Wednesday's Tip Sheet
By Brian Edwards
**Florida at South Carolina**
-- As of late Tuesday night, most betting shops had South Carolina (9-3 straight up, 7-3 against the spread) installed as a two-point favorite.
-- South Carolina appears to have finally arrived in the third year of Frank Martin's tenure. When the Gamecocks plucked the former Kansas State coach in a stunning hire, I felt they had gone deep with two outs in the ninth. However, the first two seasons resulted in 38 losses and zero postseason appearances, but Martin's team goes into SEC play looking like one of the league's top teams outside of Kentucky.
-- South Carolina is off one of its best wins under Martin, as it went up to Brooklyn this past Saturday and bested Iowa State by a 64-60 count as a 6.5-point underdog. Sophomore guard Duane Notice was the catalyst, tallying 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tyrone Johnson and Sindarius Thornwell chipped in 13 points apiece and pulled down seven and eight rebounds, respectively.
-- Florida (7-6 SU, 3-8-1 ATS) is coming off yet another gut-wrenching defeat to UConn this past Saturday at The O-Dome. If the Huskies wanted revenge for the 1994 Sweet 16 loss to the Gators, one in which star player Donyell Marshall missed a pair of free throws with one second remaining at the end of regulation in a tie game UF would eventually win in overtime, well, they've taken Donyell off the hook and then some in the last year. Twenty years after UF's fortunate win over UConn that propelled it to the school's first Final Four appearance on that magical weekend in Miami, the Huskies have handed the Gators three defeats -- all in comeback fashion. The first came in Storrs last December when Shabazz Napier beat UF on a buzzer beater. Billy Donovan's team would win 30 in a row following that defeat, only to get beaten by the Huskies again at the Final Four in Dallas. Then this past Saturday, Florida led nearly the entire game and by as much as 13 in the second half. But UConn went on a 10-0 run and took advantage of UF's inept free-throw shooting and won a 63-59 decision as a 9.5-point road underdog. The Gators missed four consecutive free throws in the final minute, and they were an atrocious 8-of-20 (40%) from the charity stripe for the day.
-- Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points in the losing effort vs. UConn. He was the only Gator who scored in double figures. Finney-Smith is UF's second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Michael Frazier II paces the team in scoring (14.1 PPG), but his shooting percentage has gone south since becoming UF's top scoring option. He isn't getting as many clean looks and his dribble-drive game still needs work. After scorching the nets at a 44.7 percent clip from long distance last year, Frazier is making only 37.5 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.
-- South Carolina has an RPI of 74, going 2-1 vs. the RPI Top 50. The Gamecocks' best wins came over Oklahoma State (75-49) and Iowa State They also have a 68-45 home win over Clemson.
-- Florida has won six in a row in this SEC East rivalry, including last year's 72-46 win in Columbia as a 12-point road favorite. Frazier put on an absolute show, setting a school record by draining 11 three-pointers. He scored a career-high 37 points in the blowout victory.
-- UF has been an underdog three times, posting a 1-1-1 spread record while losing all three contests outright. The Gators blew a 17-point second-half lead but still covered the number in a 71-65 loss at Kansas as 7.5-point underdogs. They took a push in a one-point overtime loss to Georgetown and failed to cover in a loss to North Carolina.
-- The 'over' is 5-2-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these division adversaries, but the 'under' has gone 2-0-1 in the last three encounters.
-- The 'over' is 7-5 overall for UF, 5-2 in its last seven outings.
-- The 'under' has been a major money maker in South Carolina games, cashing at a 7-1 overall clip.
-- The SEC Network will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Kansas at Baylor**
-- As of late Tuesday night, most spots had Baylor (11-2 SU, 5-3 ATS) listed as a two-point 'chalk.' -- Kansas (11-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) has won back-to-back games both SU and ATS since getting crushed 77-52 at Temple on Dec. 22. Bill Self's team is coming off Sunday's 76-61 home win over UNLV as a 13-point favorite. Frank Mason led the way with 18 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Perry Ellis added 16 points and nine boards.
-- Both of KU's defeats have come by lopsided margins. The Jayhawks lost 72-40 to Kentucky on a neutral floor earlier in the season. Nevertheless, KU is No. 2 in the RPI thanks to five wins over Top-50 foes, including scalps of Rhode Island, Michigan State, Georgetown, Utah and the Runnin' Rebels.
-- Scott Drew's team dropped a 73-63 decision Saturday at Oklahoma. The Sooners took the cash as seven-point home favorites. In the losing effort, Johnathan Motley scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Taurean Prince knocked down four 3's and finished with 17 points.
-- Baylor is unbeaten in eight home games with a 2-1 spread record. The Bears have an RPI of 26 with a 3-2 record against Top-50 foes. They got all three victories against SEC opponents (South Carolina, Vandy and Texas A&M), with their losses coming vs. Illinois and at OU.
-- Kansas will be without freshman guard Devonte Graham for several more weeks. Graham (5.9 PPG) injured his toe in mid-December.
-- The 'over' is 7-4 overall for KU, 1-1 in its two previous road assignments.
-- The 'under' is 5-3 overall for the Bears, 2-1 in their home games.
-- Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.
