Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the No. 9 seed, California, faces No. 8 Florida State in the second round of the ACC tournament. The winner of this contest faces the No. 1 seed, the Duke Blue Devils, in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12. Florida State beat California in its first matchup of the season on January 28.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Florida State is a -3.5-point favorite while California is a +154 underdog on the moneyline in this contest. Here is my best bet for tonight’s Florida State-California contest.
California vs. Florida State (7:00 p.m. ET)
Since their first matchup, Florida State has gone 8-2 in its previous 10 contests, while California is 6-4 in that span. Florida State has three players averaging double-digit points and scores 79.9 as a team. Robert McCray V, Chauncey Wiggins, and Lajae Jones are the three Seminoles scoring at least 10 points per game. Wiggins is coming off a tremendous 31-point performance against SMU on March 7.
California enters this game after losing to Wake Forest 80-73 on March 7. The Golden Bears’ offense has been inconsistent at times this season, making it tough for them to compete with above-average teams. Dai Dai Ames is Cal’s best player, averaging 16.9 points per contest. Ames scored 31 points in his last game against Wake Forest, but recorded 18, 11, and two points before that.
On KenPom, Florida State is No. 65 while California is No. 71. FSU’s offensive rating is 69th while California’s is 106th. The Golden Bears have the better defensive rating, as theirs ranks 42nd, while the Seminoles rank 79th. In their first matchup, it was a defensive game, with FSU winning 63-61 as both teams struggled on offense. Cal is 4-4 in their last eight, with all of their losses in that span coming by at least four points. Florida State has won six of its last seven, and five victories have been by four-plus points.
