The Virginia Cavaliers (11-4) travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to battle the Florida State Seminoles (14-2) in a 7 p.m. ET tilt Wednesday at Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. We analyze the Virginia-Florida State odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.
Virginia at Florida State: Three things you need to know
1. The defending national champion Cavaliers lost to Boston College Jan. 7 and then to Syracuse Saturday. Both games were upsets, and UVA hadn’t lost consecutive games since the 2017-18 season.
2. Virginia faces the tough task of trying to rebound from those losses against a strong Seminoles team which has been wearing down foes with their balance and depth. Florida State has won seven straight games. Although not always covering the spread, the ‘Noles have been winning big at home – their average margin of victory in their last five home-court wins is 16.4 points.
3. The last time Virginia logged an effective field-goal mark – a measure of overall shooting accuracy, accounting for the extra point from 3-point range – under 40% in back to back games was in February of 2017. Against then No. 10 Duke ad No. 2 North Carolina. UVA’s last two games were that much of an anomaly.
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Virginia at Florida State: Odds, betting lines and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Florida State 61, Virginia 57
Moneyline (ML)
There was no moneyline listed at the time of publishing.
Against the Spread (ATS)
Virginia has disappointed and faltered its way into a nice price. UVA will likely take enough care of the basketball and defend its way into a two-score game. The VIRGINIA (+6.5, -110) line is a profitable one. Florida State is 1-3 ATS over its last four at home. The Seminoles’ normal free-throw advantage gets mitigated here by a UVA squad which doesn’t permit many looks from the charity stripe. A reasonable approximation of what Virginia was doing three, four and five games back benefits those taking the underdog here … because we’re getting a point spread inflated by the Cavaliers’ recent two – and it might be a number to jump on before it heads to five.
Over/Under (O/U)
Both defenses are top-notch, and that makes for a low number here. Play for a bounceback in the Virginia offense and a spiraling back-and-forth affair creating a total closer to 120. Take the OVER 113 (-110).
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