Baylor vs. Florida: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Baylor, the nation’s top-ranked team, will travel to Gainesville on Saturday night for a showdown with Florida as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

TV schedule: Saturday, January 25, 8:00 pm ET. ESPN.
Arena: Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla.

The seventh-annual Big 12/SEC Challenge will transpire this Saturday, and one of the marquee match-ups has Baylor heading to the Sunshine State for a duel with Florida. Besides bragging rights in the event, this encounter is pivotal for both the No. 1 Bears (16-1) and the unranked Gators (12-6).

Baylor, riding an impressive 15-contest success streak, is currently one affair ahead of Kansas in the Big 12 Conference standings. Florida, meanwhile, is presently tied for third place in the Southeastern Conference race.

With a NCAA NET rating of No. 2, the Bears are having a special 2019-20 campaign to date. Baylor can boast of victories versus the aforementioned Jayhawks, as well as Butler, Villanova, Texas Tech, Arizona and Texas, among others.

The Bears’ sole setback came at the hands of Washington on a neutral court last November, although Baylor did struggle its most-recent meeting, a four-point triumph at home against Oklahoma on Jan. 20.

The Gators, at No. 36 in the NET system, had high hopes for 2019-20, with many prognosticators viewing them as a serious Final Four contender. Things haven’t panned out that way so far, with Florida’s best achievements over Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina, and its losses coming to Florida State, Connecticut, Butler, Utah State, Missouri and LSU by two points in heart-breaking fashion.

For the moment, the Bears are eyeing a possible No. 1 overall seed in the 2020 March Madness, while bracketologists deem the Gators as a No. 10 seed in the Big Dance.

Neither of these crews is particularly stellar on the offensive end. Baylor averages 72.7 points a game and connects on 42.8 percent from the field, 70.2 percent from the charity stripe, and 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Florida is slightly better, at 74.0 points every 40 minutes, along with 45.1 percent from the field, 72.0 percent from the free-throw line, and 33.3 percent from deep.

Where this pair of clubs each excels is on defense, with the Bears allowing just 58.5 points per bout, and the Gators giving up 66.3 points. Baylor has the edge versus Florida in rebounding, assists, blocks, steals and turnovers committed.

All-time in their short history together, the series is knotted at 1-1. The Gators, for what it’s worth, are 2-16 against units No. 1 in the Associated Press top-25 poll. Despite that, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says Florida has a 62.9 percent chance to prevail, and my gut tells me that the Gators will obtain a signature conquest in upsetting the Bears.

Prediction: Florida 68 – Baylor 66