Colorado vs. Florida Prediction & March Madness Odds: Can Gators Contain Lampkin?

C Jackson Cowart

Last Updated: March 22, 2024 3:20 PM EDT • 3 min 2 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

Eddie Lampkin Jr. #44 of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts as we make our Colorado vs. Florida prediction and player prop picks for the first round of the NCAA Tournaent on Friday. — Eddie Lampkin Jr. #44 of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts against the Boise State Broncos during the second half in the First Four game of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at University of Dayton Arena on March 20, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio. Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images via AFP.

The Florida Gators are the slight favorites to oust the Colorado Buffaloes in the first round in the South Region on Friday, as we offer our Colorado vs. Florida prediction and player props based on the best March Madness odds.

The No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes secured their place in the field of 64 by defeating Boise State in Wednesday's First Four matchup. Following a disappointing loss in the Pac-12 Tournament final, they're determined to begin a new winning streak while facing the Florida Gators on Friday.

Colorado started the season with a 5-7 record before rallying to win nine of its final 10 games, including the First Four matchup, leading to Friday's showdown. Meanwhile, the No. 7 Gators finished the year with a strong 13-5 run but are entering the tournament with a depleted roster following a significant injury suffered during their SEC Tournament loss to Auburn.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best Colorado vs. Florida prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Colorado vs. Florida odds

Colorado (10) vs. Florida (7) prediction: East Region

Eddie Lampkin Jr. Over 7.5 rebounds ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +112 via FanDuel

You may remember Lampkin from his time at TCU, with which he established himself as a dominant force inside even in limited minutes. That's certainly remained true in his lone season with Colorado.

The 6-11, 265-pounder has averaged 7.1 rebounds in 27.6 minutes this season while qualifying on the national leaderboard for offensive rebound rate (11.7%) and defensive rebound rate (18.3%). He's also established a steady floor on the glass, grabbing at least six boards in eight of his last nine games and clearing this total in three of them.

I like his chances of taking advantage of this Florida frontcourt, which will be without 7-1 center Micah Handlogten after he broke his leg in the SEC Tournament final. The sophomore ranked fourth nationally in offensive rebound rate (17.8%), a key reason why his team ranked seventh in the country in that metric (37.5%).

Without him, the Gators could have a tough time handling Lampkin, who had 14 rebounds in his last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022. Florida still has capable bigs in its rotation, but I don't think the market is fully accounting for the loss of Handlogten - especially this plus-money price from FanDuel.

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Colorado vs. Florida best odds

FanDuel (+112)

DraftKings	FanDuel	Caesars
Over 7.5 rebounds	Over 7.5 rebounds	Over 7.5 rebounds
-110	+112	-119

Three of our five best sports betting sites are offering player props for Lampkin ahead of Friday's first-round matchup with Florida. Only one of them is offering plus-money value on Over 7.5 rebounds for the Colorado big man.

That's why we recommend heading to FanDuel to place this wager, as you'd earn a profit of $2.11 more on a $10 bet with +112 odds than you would with a -110 wager. I'd also highly recommend checking out our best sportsbook promos to take advantage of the myriad bonuses available for March Madness.

Colorado vs. Florida spread & Over/Under analysis

After Colorado beat Boise State on Wednesday, our best sportsbooks opened Florida as a favorite of around -1 to -1.5 over the Buffaloes. That line is now as short as -2 as of Thursday, even with KenPom - which has a strong influence on the betting market - projecting an 80-79 win for underdog Colorado.

The total opened as high as 160.5, where it remains at BetMGM, but the rest of our best sports betting apps have dropped that number to 159.5 ahead of Friday.

Colorado vs. Florida game info

When: Friday, March 22
Tip-off: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
How to watch: TBS

Colorado-Florida prediction made Thursday at 1:45 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
C Jackson Cowart

C Jackson Cowart is an award-winning sports writer, reporter, and editor with nearly a decade of experience in the industry, with previous stops at theScore, Action Network, Forbes, and ESPN before joining the Sportsbook Review team. He's written about sports betting for the last five years, with a specialty in NFL, NBA, MLB, and collegiate futures markets and a weakness for novelty props and betting on the eventual runner-up. He's also an avid fantasy sports manager and commissioner and runs a sports card business on the side. He's a fiercely proud Oregon native and UNC alumnus, and he can't seem to stop betting on Ben Simmons to win MVP.