FSU basketball: Noles enter Pittsburgh game as solid favorites

No. 16 FSU basketball (12-3, 8-2 ACC) had a change in their schedule for Saturday’s game. The Noles originally had Virginia Tech traveling to Tallahasse, but will now travel to Pittsburgh (9-8, 5-7 ACC).

The schedule change is a result of the ACC’s decision to make up games set early in the season. The Noles originally had Pittsburgh on the schedule when they had to postpone games during their first two-week layoff after the Clemson loss.

FSU experienced a second two-week layoff due to COVID-19 and have won two consecutive games, including their biggest win against No. 7 Virginia in their last outing.

Pittsburgh has lost their last three games and six of their last seven. The Noles come into the game as solid betting favorites at -6.5, according to the Action Network.

The over/under total is 147, which means oddsmakers have FSU winning 77-70. FSU matches up well with the Panthers as they don’t shoot it well overall, the three-point line, or free-throw line.

However, they  average 6.1 steals, and the Noles can’t afford to be sloppy with the ball on offense. The Panthers crash the boards well, as 48 percent of their rebounds are on the offensive end.

FSU can’t allow them too many second chances. The last time the Noles traveled to Pittsburgh, the referees were awful, and hopefully, that will not be the case this time.

FSU is the superior team, but the question is, which team will show up Saturday? The team that shows up against ranked opponents, or the one that goes through the motions when playing a team they are supposed to beat?

I know FSU basketball fans want to crown them as one of the elite teams in the nation, and at times they have played like it. However, elite teams consistently bury teams like Pittsburgh.

Here’s to hoping the Noles show up ready to play. The game will air on the ACCNX channel, with tipoff slated for 4 p.m.