FSU basketball: Noles underdogs on the road against Pittsburgh

FSU basketball (6-13, 4-4 ACC) is looking for back-to-back wins for only the second time this season when they travel to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers (13-6, 6-2 ACC).

FSU dispatched Notre Dame earlier this week to sweep the regular season series. Pittsburgh comes into the game off back-to-back wins over Georgia Tech and Louisville.

Oddsmakers have Pittsburgh as -8 betting favorites, with an over/under point total of 144. Those odds imply a 74-68 victory for the Panthers. Pittsburgh enters the game with four guys averaging double-digit points.

They average nearly 75 points per game and make 45 percent of their shots from the floor. Pittsburgh has two guys that shoot a ton of threes (Greg Elliot and Nelly Cummings) and makes 35 and 39 percent, respectively.

They are solid at the free throw line (75 percent) and average four blocks per game. The area where they may have the largest advantage is on the boards, where Pittsburgh averages 38 per game, compared to only 32 for FSU basketball per game.

The Noles will have to limit Pittsburgh from three-point range and avoid second-chance points for the Panthers.

They’ll need to knock three-point shots, and need to avoid careless turnovers that result in points for the opposing team. FSU basketball has had huge games from Matthew Cleveland this year, and he’ll be looking for his ninth consecutive double-double.

That feat hasn’t been done at FSU in over 50 years. Darin Green Jr. will need to continue to shoot it well from three-point land.

This game will be the third for freshman Baba Miller after his return to the lineup, so I look for him to get better and better with more experience. The game will air at 3 p.m. ET and will air on the ACC Network for those interested in watching.