Coming off its first-ever SEC victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Rivalry game on the hardwood on Jan. 15, Texas basketball (12-5, 1-3 SEC) gears up for a second straight road contest in conference play against the No. 5 Florida Gators (15-2, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday afternoon.
Texas has looked much more formidable in the past three games, largely thanks to the breakthrough of junior guard Jordan Pope since late December. Pope has averaged well over 20 points per game in his past five contests.
Freshman guard Tre Johnson and senior guard Tramon Mark also played well on the offensive end in Texas's 77-73 win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night.
This Florida matchup marks the Longhorns' third game in the past four where Texas has faced a top-five opponent in SEC play.
Florida suffered its first home defeat of the season in a close one-point, 83-82, upset loss to the Mizzou Tigers on Jan. 14.
Here's a look at the TV/streaming information, game time, betting odds, and game prediction for No. 5 Florida vs. Texas at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, on Jan. 18.
How to watch Texas basketball vs. Florida
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio/Audio Stream: Longhorn Radio Network
Game time: 3 p.m. CT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes will call the game between Texas and Florida on ESPN2 on Saturday afternoon.
Craig Way and Eddie Oran will be on the radio broadcast on Longhorn Radio Network.
Texas basketball vs. Florida betting odds
Texas is a 10.5-point underdog against Florida on the road in Gainesville on Jan. 18 (per FanDuel). The over/under is 150.5 points.
The Gators are favored in the moneyline (-600) against the Longhorns (+430).
Texas is 10-7-0 against the spread this season (per TeamRankings). Florida is 12-5-0 against the spread.
Texas vs. Florida prediction
Texas stepped up in the win over Oklahoma, getting three players (Pope, Johnson, and Mark) scoring at least 15 points from the starting five. Facing OU was the most competitive Texas has been on the glass on both ends of the floor in SEC play this month. Senior center Kadin Shedrick and senior forward Jayson Kent combined for a dozen total rebounds and four offensive boards against the Sooners.
Beating the Gators will require the Longhorns to play a more complete game than they have on the road this season. It's been an Achilles heel for the Longhorns to finish games as strong as they've started, or vice versa, so far this regular season.
"In this league, you only have it for one night, whether you win or lose, and you're off to another great opponent that you're playing."Rodney Terry
Pope and Mark stepping up like they did in the win over Oklahoma can keep Texas competitive against the best the SEC has to offer. Getting big performances from the frontcourt and the bench will be imperative if the Longhorns want to upset Florida as a double-digit road dog tomorrow afternoon in Gainesville.
Texas has averaged bench scoring per game in the single digits (per CBB Analytics), ranking last in the SEC in conference play.