Bet On College Basketball: Duke vs Florida St.
The Duke Blue Devils have gone largely unnoticed this season compared to normal, but they do sit at fourth in the rankings.
NCAA Basketball Matchup: Duke vs. FSU
7:00 PM EST on ESPN
College Basketball Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NCAA Basketball Betting Favorite: Pick’em
Over/Under: 140.5
The team’s huge comeback win over North Carolina really helped their national image. Florida State throttled North Carolina 90-57 at home, and that was the game that put them on the map.
Both teams have been a bit up and down this year, but there is plenty of potential on both of these teams. Expect a nail biter in this one.
Austin Rivers is the Blue Devils most talented player. Rivers has had some trouble playing inside the system this year, but he has emerged with some great individual performances of late. Rivers is a scorer that just happens to play the point guard position, and he must continue to develop as a passer.
Duke is tough to guard beyond the arc. The Blue Devils have four regulars who shoot 40% or better from three-point range.
Seth Curry is the team’s best overall shooter, and he also leads the team in assists. Duke averages 79.5 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Defensively, they allow opponents to shoot 43.6%.
Florida State’s major strength as a team is its length and ability on the defensive end. The Seminoles allow opponents to shoot just 37% from the floor, which is the second best mark in the nation.
Florida State allows opponents to shoot just 29% from beyond the arc, so it will be interesting to see how they fare against Duke’s long range shooters.
Offensively, Florida State is a bit inconsistent. Michael Snaer leads the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game. The Seminoles are deep in the post, and they do a nice job crashing the offensive boards.
Florida State is 14-1 at home this year, but this will definitely be a tough test for them. Duke will need to hold Florida State to one shot if they hope to win on the road here.
I think the Seminoles win behind a raucous crowd in Tallahassee.
Prediction: Florida State 72 Duke 67
