The Florida State Seminoles take on the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils on Thursday in an ACC Tournament college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Blue Devils are listed as 16.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 149.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this ACC Tournament college basketball matchup.
Florida State vs. Duke prediction, preview
After the regular season, Duke is the No. 1 team in the country. The Blue Devils have been excellent all season, losing just two games. They lost one game in non-conference play and one in ACC play, the first matchup against UNC. Duke has the best player in the country, standout freshman forward Cameron Boozer. Boozer has led Duke in scoring in 13 of its past 15 games. He has also led them in rebounding in 17 consecutive games. Boozer is the nation’s seventh leading scorer and 14th leading rebounder, the do-it-all man for Duke. He is complemented by great players like Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngnonba II.
Florida State started the ACC campaign with five consecutive losses. It looks like a completely lost season for the Seminoles at that point. However, Florida State finished the season on a 9-3 run. After winning in the first round of the ACC Tournament, Florida State has now won six of its past seven games ahead of this matchup against No. 1 Duke. Despite its great form down the stretch, Florida State likely needs to go on a run through this ACC Tournament to get into the March Madness field. It would take a monumental upset over Duke for them to do so, but anything is possible in March. The Seminoles will need a big game from star senior Robert McCray V to compete against this Duke squad.
Florida State vs. Duke pick
My best bet for this game is on Florida State +16.5. Duke has been fantastic all season, but with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament virtually locked up, the Blue Devils could be a bit complacent in this ACC Tournament. Duke already plays at a very slow pace, ranking 292nd in the nation in adjusted tempo. While the Blue Devils can suffocate teams and still win by a big margin, they don’t get into track meets where they run the other team out of the gym. Florida State is the team entering this game with positive momentum, having just won a game yesterday against Cal. Meanwhile, Duke has not played in five days.
When these teams met in the regular season, Florida State put up a great fight. It was very early in the ACC schedule, when the Seminoles were in the midst of their five-game losing streak. However, the game went down to the wire, with Duke winning 91-87. Duke is an elite defensive team, but gave up 22 points apiece to Robert McCray V and Chauncey Wiggins. Florida State also defended Cameron Boozer well, holding him to just 17 points. If the Seminoles even come close to replicating that performance, they will keep it within this big spread.
