No. 9 Florida State Seminoles (+4,000 to win the national title) will have the unenviable task of playing against No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers (+1,000 to win the national title) in Charlottesville this coming Saturday. The ‘Noles better show up in that game in top form, as Virginia is known to make opponents bleed for points and wins against them. Will the Seminoles deal Virginia its first loss of the season? Or will the Cavaliers open their conference play schedule with another win against a ranked opponent?
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Betting Preview for the Florida State Seminoles vs. Virginia Cavaliers College Basketball Game on January 5, 2019
Where: John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville
When: Saturday, January 5, 2019, 3:00 PM ET
Line: Florida State Seminoles (odds) vs. Virginia Cavaliers (odds) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Florida State Seminoles (12-1 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
Since losing to the Villanova Wildcats on No. 26, the Seminoles have stitched together seven-straight games, though, those are mostly against soft competition. However, it’s unfair to gauge Florida State entirely because of that, as the Seminoles also have two wins so far this season against ranked opponents. They beat No. 19 LSU Tigers (79-76 OT) in a neutral court on Nov. 24 and No. 19 Purdue Boilermakers (73-72) on Nov. 29 – their rebound game from the loss to Villanova. Florida State is a high-scoring squad that averages 81.3 points per game — 33rd in Division I ball – but don’t expect the Seminoles to reach that mark against Virginia’s sturdy and consistent defense. This is why it’s crucial for Florida State to knock down its 3-pointers to loosen up the Cavs’ defense. The ‘Noles are shooting just 34.2 percent from deep this season, but have gone 18-for-40 from deep in their last two games, so that should keep them confident to hoist those long-range attempts.
The under is 3-0 in Florida State’s last three road games.
Betting on the Virginia Cavaliers (12-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
Forget everything you think of the Cavaliers after seeing them go down in the first round of last year’s national tournament. The fact is that Virginia remains a strong national championship contender, largely because of its defense that puts opponents on a chokehold. The Cavaliers arguably have the best defense in the nation. They are allowing just 51.4 points per game with opposing teams shooting just 37.6 percent. They don’t have a solid rim protection, but their pack-line defense make up for it by keeping opponents out of the paint and forcing them to take bad shots that result in low field-goal percentages. In their 100-64 home win over the Marshall Thundering Herd on Jan. 1, the Cavs limited their foes to only 35.1 percent shooting from the floor and just 27.3 percent from behind the arc. Don’t sleep on Virginia’s offense, though. It’s 34th in the nation with a 55.2 effective field goal percentage.
At home so far this season, the Cavaliers are 9-0 straight up (SU) and 6-3 against the spread (ATS).
Writer’s Prediction
Virginia wins, 71-64.
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