By Brian Edwards
**Florida at South Carolina**
-- As of late Tuesday night, most betting shops had South Carolina (9-3 straight up, 7-3 against the spread) installed as a two-point favorite.
-- South Carolina appears to have finally arrived in the third year of Frank Martin's tenure. When the Gamecocks plucked the former Kansas State coach in a stunning hire, I felt they had gone deep with two outs in the ninth. However, the first two seasons resulted in 38 losses and zero postseason appearances, but Martin's team goes into SEC play looking like one of the league's top teams outside of Kentucky.
-- South Carolina is off one of its best wins under Martin, as it went up to Brooklyn this past Saturday and bested Iowa State by a 64-60 count as a 6.5-point underdog. Sophomore guard Duane Notice was the catalyst, tallying 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tyrone Johnson and Sindarius Thornwell chipped in 13 points apiece and pulled down seven and eight rebounds, respectively.
-- Florida (7-6 SU, 3-8-1 ATS) is coming off yet another gut-wrenching defeat to UConn this past Saturday at The O-Dome. If the Huskies wanted revenge for the 1994 Sweet 16 loss to the Gators, one in which star player Donyell Marshall missed a pair of free throws with one second remaining at the end of regulation in a tie game UF would eventually win in overtime, well, they've taken Donyell off the hook and then some in the last year. Twenty years after UF's fortunate win over UConn that propelled it to the school's first Final Four appearance on that magical weekend in Miami, the Huskies have handed the Gators three defeats -- all in comeback fashion. The first came in Storrs last December when Shabazz Napier beat UF on a buzzer beater. Billy Donovan's team would win 30 in a row following that defeat, only to get beaten by the Huskies again at the Final Four in Dallas. Then this past Saturday, Florida led nearly the entire game and by as much as 13 in the second half. But UConn went on a 10-0 run and took advantage of UF's inept free-throw shooting and won a 63-59 decision as a 9.5-point road underdog. The Gators missed four consecutive free throws in the final minute, and they were an atrocious 8-of-20 (40%) from the charity stripe for the day.
-- Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points in the losing effort vs. UConn. He was the only Gator who scored in double figures. Finney-Smith is UF's second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Michael Frazier II paces the team in scoring (14.1 PPG), but his shooting percentage has gone south since becoming UF's top scoring option. He isn't getting as many clean looks and his dribble-drive game still needs work. After scorching the nets at a 44.7 percent clip from long distance last year, Frazier is making only 37.5 percent of his attempts from 3-point range.
-- South Carolina has an RPI of 74, going 2-1 vs. the RPI Top 50. The Gamecocks' best wins came over Oklahoma State (75-49) and Iowa State They also have a 68-45 home win over Clemson.
-- Florida has won six in a row in this SEC East rivalry, including last year's 72-46 win in Columbia as a 12-point road favorite. Frazier put on an absolute show, setting a school record by draining 11 three-pointers. He scored a career-high 37 points in the blowout victory.
-- UF has been an underdog three times, posting a 1-1-1 spread record while losing all three contests outright. The Gators blew a 17-point second-half lead but still covered the number in a 71-65 loss at Kansas as 7.5-point underdogs. They took a push in a one-point overtime loss to Georgetown and failed to cover in a loss to North Carolina.
-- The 'over' is 5-2-1 in the last eight head-to-head meetings between these division adversaries, but the 'under' has gone 2-0-1 in the last three encounters.
-- The 'over' is 7-5 overall for UF, 5-2 in its last seven outings.
-- The 'under' has been a major money maker in South Carolina games, cashing at a 7-1 overall clip.
-- The SEC Network will have the telecast at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
**Kansas at Baylor**
-- As of late Tuesday night, most spots had Baylor (11-2 SU, 5-3 ATS) listed as a two-point 'chalk.' -- Kansas (11-2 SU, 7-5 ATS) has won back-to-back games both SU and ATS since getting crushed 77-52 at Temple on Dec. 22. Bill Self's team is coming off Sunday's 76-61 home win over UNLV as a 13-point favorite. Frank Mason led the way with 18 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Perry Ellis added 16 points and nine boards.
-- Both of KU's defeats have come by lopsided margins. The Jayhawks lost 72-40 to Kentucky on a neutral floor earlier in the season. Nevertheless, KU is No. 2 in the RPI thanks to five wins over Top-50 foes, including scalps of Rhode Island, Michigan State, Georgetown, Utah and the Runnin' Rebels.
-- Scott Drew's team dropped a 73-63 decision Saturday at Oklahoma. The Sooners took the cash as seven-point home favorites. In the losing effort, Johnathan Motley scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Taurean Prince knocked down four 3's and finished with 17 points.
-- Baylor is unbeaten in eight home games with a 2-1 spread record. The Bears have an RPI of 26 with a 3-2 record against Top-50 foes. They got all three victories against SEC opponents (South Carolina, Vandy and Texas A&M), with their losses coming vs. Illinois and at OU.
-- Kansas will be without freshman guard Devonte Graham for several more weeks. Graham (5.9 PPG) injured his toe in mid-December.
-- The 'over' is 7-4 overall for KU, 1-1 in its two previous road assignments.
-- The 'under' is 5-3 overall for the Bears, 2-1 in their home games.
-- Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.
