Florida vs. UConn Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Tuesday, Dec. 9

Betting odds, pick and prediction for the Florida vs. UConn matchup on Tuesday night in college basketball.

The UConn Huskies and head coach Dan Hurley are favored on Tuesday. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies have lost just one game this season and have beat two ranked opponents in a row in Illinois and Kansas heading into Tuesday night’s matchup in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

UConn is favored against the Florida Gators, who are off to a 5-3 start a season after they won the national championship. Florida lost a ton of players from that team, including star guard Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin, who both made the jump to the NBA.

Now, former top recruit Boogie Fland joins Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon as the Gators try to defend their title. 

This season, Florida is 0-2 against ranked opponents losing to Arizona (who also beat UConn) and Duke.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, a key player to watch and my prediction for this Jimmy V Classic matchup on Dec. 9. 

Florida vs. UConn Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Spread

• Florida +4.5 (-115)
• UConn -4.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Florida: +168
• UConn: -205

Total

• 146.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Florida vs. UConn How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Madison Square Garden
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Florida record: 5-3
• UConn record: 8-1

Florida vs. UConn Key Player to Watch

Thomas Haugh, Forward, Florida

A key piece of the national title team last season, Haugh has made a massive leap for Florida and head coach Todd Golden.

The junior is averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point range. While Haugh isn’t an elite 3-point shooter, he’s scoring the ball at a high level, averaging 3.5 more points per game than Condon (their second-leading scorer) and 6.1 more points per game than Fland (their third-leading scorer).

Haugh could be a tough matchup for the Huskies, who have been without big man and rim protector Tarris Reed in recent games. 

Last season in the NCAA Tournament, Haugh had seven points, seven boards and two assists in a win over the Huskies. 

Florida vs. UConn Prediction and Pick

Both of these teams lost to Arizona this season, but Florida has not been nearly as good as it was last season, losing to an unranked TCU team and narrowly defeating Florida State. 

The Gators aren’t nearly as deep at guard this season, and they’re shooting just 27.4 percent from 3 as a team.

That’s going to be an issue in a game that is essentially a home matchup for the Huskies at MSG. UConn beat both Illinois and Kansas without Reed, and Hurley’s squad ranks seven in the country in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin. 

The Huskies also hung tough with Arizona (like Florida did) so there is some common ground between these opponents.

The biggest difference in this game is going to come on the offensive end, where the Huskies are much more efficient. UConn is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3 this season, which is far better than the Gators (43.2 and 27.4 percent).

I’ll lay the points with the Huskies on Tuesday night. 

Pick: UConn -4.5 (-105 at FanDuel)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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