The only ranked team in action around college basketball on Thursday is No. 21 Florida of the SEC as the Gators host in-state Jacksonville of the Atlantic Sun Conference

Which rarely gets to face a Big Brother in-state rival. UF is a double-digit favorite on the NCAAB odds in the Week 1.

Why Bet on Jacksonville Basketball?

Jacksonville is an Atlantic Sun school that finished 16-17 last season. Robert McCray V was named third-team All-ASUN and then named the Preseason Player of the Year for this season. The transfer from Wake Forest led JU in scoring with 18.4 points per game while adding 4.2 boards and 2.9 assists per game. McCray’s 589 total points scored was the highest mark by a Dolphin since the 2015-16 season.

Robert McCray V

In the ASUN Tournament semifinals against eventual league winner Stetson, McCray dropped a career-high 36 points. In total, McCray’s 97 tournament points set a new league record. On the defensive end, McCray also made a strong impact, finishing seventh in the ASUN in steals during conference play with 18 for an average of 1.2 per contest.

Jacksonville was picked fifth in the ASUN in the Preseason Coaches Poll for 2024-25 and eighth in the Preseason Media Poll but did get three first-place votes. The team opened Monday with a 78-65 win over lower-level school Trinity Baptist College.

Stephone Payne II

The Dolphins (1-0) had two players score in double figures, led by Stephone Payne II who collected his sixth career double-double with 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for the junior. “I feel like my defense and offense can grow, but with more minutes, I will grow more,” Payne said. “I feel like my growth will come with the more minutes I play.”

Zach Bell

Bell added 11 points for the home squad and Simon Wheeler put up five points, a game-high seven assists and a game-high five steals. Freshman Enrico Borio added eight points and four rebounds. McCray had a rough debut with just nine points. One area of concern for the Dolphins moving forward might be shooting. They only connected on 6-of-32 shots from three in the game, going 0-13 in the first half but coach Jordan Mincy pointed to first-game jitters.

Trinity Baptist

Jacksonville outrebounded Baptist 51-34 and the JU defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Monday’s game, forcing 18 Trinity Baptist turnovers while committing 12 itself. Those takeaways turned into 19 points for the Dolphins. Wheeler’s five steals led the way for the Dolphins. JU’s emphasis on aggressive defense could be a key factor as it tries to match the Gators’ fast-paced offense.

This is the only scheduled meeting this year vs. a ranked opponent for Jacksonville, although it will play another SEC school in Georgia on Nov. 30. Last year, the Dolphins also played one ranked team and lost 100-57 at No. 1 Purdue.

School days hit a little different now… Countdown continues… 📚🐬🏀 #DoYourResearch #TRUE #TheStandard pic.twitter.com/0LXGlHcFOu

— Jacksonville Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@JAX_MBB) October 14, 2024

Jacksonville head coach Jordan Mincy spent six seasons on Florida’s coaching staff from 2015-21. Mincy helped lead four NCAA Tournament teams while with the Gators (2017, ’18, ’19, ’21).

Why Bet on Florida Basketball?

No. 21 Florida (1-0) opened with a 98-83 win over a solid South Florida team in Jacksonville on Monday. USF led at the half thanks to shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. The USF defense held UF to 17.6 percent from 3-point range. However, the Gators shot 29 free throws in the second half and made 23. For the game, UF attempted 33 free throws compared to the 17 by USF. The game was played just 11 days after Bulls coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, 43, died during a surgical procedure, shocking the Tampa and USF communities.

producing. pic.twitter.com/xpVlqol4G0

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 5, 2024

The Guards

Florida senior guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard combined for 54 points, including 33 after halftime. Clayton, a preseason All-SEC first-team selection and All-America candidate, finished with 29 on 10-for-15 shooting, and was perfect in seven attempts at the free-throw line over 34 minutes. Richard, who along with Clayton make up the two returning starters from last year’s 24-win NCAA Tournament team, poured in a career-high 25 and grabbed four rebounds in his 36 minutes.

It marked the first time since Jan. 22, 2019, vs. Texas A&M that two Gators went for 25+ points in a game (KeVaughn Allen 31, Noah Locke 27).

Todd Golden

“We felt incredibly fortunate to be able to get them back in our program,” UF coach Golden said. “They’re really, really loyal guys and we felt like they were players we could build around after last season.” It marked UF’s ninth all-time win under Golden when trailing by double digits at any point.

Alijah Martin

Transfer guard Martin did not shoot the ball well in his UF debut, but he finished with 13 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Sophomore forward Alex Condon added 13 points and five boards. With starting center Micah Handlogten slated to take a redshirt year due to a leg injury, Condon will play a much bigger role this year.

Though they connected on just five of 25 attempts (20 percent) from the arc, the Gators were a torrid 28 of 38 from the 2-point area (73.7 percent) for the game, including 15-for-21 after the break (71.4 percent).

“I thought we were settling [in the first half]. We weren’t putting pressure on the rim or pressure on the refs to make any calls,” Golden said. “We started [the second] with finishes and over the course of the half we just wore them down a little bit, getting them out of position defensively, finishing through their bodies and getting to the rim.”

This will be UF’s home opener and it has won 33 of those in a row with the last loss coming to Texas on Nov. 27, 1990.

How to Bet Jacksonville at Florida Odds NCAA Basketball

When: Thursday, 8 PM ET
Where: Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+

Jacksonville vs Florida Series History

Florida leads the all-time series 32-5 and 16-2 at home. The Gators have won four straight in the series with JU, but the teams have not met since Dec. 22, 2015, which was during Jordan Mincy’s first season on the Florida coaching staff. Mincy is now the head coach at Jacksonville.

Two days into the season, what school is representing your county? 👀 pic.twitter.com/9meqJmEGO4

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 6, 2024

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