When Florida State and Virginia squared off almost two weeks ago, the teams combined for 104 points. With the total going UNDER in eight of their last nine matchups, and an Sportsbook total of 115, should bettors look at the UNDER again on Tuesday?
- Date/Time: January 28, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: John Paul Jones Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Virginia -1 | O/U 115
- Florida State vs Virginia Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers opened as just 1-point home favorites, making this essentially a pick’em game. They are facing the fifth-ranked team in the country, but considering they lost by just four points to the Seminoles two weeks ago on the road, it’s understandable that they get the slight nod on their own home court. These teams combined for 104 points in that January 15 game, but over their last 10 meetings they have averaged about 116 points per game, so an Sportsbook total of 115 points seems right on par.
Florida State News & Notes
The Seminoles are up to No. 5 in the national rankings and are riding a 10-game SU win streak following their 85-84 win over Notre Dame on Saturday. Florida State is 17-2 on the season, and 7-1 in ACC games, but for a highly ranked program they are not winning many games authoritatively, covering the spread just three times in their last nine games.
Florida State is the second-highest scoring team in the conference and does a lot of damage from the free-throw line, where the Seminoles are shooting 77 percent as a team this season, which is tops in the ACC and 16th in the country.
The Seminoles are also looking for the season sweep against Virginia, as they held serve at home with a 54-50 win on January 15. But with forward Patrick Williams, who is fourth on the team in scoring, questionable with a toe injury, things will be a little bit tougher for Florida State on Tuesday.
Virginia News & Notes
Another day, another game for Virginia where its defense is stellar … but the offense continues to struggle mightily.
The Cavaliers managed to come away with a win on Sunday, topping Wake Forest 65-63. It marked just the second time in five games that they’ve broken the 60-point threshold and tied their season high for points this season — which isn’t that great considering this game went to overtime.
Virginia has the country’s No. 1-ranked defense but is the third-lowest scoring team in the country and the worst in offensive pace. It’s resulted in the Cavaliers going 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games and covering the spread in just one of their last six at John Paul Jones Arena.
It’s safe to expect another low-scoring affair on Tuesday as well, as the total has gone UNDER in eight of the last nine meetings between Virginia and Florida State, including their previous meeting nearly two weeks ago, when they combined for just 104 points.
Betting Pick: UNDER 115
These teams love playing each other to the UNDER and their last meeting totaled 104 points … at Florida State. With this game in Virginia, I expect the defense to be even stingier, so I’ll take the UNDER.
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Virginia’s last 5 home games vs Florida State.
- Florida State is 14-3 ATS in its last 17 games played on a Tuesday.
- Virginia is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
