The Florida State Seminoles must not be happy with the conference schedule-makers. Florida State started ACC play on the road against Duke on Saturday afternoon and now must face the other powerhouse that resides on Tobacco Road on Wednesday. If FSU cannot defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels, it will start conference play behind the eight ball with an 0-2 record.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, January 3, 2018, at 7 p.m. ET at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Maybe it will be good for the Tar Heels to leave the state of North Carolina for a little bit. North Carolina suffered a stunning loss at the hands of Wofford as a 25-point favorite in the Dean Dome two weeks ago, and nearly lost to Wake Forest as a 14-point favorite on Saturday. Overall this season, North Carolina is 8-5 ATS and four of its last six games have finished over the total.
Although the Seminoles ended up losing to Duke, they were in front of the number the whole time and covered with ease. FSU is one of the best teams in college basketball against the number and currently sits at 9-2 ATS. Defense has been the hallmark of this team, but the Seminoles have exploded for 90-plus in each of the last two games, pushing both over the total.
Matchup to Watch
Usually North Carolina has one of the top offenses in college basketball, but that has not been the case this season. Don’t get us wrong, this is still one of the best 20 or 25 offenses, yet something is missing compared to previous years.
The Tar Heels have been stalling out on offense all year long. Against Wake Forest on Saturday, the Demon Deacons were able to stop UNC’s guards from getting up the floor quickly. That led to UNC struggling to find points with its half-court offense.
UNC hit under 40 percent from the floor against Wake Forest and nearly lost the game because of another poor shooting performance. Now, the Tar Heels must face a Florida State defense that is much tougher and will harass their guards all game long. The Seminoles are ranked in the top 20 in terms of total defense according to Ken Pomeroy.
Player to Watch
Although Terance Mann is Florida State’s leading scorer, the person to keep an eye on in this one is Phil Cofer. Cofer hasn’t seen much playing time over the last two seasons in a crowded frontcourt, but has made the most of his senior season.
He saved his best for when it mattered on Saturday against Duke. Cofer was electric all game long and kept the Seminoles in it with his hot hand. On a day where Mann wasn’t at his best, Cofer went 11-16 from the field and 6-10 from three-point range.
If he can do the same thing against the Tar Heels, UNC will be in big trouble.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
For North Carolina to win this game, it is going to have to rely on its frontcourt to win the rebounding battle, and win it big. The Tar Heels only beat Wake Forest because they outrebounded the Demon Deacons by 15 on Saturday.
Florida State was not able to handle Duke’s big men in the paint, and the Blue Devils grabbed an incredible 23 offensive rebounds against the Seminoles. Luke Maye has to feel great about his chances against this frontcourt after seeing that. Look for North Carolina to pull out a close road win on the strength of its big men.
College Basketball Odds: North Carolina 77, Florida State 72
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