Florida State vs South Carolina Picks and Odds (Dec. 12)
- Florida State (5-3) takes on South Carolina (6-2) Sunday, December 12th, at noon ET in Rock Hill
- The Seminoles are coming off a 63-60 loss to Syracuse last Saturday, while the Gamecocks beat Georgetown 80-65 last Sunday
- See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions
The Florida State Seminoles (5-3) — who had their 25-game homecourt winning streak in ACC play snapped the last time out — aim to get back on track after a week-plus layoff against the South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2) Saturday in the No Room for Racism Classic at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center. Tip off is at noon pm ET on ESPN2.
Florida State enters the contest as favorites according to oddsmakers and KenPom predicts the ‘Noles will win 71-67.
Florida State vs South Carolina Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread at DraftKings | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | TBD | -5 (-105) | O 137.5 (-110) |
| South Carolina | TBD | +5 (-115) | U 137.5 (-110) |
Odds as of December 11th 2021.
Leonard Hamilton’s team held the Orange’s leading scorer, Buddy Boeheim, to just six points in FSU’s three-point loss to the ‘Cuse. But Malik Osborne and Florida State’s leading scorer, Caleb Mills, each missed potentially game-tying 3’s in the closing seconds and Syracuse prevailed.
Wilden Leveque — one of three South Carolina players averaging in double-digits this season — scored 14 points to lead Frank Marin’s club over the Hoyas. Nine South Carolina players scored in the 15-point victory.
Chopping Expectations
Hamilton has built one of the better programs not only in the ACC, but in the country, over the last few years. The Seminoles were a No. 4 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, won the 2020 ACC Tournament before COVID wiped out the Big Dance, were a No. 4 seed again last year and picked to finish second in the conference this season behind a loaded Duke squad.
But the ‘Noles has stumbled out of the blocks in 2021-22, beating inferior teams and losing to equal-to-superior ones. The latest defeat was in the ACC opener.
Mills, a sophomore guard, is scoring 12.6 points per game to lead FSU. He’s connected on 40% from distance this season and 78.6% from the foul line. If Hamilton can get the Mills of recent vintage — he’s averaging 14.4 points over the last five — the Seminoles should be in good shape. He has help, too.
Osborne, a 6-foot-9 forward, is putting 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
The ‘Noles are rated 37th overall by KenPom and are particularly efficient on the defensive end, rating 17th in defensive turnover percentage, 14 in defensive block percentage and 8th in defensive steal percentage.
Hamilton’s club has yet to meet the lofty expectations it had at the season’s outset due to inexperience and injuries. But a win Sunday could help change that.
Being Frank
The best of Coach Martin’s teams have always taken on his personality: hard-nosed, aggressive and exceeded expectations. The 2017 Final Four team is the prime example of that. If the 2021-22 group wants to make a deep run in March, it needs to keep doing what it’s doing.
Senior leadership has been on display for the Gamecocks this season, as Erik Stevenson, Jermaine Couisnard and James Reese V have collectively scored 45% of the team’s points so far. Stevenson leads the group, putting up 12.3 points per game, with Couisnard right behind him at 12.1 per contest.
The Gamecocks were picked to finish 11th in the SEC preseason poll and they are currently sitting in the 12th slot (at No. 102 overall) by KenPom. The club owns solid wins over UAB, Wofford and Georgetown — but disappointing losses to Princeton and Coastal Carolina.
The Pick
Ball control could play a big factor in this one, as the Seminoles have forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 25.1% of all possessions (30th in Division I). Meantime, South Carolina has turned the ball over on 21.5% of its possessions (299th, nationally).
Florida State has underwhelmed thus far, but are starting to gel and get healthy. South Carolina has slightly exceeded expectations and have some quality victories.
But Sunday’s tilt — with Florida State’s superior pedigree — feels like an FSU victory.
Pick: Florida State -5 (-105)
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Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
