FSU basketball: Noles enter UVA game near 10 point underdogs

FSU basketball (5-12, 3-3 ACC) looks to avenge an earlier loss against Virginia (12-3, 4-2 ACC). The Noles faced the Cavaliers in early December and lost a hard-fought contest by five points.

The game was closer than most thought, as the Noles were not playing good basketball. Despite their record, FSU has played better basketball and improved their record compared to the first matchup.

FSU basketball saw the season debut of freshman Baba Miller in their last outing against Wake Forest in a losing effort. FSU played well offensively, but the Demon Deacons were lights out from the three-point line in a 15-point win.

The Noles enter the game Saturday afternoon as +9.5 betting underdogs. The over/under points total is 131, which implies a 70-61 Cavalier win. Matthew Cleveland and Darrin Green Jr. were the leading scorers for the Noles in the last outing. Virginia was led by Jayden Gardner and Kihei Clark. Virginia’s pace keeps the game low-scoring, and they play solid defense.

The Noles only shot 32.8 percent from the floor in the first outing and were 6 of 18 from three-point range. FSU has been playing better offensively, albeit they don’t have much depth and tend to wear down late in games.

Baba Miller’s addition to the lineup should help, and I’d expect him to have a better game after getting some of those first-game jitters out of the way. Not to mention this game will take place in the Tucker Center.

FSU will need to avoid careless turnovers and shoot the ball much better than in the first matchup. The biggest difference in the first matchup was Virginia shooting 26 free throws and making 21.

Virginia has won four of their last five, and the Noles have won two of their last five. Can the Noles pull off the upset? The game will air on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. ET.