Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Vegas Play of the Day: Florida vs. Wisconsin

NCAA Basketball ETSU Florida

Gary McCullough / AP

East Tennessee State guard A.J. Merriweather (13) and forward Tevin Glass (40) scramble for a loose ball against Florida forward Kevarrius Hayes, center, during the first half of the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2017 in Orlando, Fla.

We’ve entered the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Florida minus-1 vs. Wisconsin: $550 to win $500

Wisconsin lost of six of its last eight games in the regular season and then got blown out in the Big Ten Conference tournament championship game. To say the Badgers were coming into the NCAA Tournament on a down note is putting it lightly.

To their credit, they’ve overcome their late-season swoon to make a surprise Sweet 16 appearance. But does one first-rate upset over Villanova and another above-average performance against Virginia Teach entitle Wisconsin to be in a practical pick’em against a team that’s played like it belongs in the top 10 all year?

I don’t think so. Florida is the better team, and it should be giving a couple more points.

Few teams in the tournament looked better than the Gators in the first two rounds, and unlike the Badgers, they didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. They produced at about their average clip on offense, while playing their trademark brand of tough defense.

Wisconsin was significantly better on offense over the first weekend of the tournament than it was during the regular season, which shouldn’t be expected to continue. Not against a team like Florida.

Current Standings: Grimala (6-9, $8,950), Keefer (39-34-2, $8,381), Granger (13-15-1, $7,590), Brewer (26-27-1, $6,835)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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