younger Georgia version in physicality.
I'm betting the Gators up to -10.
