Las Vegas Dice

The Florida State Seminoles beat the North Carolina Tar Heels once this season. They defeated Duke as well, and they get a chance to take down the Blue Devils again. Can they?

Duke Blue Devils @ Florida State Seminoles – Thursday, February 23
Sports betting line: No line

20% Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up now at Bovada and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus.

Why Duke Will Win

When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, an appreciation of the odds is really the first and best place to start. Florida State snuck up on Duke in the first meeting of the season between these two teams. Nobody expected the Seminoles to go into Durham, North Carolina, and pull out a win inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke’s almost impregnable home arena. Yet, that’s exactly what the Seminoles did on a Michael Snaer three-pointer at the final buzzer. Florida State is having a terrific season, but the Seminoles lost to Boston College and Clemson in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. They experience many lulls and letdowns over the course of a 30-game slate, and they lost at home to Princeton earlier this season while also losing their other marquee non-conference contests in November and December.

It’s only in January that Florida State began to play well, and the Seminoles – who are unaccustomed to playing for ACC regular-season championships – are likely to feel the pressure of this moment far more than Duke, which has been through so many high-stakes battles over the years under Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski. It would be harder to think that Florida State could sweep Duke than to think that the Blue Devils will gain a season split. Pure odds stand in favor of Duke, not against it.

Why Florida State Will Win

The college basketball betting experts who follow the Atlantic Coast Conference are plainly aware of one very simple truth: Florida State plays up to the competition when it is facing a highly-credentialed foe, and down to the competition when it is facing a lower-tier team in the ACC. Florida State’s losses this season in the ACC have come against bottom-feeders, but the Seminoles have handled the best teams, beating both North Carolina and Duke. This game is on FSU’s home floor in Tallahassee, Florida, giving coach Leonard Hamilton’s squad yet one more occasion in which to gather its emotions and play a high-energy game in front of an amped-up home crowd. Florida State is in position to play well in this game, and it is likely to throw a strong defensive effort at the Blue Devils, a team that can easily fall into bad habits at the offensive end of the floor. Duke sometimes slips into a pattern marked by a lot of deep three-pointers within a context of one-on-one play and an unwillingness to rotate the ball around the perimeter. Duke can be impatient, and if the Blue Devils exhibit that trait, Florida State not only can, but will, take advantage.

Who Will Win

The odds will likely have the final say here. Duke will likely play a more focused, determined and airtight brand of ball. Florida State will put up a good fight, but Duke should prevail and get a split of the season series.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Duke

20% Sports Welcome Bonus: Sign up now at Bovada and deposit for your 20% Free Bet Bonus.

Online Betting