As of late afternoon Monday, FanDuel had Syracuse (11-5 straight up, 8-8 against the spread) installed as an 8.5-point home favorite for Tuesday’s ACC showdown vs. Florida State.
Adrian Autry’s team has won five of its last six games with four wins by double-digit margins and five by at least eight points, including Saturday’s 83-72 win at Pitt and last Tuesday’s 82-72 win at Ga. Tech. Sophomore forward Donnie Freeman was the catalyst against the Panthers with 22 points and five rebounds. He made 8-of-13 field-goal attempts and all three of his free throws.
Senior guard J.J. Starling added 19 points, four rebounds and four assists compared to only one turnover. He buried 7-of-11 FGAs and 3-of-4 launches from 3-point range.
Freeman is averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game. He’s hit 51.2 percent of his FGAs, 38.8 percent of his treys and 78.6 percent of his free throws.
The Orange own a notable 62-60 home win over Tennessee, which is ranked #19 at KenPom. Four of The ‘Cuse’s five losses have come against foes ranked inside of KenPom’s Top 30, including a 78-74 overtime loss vs. #10 Houston on a neutral court.
FSU (7-9 SU, 7-9 ATS) is 0-3 SU and 1-2 ATS in three road assignments, losing 79-66 at UNC, 97-69 at Dayton and 78-76 at Florida. The Seminoles are mired in a 2-8 slump both SU and ATS, losing by margins of 13 points or more six times, including Saturday’s 113-69 home loss vs. NC St.
They’ve won two games since breaking bread on Thanksgiving Day, beating #365 Mississippi Valley St. (that’s dead last place nationally) and #310 Jacksonville.
FSU is 0-8 in its eight games against teams ranked in KenPom’s Top 75 (‘Cuse is #60). Six of those eight defeats have been by 13 points or more.
PREDICTION: Let’s risk 2.2 units to win two on ‘Cuse -8.5 vs. FSU.