College basketball season is officially off to the races. In typical fashion it arrives with a loaded slate of games from teams all across the county. But the game likely to draw the most eyeballs will be the ranked matchup between third-ranked Florida and 13th-ranked Arizona.
The Florida Gators are looking to defend their National Championship and will enter the season with the seventh-best odds of cutting down the nets again at +1600 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. This will be a tough test out of the gates against a scrappy Arizona Wildcats squad that returned some notable talent and has the makings of a deep tournament team as well.
Looking at the odds for the matchup, Florida enters as 3.5-point favorites and holds -162 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Arizona holds +136 odds of pulling off the outright upset with the game total set at 163.5.
You can check out the full game preview and prediction DK Network here, but there are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond backing a side or total. This article will look at the top prop bets for the ranked matchup.
Best Player Prop Bets for Florida vs. Arizona:
Jaden Bradley to Record 15+ Points (+125)
Back for his fourth season of college basketball and third at Arizona, Jaden Bradley showed some really encouraging growth last season. He especially came on string to close the year and now will see his level of opportunity expand within the offense with Caleb Love no longer wearing an Arizona jersey. Love launched a team-high 14.5 field goal attempts last year and expect Bradley to make up for a good portion of these shot opportunities.
Looking at last year’s production, Bradley averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on 46.7% shooting from the field and 32.1% on three-point attempts. He closed the year with a leap in efficiency and shot 53% on three-pointers across the final seven games. Bradley scored in double figures in each of his final five games and averaged 14.2 points per game across the final nine.
Florida has a tough defense that will not make life easy. But expect Bradley to see his offensive responsibilities scaled up this year and for more scoring opportunities to be on his plate. The 6-foot-3 guard scored 15+ points in 12 games last year and look for him to set the tone against the National champions by playing in attack mode throughout.
Alex Condon to Record 25+ Points & Rebounds (-125)
After flirting with remaining in the NBA Draft pool, Alex Condon returns to Florida in search of another National Championship. The 6-foot-11 forward was a key part of the Gators identity last year, posting averages of 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. His role will change quite a bit as he returns for his junior season.
While Condon had plenty of production himself already, Florida will be looking to make up for the combined 31.6 points per game left by Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard last year. Condon has been vocal about he knows he needs to step up as a scorer with Florida needing to count on more front court production this season. Expect him to walk the walk in this matchup and be more focused on playing with a score-first mentality.
The Australia native scored as many as 27 in a game last year and tallied 25+ combined points and rebounds in six games last year. With more responsibility on his shoulders on the offensive end, expect his level of statistical production to grow this season. Look for this to start right from night one and for Condon to make a case for looking like one of the best big men in the sport this season. Arizona has some talent in the front court, most notably forward Tobe Awaka, but I like this matchup for him and think he kicks off the year with 25+ combined points and rebounds.
