3 Best SEC Championship Game Bets and Player Props for Tennessee vs. Florida

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

The selection show has arrived as 68 teams will make the NCAA Tournament field tonight. Most of the automatic bids are wrapped up with 26 conference champions securely sitting in the field. Five more automatic bids are up for grabs today, including a must-see battle between Tennessee and Florida in the SEC Championship. As if a conference title wasn't enough at stake, this game should also be for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Volunteers took down Auburn by 5 as 5-point underdogs on Saturday while the Gators were dominant with a 22-point win as small favorites over Alabama in the semifinals. According to FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds, Florida is the clear favorite by 5.5 points. Will Tennessee pull off another upset, or will the Gators keep chomping?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

Tennessee vs. Florida Betting Picks

Under 143.5 Points (-110)

Two head-to-head regular-season matchups produced vastly different results. In the first meeting on January 7, Florida rolled to a 30-point win. About a month later on February 1, the Vols got their revenge with a 20-point victory. We do have one common factor, though; the under hit in both games.

While the 143.5 total is quite low for any game involving this high octane Gator offense, Tennessee has a way of muddying up everything it touches. It boasts Bart Torvik's third-best adjusted defensive efficiency and is in the 93rd percentile for the slowest adjusted tempos across college basketball.

The Gators are led by excellent guard play as Walter Clayton Jr. (17.4 PPG) and Alijah Martin (14.6 PPG) lead the team in scoring. Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack form perhaps the best defensive backcourt in America for the Volunteers, boasting impressive Defensive Bayesian Performance Ratings (DBPR) of 2.95 and 2.72 -- per EvanMiya.

While Tennessee is in the 7th percentile of three-point shot distribution allowed, opponents are shooting a measly 27.6% from three against the Vols (the lowest). That's been the case in the previous two meetings with UF shooting a combined 21.3% from three-point land. That takes care of the Gators sitting in the 79th percentile of three-point shot distribution.

We've only focused on slowing Florida's offense (5th in efficiency) thus far, but the Gators' defense (13th in efficiency) is exceptional, too. Alabama has the third-best offensive efficiency, and UF just held the unit to 41.8% shooting and 11 of 35 from three (31.4%).

Tennessee has encouraging shot distributions by sitting in the 99th percentile for dunks and 76th percentile for three-pointers. The Gators have an excellent frontcourt led by Alex Condon (3.14), Rueben Chinyelu (2.57), and Thomas Haugh (2.60) -- all boasting impressive DBPRs. Plus, UF is in the 68th percentile of three-point shot distribution allowed.

Led by the Vols' ability to slow games, this one's headed to the under with each defense excelling.

Walter Clayton to Make 3+ Threes (-122)

Florida's efficiency from three should take a step back today, but we still shouldn't completely ignore the Gators in the 79th percentile of three-point shot distribution. Tennessee is ceding 25.7 three-point shots per game (10th percentile), and that's while playing at one of the slowest tempos.

Clayton has shined over his last four by posting 21.3 PPG while shooting 49.2% from the floor and 47.1% from beyond the arc. His three-point volume has been high during the span, sitting at 4.0 makes and 8.5 attempts per game. For reference, Clayton logs 2.9 and 7.7 attempts per game from three on the season.

Considering his recent production, making four-plus three-pointers (+198) could also be on the radar. However, I don't want to get too greedy considering we are on the under with great defenses.

While Zeigler (5'9") is an excellent defender, he's giving up a lot of height against the 6-foot-3 Clayton. He shouldn't hesitate about shooting over Zeigler. Against shooting guards in SEC play, Tennessee gives up 8.3 three-point attempts per 40 minutes (the most in the SEC), giving us yet another bullet point for this prop.

Igor Milicic Jr. Under 8.5 Points (-128)

Tennessee's offense is led by four double-digit scorers, but one is in the midst of a slump. Igor Milicic Jr. (10.2 PPG) has reached double-digit figures in only two of his last seven appearances -- logging only 7.6 PPG while shooting 38.8% from the field during the stretch.

Florida's defense is a brutal matchup for Milicic, for it allows only 13.0 points per 40 minutes against forwards in conference play (the lowest). Additionally, opposing SEC forwards have a 39.4% field goal percentage against the Gators (the lowest). Even shooting the three should be tough going against UF, for it allows only 3.1 three-point attempts per 40 minutes to SEC forwards (tied for the second-fewest).

We already mentioned the Gators' excellent frontcourt defense. Condon (3.14) and Haugh (2.60) will likely be consistently thrown at Milicic, and they have the highest DBPRs on Florida. Milicic also takes 45.3% of his shots from three, giving even more weight to UF's excellent perimeter defense against forwards in conference play.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.