The 11th ranked Louisville Cardinals will peck at their 8th ranked Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rival Florida State Seminoles this final Monday of February. Louisville may boast a 72.3 all-time win percentage over Florida State, but the last time these two met (January 4, 2020) the Seminoles won by 13-points. Going into the game, NCAAB Futures price Louisville at +1900 to win the 2020 Tournament while Florida State is listed with less favorable odds to win the Championship, at +2800.
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Betting Preview for the Louisville Cardinals vs Florida State Seminoles NCAA College Basketball Game on February 24 2020
Where: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, Tallahassee, Florida
When: Monday, February 24, 2020, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Louisville Cardinals (Odds) vs. Florida State Seminoles (Odds) – view all 2020 NCAAB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Louisville Cardinals (23-5 Overall / 14-3 Conference)
Louisville is coming off of their win over the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. They led 36-23 at the half and didn’t look, closing out the game 72-55. Forwards Jordan Nwora and Malik Williams put in 18 and 17-points respectively, while guard David Johnson chipped in with 9-points of his own.
In January’s 78-65 loss to Florida State, Louisville was outmatched in shooting, hitting 38.7% from the field compared to their opponent’s 55.2% tally, and going an admirable 42.1% from beyond the arc only to fall to the Seminoles’ 47.8%. While the Cardinals shot better from 3-point range than they normally do, their field goal average on the season is 45.6% so don’t expect them to miss as many against the Seminoles as they did just after the New Year. Louisville performed better in key areas in their last meeting with Florida State, however. The Cardinals out-rebounded FSU 37-31 and gave up three fewer turnovers. Louisville averages 75.4 points this season so again, look for a more aggressive offensive performance against FSU this Monday.
When playing on the road so far this season, Louisville is 4-4-1 against the spread (ATS), and 10-10-1 ATS after a win, covering 50% of the time on both accounts.
Betting on the Florida State Seminoles (23-4 Overall / 13-3 Conference)
Florida State is also coming off of a Saturday victory, taking down the NC State Wolfpack. NC State led 32-27 at the half, but FSU took over in the second and rode the momentum through to a 67-61 win. It was a modest yet fairly even offensive effort for FSU, with scoring spread out between guards M.J. Walker (12-points), Devin Vassell (11-points), and Trent Forest (10-points) along with forward Malik Osborne (9-points). Patrick Williams came off the bench to offer 12-points of his own.
When the Seminoles defeated the Cardinals 78-65 back in January they played above par with how Tallahassee’s ACC basketball rep has played all season. They currently average 75.6 points and 35 rebounds with a 45.8 field goal percentage and a 36.4% three-point percentage. If they brought those stats to that last game they would not have claimed a win. The good news for this Monday however, is that on paper they are a near identical match to their opponent in the same categories. What will be the difference maker? FSU has the edge over Louisville when it comes to steals (averaging 9.1 per game to 5.2) and shots blocked (averaging 5.6 to 2.8) and have fewer turnovers to boot.
When playing in Tallahassee so far this season, Florida State is 6-8 ATS, and 10-11 ATS after a win, covering just 47.6% of the time.
Writer’s Prediction
Florida State takes another regular season victory over Louisville, winning 78-72.
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