Florida Gators vs South Carolina Gamecocks Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Florida Gators vs South Carolina Gamecocks

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC

TV: SEC Network

The South Carolina Gamecocks (11-9) will take on the Florida Gators (14-6) at Colonial Life Arena on Wednesday.

The Florida Gators faced off with Auburn and took a loss by a score of 76-67 in their last contest. Florida finished having earned a 37.3% FG percentage (22 out of 59) and made 7 out of their 27 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Gators knocked down 16 of 27 tries for a percentage of 59.3%. In relation to rebounding, they collected 37 with 16 of them being offensive. They also doled out 13 dimes for the contest in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In relation to defense, Florida let their opponent shoot 48.1% from the floor on 26 of 54 shooting. Auburn recorded 8 assists and had 9 steals for the game. Moreover, Auburn had 28 rebounds (7 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Auburn shot 90.5% when shooting free throws by burying 19 of their 21 shots. They converted 5 of 15 tries from beyond the arc. With respect to fouls, the Gators ended up finishing with 18 while Auburn accounted for 20 fouls.

Thomas Haugh is one guy who was a major factor for this game. He racked up 27 points on 9 out of 19 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes played and totaled 10 rebounds. He ended up going 47.4% from the field but didn't record an assist.

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Florida comes into this matchup with a record of 14-6 for the year. They turn it over 12.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.8 fouls per contest. As a team, Florida is collecting 46.2 boards per game and has accumulated 308 assists this season, which ranks 126th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Gators are connecting on 28.5% on shots from 3-point land (149 of 523) and 70.1% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 85.2 points per contest (34th in Division 1) while connecting on 45.9% from the floor.

Defensively, the Gators are forcing their opponents into 11.0 turnovers every game while drawing 20.5 fouls. They are ranked 28th in college in giving up assists with 221 surrendered for the campaign. The Gators defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.9% (504 of 1,204) and they surrender 30.8 rebounds per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 33.4% on 3-point shots and they are 142nd in the nation in opponents points per game (72.3).

The last time they took the court, the South Carolina Gamecocks took a loss by a final score of 92-69 when they played Texas A&M. In the matter of team rebounding, South Carolina allowed Texas A&M to pull down 38 in all (12 offensive). They went 43.6% from behind the 3-point line by going 17 of 39 and finished the game at 9 of 10 at the free throw line (90.0%). The Gamecocks allowed Texas A&M to convert 33 of 69 tries from the field which left them shooting 47.8% in this game. When the game finished, the Gamecocks shot 24 for 61 from the field which had them sitting at 39.3%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, South Carolina converted 9 of their 25 tries (36.0%). They were able to convert 12 of the free throws for a rate of 100.0%. Texas A&M was called for 13 personal fouls in this game which got the Gamecocks to the free throw line for 12 shots. They also coughed it up 10 times, while recording 6 steals for this game. The Gamecocks were able to collect 22 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 in this contest.

Meechie Johnson Jr. ended up being a factor for the Gamecocks for this contest. He buried 7 out of 12 for the matchup for a rate of 58.3%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. He totaled 26 points in his 34 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 5 dimes for the matchup.

South Carolina has a win-loss mark of 11-9 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gamecocks are connecting on 45.7% from the field, which is ranked 161st in college. South Carolina has accounted for 1,567 points on the campaign (78.4 per game) and they pull in 34.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.7 times per contest (153rd in college) and they turn it over 10.3 times per contest. The Gamecocks are committing 17.2 fouls per game while shooting 78.7% from the free throw line.

The Gamecocks on defense are ranked 164th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 73.0. They are forcing their opponents into 9.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the field (186th in Division 1). The South Carolina defense concedes 29.8% on three-point shots (123 of 413) and their opposition knocks down 70.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They have given up 14.2 dimes and 34.5 boards per contest, which is ranked 247th and 181st in the country.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Florida

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