#7 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #10 Florida Gators Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview for NCAA Basketball Game
#7 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #10 Florida Gators Game Information
#7 Virginia Tech Hokies (15-6) vs. #10 Florida Gators (14-9)
Date: 3/19/21
Time: 12:15 p.m. ET
Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse
TV Coverage: CBS
#7 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #10 Florida Gators Moneyline, Spread, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: (Open: Hokies -106 / Gators -112) (Current: Hokies -108 / Gators -108)
Spread: (Open: Gators -1) (Current: PK)
Total: (Open: 137.5) (Current: 135)
NCAA Championship Odds: Hokies +15000 / Gators +15000
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#7 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #10 Florida Gators News and Notes
Virginia Tech lists two players on their injury report: Jalen Cone (ankle) and Cartier Diarra (personal) remain out indefinitely for the season.
Florida lists only Keyontae Johnson on the injury report. Johnson has been ruled out for the remainder of the season following a heart condition that led to him collapsing during a game against Florida State.
Notable Trends
- Virginia Tech is on a 9-1 ATS run in their last 10 Friday games.
- Virginia is 4-1 ATS in their last five games off an outright loss.
- The total is 4-1 to the under in Virginia Tech’s last five games after failing to cover the spread in their previous game.
- Florida is on an 0-4 ATS run.
- Florida is on an 0-5 ATS run against teams with a winning percentage over .600.
#7 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. #10 Florida Gators Predictions and Picks
There’s no need to muck about, so I’m going to dive right into the opening game on Friday between the #7 Virginia Tech Hokies and the #10 Florida Gators.
Florida opened as a one-point favorite, but sharp bettors pounced on Virginia Tech, and now this game sits at a pick’em. I actually found the opening line to be fairly efficient as my projections made the Gators a 0.8-point favorite. Instead, I’ll choose to focus on the total, as I find both teams can be offensively challenged, and I think there’s still some value even at the current number of 135.
Virginia Tech is one of the country’s slower-paced teams as they’re ranked 279th with 69 possessions per game. Some of what they like to do on offense can be neutralized by the Florida Gators. The Hokies average 8.2 three-point field goals per game, while Florida allows 6.3 per game. On offense, the Gators aren’t exactly going to light it up from beyond the arc as they connect on 6.8 three-pointers per game.
Interestingly enough, both teams are tied in effective field goal percentage (52.5). Despite shooting 34.3% of their shots from the three-point line, Virginia Tech’s discipline is why they’re able to maintain their effective field goal percentage over 50%. This was also a down year fo in the ACC, and I’m not sure the Hokies will be ready for the perimeter pressure the Gators will have for them in this game. While the SEC was synonymous with high-scoring games this season, Florida was one of the few teams that actually played a lick of defense.
Neither team comes into this game in the best of form, and it could take some time for them to find their offense given the early start time of 12:15 p.m. ET.
The under is 6-1-0 in Florida’s last seven games, and I don’t see either team getting to 70 points in this matchup. I’ll look to lock this one in under the total before it ticks down any lower.
The Pick: Under 135