Missouri basketball betting odds & SEC Tournament preview: Rematch vs. Florida Gators
Two months ago, the Missouri Tigers walked into the O’Dome in Gainesville, Florida, and upset the No. 4 Florida Gators. That 83-82 win over Todd Golden’s team marked Missouri’s second top-5 win of the season.
Fast-forward, and Mizzou is running into Florida (27-4) once again. This time, it’s in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Last time out for Mizzou, it was a dogfight against Mississippi State. The Tigers won a contest that featured 17 ties, nine lead changes.
MU’s 85-73 win was sparked by 20-plus-point outings from Tamar Bates and Tony Perkins. MU, however, may be without Mark Mitchell, who averaged 20 points per game in the final three games of the regular season.
Mitchell exited the court with a knee injury on Thursday, and coach Dennis Gates said he does not yet know the severity of Mitchell’s injury.
Without Mitchell, the Tigers are given an even tougher test Friday. Here are some things to know before the SEC quarterfinal game...
Mizzou vs. Florida: SEC Tournament game
Tipoff: 6 p.m. Central, Friday, March 14
Where: Bridgestone Arena (Nashville)
TV: SEC Network
Betting line: Florida is an 8.5-point favorite.
O/U: 159.5
About the Gators...
1. The MU loss was the Gators’ last home loss of the season. Florida protected home court to cap off the 2024-25 regular season, and only lost two more times overall since the Mizzou game. In that span, Florida was able to regroup with two top-10 wins, including a 90-81 win over No. 1 Auburn on the road.
2. Can the Tigers lock down All-American Walter Clayton Jr.? Clayton recorded 28 points in the Gators’ loss to the Tigers, and he averages 17.2 points per game. Earlier this week, Clayton was named first-team All-America by The Sporting News, the first Gator in program history to receive the honor.
3. The Gators scored just six points off turnovers the last time out vs. MU. The turnover bug was an issue for Mizzou in the first half of the win against Mississippi State, but it was a key factor in swaying the last meeting between Missouri and Florida. Mizzou had just eight turnovers against the Gators to Florida’s 13. The Tigers scored 18 points off those turnovers.
4. Keeping Alex Condon off the glass is key. At 6-foot-11, Alex Condon is averaging 8 rebounds a game. The sophomore from Australia just posted his season-high of 15 rebounds in the Gators’ regular-season finale versus Ole Miss. He is playing his best basketball with nine-plus boards in his last three games.
5. Expect lots of scoring. If the last matchup between the two didn’t set the bar high enough, the squads are tied for fourth in the SEC with 84.5 points per game.
