UNC vs Florida State Odds, Lines, and Spread

• The North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4, 3-2 ACC) play the Florida State Seminoles (6-2, 2-1 ACC) at Noon EST on Saturday, January 16
• Both teams are coming off impressive wins the last time they hit the hardwood
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet, below

All eyes will be on Tallahassee when the North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4, 3-2 ACC) travel to Florida State (6-2, 2-1 ACC) to take on the Seminoles at Noon EST on Saturday.

North Carolina has now won two straight games after putting the screws on Syracuse 81-75 last Tuesday night. The Seminoles are coming off an absolute thrashing of their own as they crushed the North Carolina State Wolfpack 105-73 Wednesday.

The two teams have split their last four meetings with Florida State winning but not covering 65-59 the last time the schools met. The currents odds have the Seminoles favored by 3.5 points in this matchup.

North Carolina vs Florida State Odds

Odds as of January 15th at FanDuel.

North Carolina Is Rolling

2020 ended on a low note for the Tar Heels losing their first two games of ACC Conference play. But the new year has brought on a new North Carolina as they have now won three straight conference games. In their last game against Syracuse, their offense finally came alive scoring a season-high 81 points.

🔥 𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗘 🔥

Mando and G each recorded a double-double 🆚 Cuse#CarolinaFamily pic.twitter.com/oBusVizFfS

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 15, 2021

The Tar Heels went into the locker room tied despite holding a 10-point advantage at one point in the first half. They didn’t shoot the ball particularly well sinking only 40% of their attempts but they crushed Syracuse on the glass winning the rebound margin 43-28. Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot both recorded double-doubles in the game to pace the Tar Heels.

Florida State Shows No Mercy

Many wondered how Florida State would respond to not playing for more than two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak. It didn’t take long for the Seminoles to give a definitive answer to any questions asked. They absolutely slaughtered the North Carolina State Wolfpack 105-73 in a game that seemed to be over minutes after the opening tip.

Noles cross the century mark and cruise to a big win over NC State 🍢@FSUHoops | #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/Xue93tuBuV

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) January 14, 2021

The Seminoles are known for high scoring first halves as they are tied for 24th in the nation averaging 38.9 points in the opening half. They went in hyper-drive on the Wolfpack pouring in 57 first half points in a laugher. Rayquan Evans and Nathanael Jack both notched career-highs in points with 24 and 18 respectively in the winning effort.

Best Betting Angle

As impressive as Florida State’s win over North Carolina State was, it was certainly an outlier. The Seminoles shot the lights out going for 71% from the floor which included 67% of from three-point land. To add insult to injury, they hit all eleven free throw attempts as well. They are almost certain to come back to earth a little in this game. Especially considering they are playing a much better defensive team in North Carolina who ranks 17th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom.

Still, the Tar Heels are lacking on offense ranking 59th in the nation in offensive efficiency. They simply can’t shoot as evidenced by their 41.7% mark from the field which ranks 248th in the country. While it’s safe to assume Florida State takes a step back in the scoring department, they should have enough offense to get past a North Carolina team that struggles to score. Look for the Seminoles to cover this small number and continue to climb the ACC rankings.

Pick: Florida State -3.5 (-110)