As the Southeastern Conference regular season pushes into its final weeks, the South Carolina Gamecocks head to Gainesville to face the Florida Gators on Tuesday night. Florida has become one of the league’s top teams again with a strong run in conference play and sits atop the standings with a 19-6 overall record and 10-2 mark in SEC contests. South Carolina arrives with a less impressive 11-14 record and just two victories against SEC foes. Before tip-off in Gainesville Rock City, you will find my South Carolina vs Florida prediction right here.
Our South Carolina vs Florida Pick
Pick:
Confidence: 4/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: South Carolina Gamecocks @ Florida Gators
- Date & Time: Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Florida
- Broadcast: SEC Network
Key Storylines
Florida enters this contest on a strong run with five straight wins and is ranked 14th in the nation. The Gators have excelled on the glass, leading college basketball in rebounds per game, which has helped a dynamic offense that scores over 86 points per outing. Their frontcourt presence, led by Rueben Chinyelu and scoring from Thomas Haugh, gives Florida an attack that most teams can’t hope to contain.
South Carolina, meanwhile, continues to struggle with consistency on defense, losing 10 of their 12 SEC games and ranking near the bottom of the league in rebounding and defensive efficiency. Meechie Johnson Jr. provides a scoring spark for the Gamecocks, but they will need more contributions from their supporting cast to stay competitive against Florida’s size and depth. South Carolina also enters with multiple players listed as questionable or uncertain due to injury concerns that could further limit their rotation.
The Gators were ranked as one of the top teams going into this college basketball season. After struggling for portions of the non-conference season, they have turned things around in a big way in one of college basketball’s toughest conferences. Another win here would keep them at least a game ahead of Arkansas at the top of the SEC standings going into the weekend.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Historically, Florida has had South Carolina’s number, with a 51-29 all-time record against South Carolina. This includes a 95–48 road rout of the Gamecocks earlier in the season and a dominant performance in their last meeting in Gainesville.
- Florida is 12-13 against the spread so far this season.
- South Carolina enters this contest with an 11-14 record against the spread.
- The under is 15-9-1 in Florida’s games this year.
- The over is 12-11-2 in South Carolina’s outings during the 2025-26 campaign.
South Carolina vs Florida Model Projection
Score Projection:
Win Probability:
