Duke vs Florida State Picks and Odds

• The Duke Blue Devils (3-2) travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to take on the Florida State Seminoles (5-2) at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center at 8:00 PM ET on Saturday, Jan. 2nd
• The Seminoles have lost two of their last three games while Duke won their most recent contest
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet, below

Two ranked teams will take the floor Saturday Night when the Duke Blue Devils visit the Florida State Seminoles. Duke is coming off a long layoff being that their last game was a 75-65 win against Notre Dame over two weeks ago. Florida State’s last game was a 77-67 loss at the hands of the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday Night.

The Blue Devils have dominated the series winning each of the last five matchups although Florida State has covered four of those five games. The current odds show Florida State is favored by 1.5 points in this matchup.

Duke vs Florida State Odds

Odds as of January 1st at FanDuel

Duke is Still Duke

The Blue Devils have experienced all kinds of Covid-19 related problems which has caused them to postpone or cancel five of their games so far this season. This will be the first time they have taken the floor since December 16 against Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Even with the seemingly constant interruptions, they are still the 14th best team in the country according to KenPom. They looked the part in their win over the Irish in a game that was not as close as the final score made it seem.

After a refreshing win over Notre Dame, @DukeMBB rose one spot in the rankings to garnish the No. 20 position. Read the full breakdown of this week's AP Poll: https://t.co/UPCWxMID4x

— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) December 21, 2020

After losing two of their three previous games, the Blue Devils finally looked like themselves on the road against a conference opponent. Standout Matthew Hurt led the team in scoring as he has done all season with 18 points. The sophomore also contributed with five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. As long as they have Hurt, this team can play with anyone in the country.

Florida State is Struggling

The Seminoles started the season on fire with four straight wins with two coming against Florida and Indiana. They had the look of a national powerhouse but that train has slowed down a bit in the three games since. UCF blew them out at home about a week before Christmas, then ten days later they were big-timed by Clemson 77-67 on the road. Clemson went to the free throw line 33 times while the Seminoles only took nine trips which contributed to the loss.

Thanks in part to a 24-6 edge in made free throws, the Clemson men's basketball team knocks off No. 18 Florida State, 77-67, on Tuesday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. https://t.co/bawPKx0xA9

— Warchant.com (@Warchant) December 30, 2020

The Seminoles looked great in the first half jumping out to a 34-29 lead at the half. Then the wheels completely fell off as they couldn’t keep Clemson from scoring. Clemson raced out of the locker rooms after halftime on a 13-4 run and never looked back.

Best Betting Angle

Both of these two teams play defense which is why the total is so low. Duke is currently 14th in the nation in defensive efficiency while Florida State is 31st in the latest KenPom rankings. Although, neither team has played anyone’s idea of a top tier offense yet this season.

This one could and should come down to pace. Both teams play at an adjusted tempo of at least 70.6 which puts them both in the top half of the nation in terms of possessions per game. The Seminoles have been able to put up at least 67 points in every game so far this season but most of the teams they have played don’t go as quick as the Blue Devils. If Florida State can keep this one close, which they should be able to do, then this game will fly over the total.

Pick: Over 144.5 (-115)