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FSU basketball: Noles are huge underdogs against Duke on the road

By Kelvin Hunt

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Patrick Williams #4 of the Florida State Seminoles dunks against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 21: Patrick Williams #4 of the Florida State Seminoles dunks against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at BB&T Center on December 21, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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FSU basketball returns to action in what is its biggest game to date. The Noles are huge underdogs on the road against Duke.

No. 8 FSU basketball (20-3, 10-2 ACC) got completed its regular season sweep over Miami Saturday with a 99-81 blowout win.

They’ll travel to Durham, NC, on short rest to take on No. 7 Duke (20-3, 10-2 ACC) in a battle for sole possession of second place in the ACC Conference.

The Blue Devils are coming off a hard-fought overtime victory over hated rival North Carolina late Saturday night.

That should be a positive for the Noles who played almost their entire team against Miami. Nevertheless, Cameron Indoor Stadium is a difficult place to play and Duke matches up well with their ability to penetrate.

Oddmakers have made the Noles sizable underdogs for two teams ranked so closely according to the Action Network:

Thoughts

I was surprised to see the line as high as it was, but it is a road game that’s tough to play in and Duke had nine players to play at least 10 minutes Saturday night against North Carolina.

The Blue Devils can put up points as they shoot the ball effectively, making 48 percent of their shots from the floor. They aren’t the typical Duke team that shoots a ton of three pointers like in past years.

They’re adept at penetrating with Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. is a force in the paint averaging nearly 18 points and nine rebounds per game.

Defensively, the Blue Devils average nine steals per game and nearly six blocks per game which is right there with the Noles.

FSU basketball will need to play an efficient game offensively and not take low percentage shots. They also need to crash the boards and not allow the Blue Devils any extra offensive possessions.

The good news is FSU is a much better shooting basketball team than North Carolina if it comes down to those. The game will air on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

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A win here means FSU basketball will control its destiny in the ACC with a matchup looming with Louisville in two weeks.

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