The No. 11 Florida State Seminoles (13-3, 9-2) travel south to face rival Miami Hurricanes (7-13, 3-12) in an ACC matchup Wednesday night. The Noles are in first place in the ACC with a one-game lead in the loss column over Virginia, while the Canes sit in 14th place in the 15-team conference. Tipoff at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla. is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on ACC Network.
Florida State is -11, and the total is set at 142.5. The Seminoles crushed Miami 81-59 at home on Jan. 27 and easily covered the 11.5 point line in that game. They swept Miami last season and have won six in a row over their rivals with four covers in that span.
Efficient Seminoles Continue to Roll Toward March
Florida State is 9-6-1 ATS on the season, and the over is 10-4-2 in their 16 games. The Noles rank eighth in the nation behind the arc shooting 39.4 percent, and they are 33rd in scoring at 79.3 points per game. They dominate the boards for a +6.4 differential and rank 34th in defensive rebounding.
Guard M.J. Walker leads FSU in scoring at 13.1 points per game while forward RaiQuan Gray averages 11.7 points. Guard Scottie Barnes is also a double-digit scorer at 10.3 points per game, while guard Anthony Polite is at 9.3 points. Gray leads the team at 6.6 rebounds per game, and Barnes leads FSU at 4.2 assists per game.
FSU has won eight of their last nine, including a 79-72 road win over Pittsburgh on Saturday. Gray led the way with 16 points, while Evans and Malik Osborne both scored 12 points. The Noles won despite making just 4-of-14 from beyond the arc as they held the Panthers to 38 percent shooting from the field.
In the January win over Miami, the Noles owned the boards 45-23 and shot 51.6 percent from the field. Four FSU players scored in double digits, led by Osborne, Walker, and Sardaar Calhoun, with 11 points each.
Miami Searching for Offense
Miami is 9-11 ATS, and the over is 9-11 in their 20 games. The Canes struggle on offense, scoring just 66.1 points per game and shooting 42.3 percent from the field with a 29 percent rate from distance. They are even on the glass at 32 rebounds per game, and they have allowed an alarming 36.6 percent from 3-point range on the season.
Guard Isaiah Wong leads Miami in scoring at 16.7 points per game, while guard Kameron McGusty (11.8) and guard Elijah Olaniyi (11.6) are also in double figures. Wong leads the way on the glass with 5.3 rebounds per game. Point guard Chris Lykes has been out since Dec. 4 with an ankle injury and is unlikely to return this season after suffering a setback in practice last week.
Since upsetting Duke on Feb. 1, the Canes are 0-3 with two double-digit losses. They lost at home 87-60 against Georgia Tech on Saturday as Olaniyi led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds. Miami allowed 57 percent shooting while making just 39.2 percent on the own, and they were beaten on the glass by nine.
In their loss at FSU, the Canes shot just 37 percent from the field and allowed 15 offensive rebounds. Wong led the way with 21 points, while both Walker and McGusty scored 13 points.
Betting Line and Pick
This game is strength vs. weakness as Florida State is one of the best shooting teams in the country, and Miami is among the worst in defending the perimeter. The Noles also dominate the glass, and Miami is at a big disadvantage inside. Even on the road, Florida State is the pick here to win by double digits, and don’t be surprised if they get the season sweep with another blowout.
FREE PICK: Florida State -11
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