| Range | W | L | P | +/- (Units) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | +2.00 |
| Last 30 Days | 6 | 2 | 0.00 | +7.68 |
| Season to Date | 6 | 2 | 0.00 | +7.68 |
Richmond +8½ -110 over FLORIDA
The market is attributing last season’s disaster by the Gators to a lot of things that just went wrong. There were off-court issues, suspensions and significant injuries that led the Gators to their first losing season since 1998. Off to a 5-1 start under new HC, Mike White, the Gators are seemingly back on track and ready to make another run to the big event in March. White is getting a lot of praise for his 101-40 won/loss record at Louisiana Tech and bringing it to Gainesville but let us point out that none of those victories came in the NCAA Tournament. Florida’s five wins this year have occurred against Navy, North Carolina AT&T, St. Josephs, Vermont and Florida Gulf Coast. This is a team that lost both Michael Frazier and Eli Carter this year and when those two were out together last year, the Gators struggled miserably. There is an adjustment period in working with a new coach and system so games against those five aforementioned cupcakes doesn’t help fix flaws. The Gators have a bunch of newcomers and although there is talent there, it’s going to take some time for Florida to start to gel. In Florida’s only game this season against a quality opponent, they lost by 15 points to Purdue while surrendering 85 points. Furthermore, when you play a well-backed market team like Florida against a poorly backed market team like Richmond, you are always going to pay a premium. We always look for inflated prices and trust we found another one here.
Anthony Kendall was the heart and soul of the Spiders. The point guard averaged 16.4 points and 2.5 assists per game and connected on 39.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. It was tough to find a more efficient guard in the A-10, whether it be as a shooter or a ball handler. Kendall is gone and way too much emphasis is being put on that. Great players overshadow other great players that have not had their opportunity to shine. With Kendall gone, Richmond’s other players now get that opportunity. The Spiders frontcourt is absolutely loaded with Terry Allen, T.J. Cline and Deion Taylor. The Spiders get four of their five starters back from last year’s team that went 12-6 in the A-10 and earned a #1 seed in the NIT. The Spiders are 4-2 this season. They have played Wake, West Virginia and #14 California. They beat the Golden Bears and they also won on the road at Wake. The Spiders come in battle tested, confident and undervalued while the Gators are trying to establish a new identity. That’s good enough for us to snag all this weight. Pick: Richmond +8½ (Risking 2.04 units to win 2).
