Kentucky will continue to play its best basketball of the season vs. Florida

What’s going on sports fan? It’s Chris Bengel back with you this Wednesday.

I always get so wrapped up in the NFL season coming to a close and March Madness following it that I forget baseball is right around the corner. Teams are already conducting spring training and, while spring training games can be boring, it’s still great to hear the crack of the bat and the snap of the glove in March. In addition, we’ll get to bet on meaningful baseball a little sooner this year with the World Baseball Classic, which gets underway on March 7. That’s definitely a win.

Let’s get into today’s picks.

All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook

🔥 The Hot Ticket

Kentucky at Florida, 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN

• Key Trend: The Wildcats are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games
• The Pick: Kentucky -2.5 (-110)

Kentucky is playing some of its best basketball of the season when it matters most and they should continue to do so against an inferior Florida team.

When these two teams did battle the first time, Kentucky came away with a 72-67 win in what ended up being a very tight affair. That night, the Gators received a spectacular performance from star big man Colin Castleton, who scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists.

Jonathan Coachman is joined by Martin W. Green, Allan Bell, Zack Cimini and Allie O’Neill to dish out Tuesday’s best bets. Download and follow The Early Edge on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  

Castleton recently suffered a broken hand and will likely miss the remainder of the season. In their first game without Castleton in the lineup, Florida were dominated by Arkansas in a 84-65 beatdown in which only two Gators finished in double figures. Without Castleton, Florida shot just 37.3 percent from the field and is simply a different basketball team.

Meanwhile, Kentucky ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring with 74.3 points-per-game and possesses a variety of different playmakers. Castleton was one of the nation’s top shot blockers with 3.0 blocks-per-game and his defensive presence will be sorely missed. I simply don’t expect the Gators to have an answer for Wildcats star big man Oscar Tshiebwe. Tshiebwe leads the nation in rebounding (13.6 per game) and is a walking double-double. I just don’t see this one being that close.

💰 More CBB Picks

Navy at American, 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN+

Latest Odds:

Navy Midshipmen
-1.5

The Pick: Navy -1.0 (-110) — These two teams are going in complete opposite directions of late. Navy has been flexing its muscles as one of the top teams in the Patriot League while American is on a four-game losing streak. With a spread this small, I’m always going to take the more talented team, and that’s definitely the Midshipmen.

American has gone 0-4 ATS over their last four games and is also 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games. On the other hand, Navy has recorded a 5-0 mark ATS over its last five road games and is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 conference games. 

Navy ranks third in the Patriot League with 70.4 points-per-game while also shooting 37.4 percent from three (second-best in the conference). The Midshipmen also get the job done on the defensive end, as they’re allowing the third fewest points (65.8) per contest in the Patriot League. Meanwhile, American is ninth in the conference in scoring with just 65.6 points-per-game and have just two players that average double figures. Drop your anchor on the Navy side of the spread and feel good about it.

Key Trend: The Midshipmen are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games.

New Mexico at Boise State, 10:30 p.m. | TV: FS1

Latest Odds:

Over 149.5

The Pick: Over 147.0 (-110) — When you’ve got two of the top teams in the Mountain West going head-to-head, don’t overthink it.

New Mexico is the top scoring team in the conference, averaging 81.1 points-per-game —  and are still averaging 75.6 points in their last five games, four of which are losses. That’s still a pretty lofty number. It’s also worth noting that the Lobos defeated the Broncos, 81-79, in overtime back on Jan. 20 and hit the over of 146.5 in that game. 

Boise State may not be the most lethal offense in the Mountain West, but they’re still a group that scores 72.1 points-per-game and shoots 36.3 percent from long-range. In addition, New Mexico gives up the most points-per-game (72.1) in the conference, so Boise State shouldn’t have much of a problem scoring the basketball either. 

Key Trend: The over is 6-1-1 in the Lobos’ last eight games.