South-Carolina
Florida at South Carolina odds, picks and predictions
The Florida Gators (20-8, 10-5 SEC) and South Carolina Gamecocks (23-5, 11-4) tangle in a Saturday matinee in Columbia. Tip-off at Colonial Life Arena is set for noon ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Florida vs. South Carolina odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Florida, ranked No. 24 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, has won back-to-back games and 5 of its last 6. The Gators’ most recent contest was Wednesday, an 83-74 win but non-cover as 13-point home favorites over Missouri.
No. 18 South Carolina also played Wednesday. The Gamecocks earned an against-the-spread (ATS) upset for a 2nd straight game when they won 70-68 at Texas A&M as 6-point underdogs.
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Florida at South Carolina odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:52 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Florida +106 (bet $100 to win $106) | South Carolina -128 (bet $128 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Florida +1.5 (-104) | South Carolina -1.5 (-118)
- Over/Under (O/U): 145.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Florida at South Carolina picks and predictions
Prediction
Florida 73, South Carolina 71
Moneyline
Florida is the lean, however a better relative value can be found taking the Gators and the points. STEER CLEAR.
Against the spread
Florida has logged ATS wins in each of its last 3 visits to Columbia. Overall, UF is 3-1 ATS in the last 4 series meetings.
South Carolina is on a nice trend line, but the Gators are the more consistent squad. The faster-tempo UF five has an efficient offense, and it gets to the line more often.
USC launches a ton of 3’s, but a 32.1% accuracy mark over its last 5 games does not inspire confidence especially when going against a Gator team that defends well along the perimeter.
BACK GATORS +1.5 (-104).
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Over/Under
The last 19 USC games against teams with winning records have yielded a 12-5 record for the Under.
This is a classic tortoise (South Carolina) and hare (Florida) matchup, but both sides have been trending toward lower pace figures of late. The way both sides hit the offensive glass and the way UF gets to the stripe is cause for concern. but the UNDER 145.5 (-110) is a slight lean here.
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College Sports Wire: Men’s hoops / Women’s hoops / High School
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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Each offseason, the NFL shakes up the landscape with free agency, as some of the top names at each position move around the league to new teams. The New Orleans Saints have fallen victim to this in 2026 so far, with Demario Davis and Alontae Taylor both moving on, and Cameron Jordan not having re-signed as of yet. Cornerback was a position that could already use a talent influx alongside Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley; now, it is even more of an issue.
Adding a new defensive back to fill the STAR role for the defense is certainly going to be a focus this spring, and that has been clear from the Saints’ pre-draft meetings. Recently, they added another name to the growing list; this time, it was South Carolina prospect Jalon Kilgore.
There is a lot to like about Kilgore, especially in that nickel or STAR role long term. He is enormously athletic and absolutely rapid both in straight-line testing and on the field. He got a decent chunk of his collegiate snaps at slot corner, 1,382 to be exact, but also had 541 in the box, 238 at free safety, 53 along the defensive line, and 24 as an outside corner.
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