Wake Forest vs Florida State Odds
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -105 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | -160 |
| Florida State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -115 | 150.5 -110o / -110u | +135 |
We head out to Tallahassee, Florida, for an ACC Tuesday evening clash. The Florida State Seminoles will host the red-hot Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Demon Deacons are the talk of the ACC, as many did not expect this team to be playing so well without star guard Damari Monsanto. They've won an impressive 9 in a row.
As for the 'Noles, they've played solid basketball in victories over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech over their last couple of games. Leonard Hamilton's team should be inspired to put up a strong effort at home against this red-hot Deacons team.
Here's Wake Forest vs. Florida State odds and a pick for Tuesday.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The Deacons won a thriller at home against the Hurricanes in overtime, as they recovered from blowing a 7-point halftime lead.
You should know I've been high on Wake Forest since the pre-season. I can't wait to see this offense when Monsanto returns to the lineup, which appears to be in the next week or so.
But for this matchup, this appears to be a sleepy spot for the Deacons that I'm a bit weary about.
After rattling off nine wins in a row, they're coming off arguably their best win of the season, which usually results in a bit of a letdown. Although the Noles have been playing much better basketball lately, this is easily a game that I can see the Deacons sleepwalking.
With Virginia on deck, this is a prototypical sandwich spot. If the Deacons are real, they will enter the Tucker and win this game without issues.
Per the metrics, they're the better team. The Deacons enter this game 23rd and 83rd in offensive and defensive efficiency, respectively.
Cameron Hildreth, Kevin Miller, and Hunter Sallis have been an unbelievable trio nearly unstoppable on offense. Since big man Efton Reid entered the fold, they've been a much better interior defensive team.
Their defense will need to step up in this game, considering the 'Noles are the tallest team in the nation. That will put the Deacons behind the 8-ball in the rebounding department, and they may sometimes struggle to get clean shots off inside.
What I like about this matchup is that the Noles continue to be extra aggressive on the defensive end of the floor, which has caused them to foul a lot more than they would like to. Wake is 5th in the country in free-throw percentage, shooting 80% as a team.
I still think Wake can win this game because of their talent advantage, but they better be careful not to get caught sleeping at the wheel. This could be a lot closer contest than one would think due to the abovementioned circumstances.
Florida State Seminoles
It's not a surprise that this Noles team is outperforming pre-season expectations. Leonard Hamilton is that big of an impact. He may be entering his mid-70s, but Hamilton is still one of the game's best coaches in the country.
What this matchup comes down to, in my eyes, is if the Noles can win the rebounding battle and hit their open looks from deep. Thanks to the aforementioned Reid patrolling the interior, they won't be able to score much inside, but I think this group will be able to find some success from the outside.
Guard Darin Green has been a huge reason they've generated offense, as he's shooting 41% from downtown. The rest of the starters have yet to get going from deep, but they are facing a Deacons team that is 190th nationally in opposing 3-point shooting.
The Noles will be able to generate some second chances on the offensive end by utilizing their length and athleticism. Still, they will have to capitalize when they earn those opportunities. They will also have to do a better job from the charity stripe, especially since they've been able to generate a lot of attempts from that area.
They've done a great job at creating turnovers and disruption on the defensive end of the floor, and they will need to continue that trend against this red-hot Deacons team. We should see a strong effort from this defense that will, at the very least, keep this a close contest until the end.
I have some concerns about their perimeter defense against this Deacons team, but overall, I think they'll be able to cause some discomfort with their length. Also, this Noles team has had a decently stricter schedule thus far than the Deacons, so we could see a much more leveled playing field here.
Wake Forest vs. Florida State
Betting Pick & Prediction
As much as I love this Deacons team, the right side in this game is the Noles. I think this is a terrible spot for Wake, and they have somewhat of a look-ahead spot against Virginia on Saturday.
The market, unfortunately, has built this in, as the Noles are only 3.5-point dogs at home. But this convinces me that the Noles can not only cover this number but also pull off the upset.
If the Noles can take care of business on the glass, they should generate enough second-scoring chances to keep this competitive. I expect their defense to prevent scoring inside, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some zone to slow down these Deacons shooters from the outside.
Green is primed to have a big day from the outside, so combining that with their length and size should put them over the edge to generate some offense.
Give me the Noles here in a great spot at home.
Pick: Florida State +3.5 | Play to +2.5
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