Florida and Kentucky are ready for an important SEC matchup in January Saturday and the odds and predictions are in for the Gators and Wildcats.

Both teams have yet to play an SEC team, but are hot right now. At 13-0, Florida is ranked No. 6 in the country while Kentucky is ranked No. 10 and sports an 11-2 record.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest odds and predictions for Florida and Kentucky.

Odds for Florida vs. Kentucky

Coming into the game, Florida is a 3.5 point underdog to Kentucky going to Lexington, per FanDuel. The total is set at 166.5 points.

If you want to bet the moneyline, the Gators are listed at +138 while the Wildcats are listed at -166.

Final score predictions for Florida vs. Kentucky

BPI Predicted winner: Kentucky
BPI Predicted point differential: 3.1
BPI Win probability (for Kentucky): 62.1%
BPI Matchup Quality: 91.8

ESPN’s BPI is a model designed to provide a statistical comparison between two teams and predict future success. Here, the Gators are projected to lose to the Wildcats by a little over three points, so it’s very similar to the Vegas line.

Despite that, this is a highly rated matchup, per ESPN’s BPI. It’s the third highest ranked game of the Saturday slate and the highest ranked SEC matchup.

KenPom Predicted final score: Florida 83, Kentucky 82
KenPom Win probability (for Florida): 52%

KenPom flipped the prediction and picked Florida to win a tight game on the road but one point. The percentage at just over 50% doesn’t inspire much confidence, so this is pretty much a pick ‘em from a betting standpoint.

KenPom is another predictive system for college basketball. It’s designed to show how strong a team is at a given time, without taking factors like injuries into account.

How to watch Florida vs. Kentucky

Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Location: Lexington, Kentucky

Florida and Kentucky are set for a Saturday morning tipoff, so make sure to get your coffee and breakfast done, or ready, and strap in for a high quality basketball matchup. Big Blue will be on display welcoming the Gators.

The game can be found on ESPN nationwide.

Kentucky has some reloading to do in the wide receiver room for 2025. New position coach L’Damian Washington has his eyes on a talented pass-catcher from the Ivy League.

Yale transfer WR David Pantelis announced an offer from the Wildcats on Friday. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound slot receiver is coming off a First-Team All-Ivy League selection that saw him haul in 69 receptions for 1,018 yards and 11 touchdowns across 11 games played in 2024. For reference, Kentucky as a team had just 15 receiving touchdowns in 2024.

After spending the last four seasons at the FCS level, Pantelis is garnering plenty of Power 4 interest now that he’s exhausted his Ivy League eligibility. He’s also announced offers from the likes of Stanford, Missouri, Michigan, West Virginia, and California. He’s scheduled to visit Michigan soon, according to The Wolverine’s EJ Holland, and could very well make a trip to Lexington as well.

Pantelis has one year of college eligibility remaining.

An All-State wide receiver at Upper St. Clair High School in Pennsylvania (the same school attended by Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz), Pantelis received some light Division I interest before choosing Yale. He was productive right away as a true freshman in 2021, recording three touchdowns on six receptions while filling on special teams. His play continued to improve as a sophomore with 39 catches for 518 yards and a pair of scores.

An injury in 2023 limited Pantelis to just five games played, but he still managed to produce 13 receptions, 125 yards, and a touchdown when healthy. His breakout season would follow as a senior with career-highs across the board. Could he bring those skills to Kroger Field in 2025?

Photo:

Kentucky HBPA / YouTube

Owner-trainer Juan
Muñoz Canó was suspended indefinitely by Kentucky racing authorities after
federal regulators said a horse who suffered a fatal breakdown in an October race
at Churchill Downs failed a drug test.

“The owner-trainer
license issued to Juan Muñoz Canó is hereby suspended pending his appearance
before the board of stewards for his alleged conduct against the best interest
of horse racing,” Kentucky stewards said Thursday in their written ruling. “During
his suspension, Juan Muñoz Canó is denied the
privileges of all facilities under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Horse
Racing and Gaming Corporation. Entry of all horses owned or trained by Mr. Cano
is denied pending transfer to persons acceptable to the stewards.”

The case
against Muñoz Canó was opened Oct. 31 after La Bukana, whom he owned and
trained, suffered a leg injury that led to her being euthanized. Testing
revealed the banned medication clenbuterol was in the 2-year-old filly’s system
at the time of her death, according to the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare
Unit. Muñoz Canó was cited by HIWU on Dec. 20.

KHRGC did not
wait for federal wheels to turn. They voted 3-0 to suspend Muñoz Canó and
supersede federal rules that entitle Muñoz Canó to call for a second split
sample to be tested.

Muñoz Canó’s entry
Friday night at Turfway Park has been scratched, and the same is expected for
his three horses who were entered there for Saturday races. If Louisiana
stewards decide not to recognize the Kentucky penalties, he still would have
one horse on each of the programs Sunday and Thursday at Fair Grounds and two
more next Friday at Delta Downs.