FSU basketball: Noles look to keep it rolling against Georgia Tech

FSU basketball (10-2, 6-1 ACC) has won five consecutive games since we’ve entered the new year.

The Noles dominated the Miami Hurricanes to claim their sixth straight win in the series and turn their attention to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5, 3-3 ACC).

FSU already bested the Yellow Jackets 74-61 in their fourth game of the season. It was coming out game for freshman Scottie Barnes.

Georgia Tech has been a mixed bag as of late, losing their last two games against Duke and Virginia after wins over UNC, Wake Forest, and Clemson.

Although the Noles beat Georgia Tech by double digits in their first meeting, they are only -4.5 betting favorites according to the Action Network.

The over/under total is 143.5, which means oddsmakers expect FSU to win 74-70. ESPN’s FPI gives the Noles a 61.4 percent of winning the game.

FSU basketball has been playing lights out, but there’s a reason the Noles are not huge betting favorites. Georgia Tech gave Duke and Virginia all they could handle and matchup well with the Noles.

FSU will need to compete hard on the boards and avoid the sloppy turnovers that plagued them against Miami. Georgia Tech can shoot it well from beyond-the-arc, and they are solid from the free-throw line while averaging 77.8 points per game.

The difference in the first game was FSU’s three-point shooting and offensive efficiency overall. The Noles shot 52 percent compared to 43 percent for the Yellow Jackets. Despite that difference, it was only a four-point lead for the Noles with 7:26 left in the game.

If the Noles play as sloppy as they did against Miami, this is a game the Noles could easily lose. It’s easy to get complacent after playing at a high level while going up against a team you’ve already beaten.

We saw the Noles play down to their level of competition at times against Miami. Can they avoid it against Georgia Tech? We’ll be live tweeting the game on Twitter and hope to have you join us!