South Carolina Gamecocks vs Florida Gators Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: South Carolina Gamecocks vs Florida Gators

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL

TV: SEC Network

The South Carolina Gamecocks (11-14) are headed to Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Florida Gators (19-6).

The South Carolina Gamecocks stepped onto the hardwood against Alabama and took a loss by a score of 89-75 in their last contest. South Carolina ended with a 40.6% field goal percentage (26 of 64) and buried 7 of 28 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Gamecocks knocked down 16 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 88.9%. When talking about grabbing boards, they earned a total of 29 with 4 of them being offensive. They also distributed 16 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Regarding the defense, South Carolina allowed the other team to shoot 48.3% from the floor on 28 out of 58 shooting. Alabama distributed 20 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. Additionally, Alabama snagged 39 rebounds (7 offensive, 32 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Alabama finished 70.4% at the charity stripe by burying 19 of their 27 attempts. They also converted 14 out of their 34 attempts from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Gamecocks ended up finishing with 22 while Alabama recorded 15 personal fouls.

Meechie Johnson Jr. is a guy who was a factor in the matchup. He finished the contest at 47.1% from the floor and also recorded 4 dimes. He was on the court for 34 mins and also collected 3 boards. He left the arena with 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting.

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South Carolina comes into this one with a record of 11-14 on the year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 9.9 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.6 personal fouls every game. As a unit, South Carolina is collecting 33.0 boards per game and has accounted for 343 dimes on the season, which is 243rd in D-1 in terms of passing. The Gamecocks are connecting on 30.6% on three-point attempts (197 of 643) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 76.4 pts per contest (170th in the nation) while connecting on 44.1% from the field.

On defense, the Gamecocks are able to force 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.4 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.0% on 3-pointers and they rank 240th in D-1 in points per game allowed (75.9). The Gamecocks defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.1% (677 of 1,501) and they relinquish 35.9 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 283rd in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 381 relinquished on the season.

When they last played, the Florida Gators walked away with a victory by a final of 92-83 when they faced Kentucky. The Gators collected 27 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds for a total of 43 for the game. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while recording 10 steals in the game. Kentucky committed 26 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Gators to the free throw line for a total of 32 tries. They were able to knock down 22 of the free throws for a rate of 68.8%. With regard to 3-pointers, Florida knocked down 10 out of their 28 attempts (35.7%). When the game finished, the Gators shot 30 for 66 from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5%. The Gators permitted Kentucky to knock down 28 out of their 65 attempts from the field which had them shooting 43.1% for this game. They went 45.0% from three-point range by shooting 9 out of 20 and finished the contest at 18 out of 25 at the free throw line (72.0%). In relation to team rebounding, Florida permitted Kentucky to pull down 34 in all (13 offensive).

Xaivian Lee ended up being important for the Gators in the matchup. He made 7 out of 12 for the game for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and accounted for 2 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 25 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in the game.

Florida has a record of 19-6 on the campaign. The Gators are committing 17.6 fouls per game while shooting 70.4% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.2 times per game (60th in college) and they are turning it over 11.7 times per game. Florida has accounted for 2,162 pts so far this year (86.5 per contest) and they pull in 46.0 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Gators are connecting on 47.0% from the field, which is 81st in the country.

The Florida defense surrenders 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (174 of 529) and their opposition knocks down 71.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 11.0 assists and 31.4 boards per contest, which ranks them 24th and 38th in the nation. The Gators defensively are ranked 116th in college in points allowed per contest with 71.4. They are able to force 11.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 40.5% from the floor (32nd in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take South Carolina

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