Duke vs. Florida State Prediction: Blue Devils Try To Stay Hot Against Seminoles

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is quickly approaching. Every game matters down the final stretch of the season. 

The Duke Blue Devils will travel for the first time in three games to face the Florida State Seminoles. Duke is proving to be a powerhouse in the NCAA and should be a contender down the stretch.

The Blue Devils come into this matchup with a 19-5 record and look to win their fourth consecutive game. Duke is currently the ninth-ranked team in the country. The Blue Devils also rank second overall in the Atlanta Coast Conference standings. 

Florida State has won just 13 of their 25 total games this season and are losing hope to make it into the tournament. The Seminoles are sitting in eighth place in the ACC with a 7-6 record. 

Florida State will look to put a damper on the Blue Devils' late-season success. They must execute perfectly to have a chance to win. 

Duke is looking to add to their 11th conference win of the season and their 20th overall win, so don’t expect the Seminoles to hold them back. 

Here, we will break down the game and our best bets for Duke vs Florida State.

Duke vs. Florida State Betting Odds for Friday, Feb. 17

Duke is favored by 5.5 on the road. The Blue Devils are 4-3 as visitors this season. However, they are 4-1 in their last five road games. 

Florida State is 7-6 at home which speaks to how their season has developed. They are just 2-3 in their last five games at home, and have been an average program.

This line seems extremely low given the talent disparities between the two teams. The Blue Devils are also -225 on the moneyline. 

Duke needs this win to stay toward the top of the ACC and they should find a way to win. However, Florida State will look to play spoiler against one of the best teams in the conference. 

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The Blue Devils have been one of the best teams in America all season. They come into this matchup with a 73.7% chance to win against the Seminoles, according to the ESPN matchup predictor. 

Duke currently is the ninth-ranked team in the country and second behind UNC in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With this win and a North Carolina loss to Virginia Tech, they would move into first and potentially. It could also propel them into the national top five. 

The Blue Devils average the 41st most points in the country with 80.4 per game. They’re also a good passing team that’s physical in the paint. Duke wipes the Seminoles out in every category besides steals per game. 

There has been very little defense played for Florida State up to this point in the season. They currently sit at 262nd in the country in total defense, allowing 75 points per game.

Neither team is great from the line, as they’re both shooting under 72%. This is a reason FSU has been bad and one of the biggest differentiators keeping Duke out of the top five nationally. 

The Blue Devils are led by Kyle Filipowski. Filipowski averages almost 17.5 points per game and leads the team in both points and rebounds per contest. While this game will not nearly be the most challenging of the season, his skills should shine throughout the night. 

Jamir Watkins has led the Seminoles this season and continues to impress. The junior leads Florida State in points, rebounds, and assists. He will need to have his best game of the season to topple the Blue Devils. 

Duke vs. Florida State Prediction and Betting Pick

The experts expect this game to remain close, but for Duke to pull out a tight win. 

We also believe Duke will be victorious in this matchup. However, we think that it will be a much bigger win for the Blue Devils than the spread suggested. 

Duke has definitely had their problems this season. However, the Seminoles don’t have the team to compete for 40 minutes. 

Duke Blue Devils vs Florida State Pick: Duke Blue Devils -5.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

How to Watch Duke vs. Florida State

• When: Saturday, Feb. 17th @ 2:00 PM ET

• Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida

• TV: ESPN

• Streaming: ESPN +

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