FSU Slight Favorite Over Louisville In Battle For ACC’s Top Spot

The ACC regular-season title could be decided on Monday when Florida State hosts Louisville. The Sportsbook moves into the driver’s seat for the conference, and recent history favors the Seminoles, who have won four of the last six matchups — including a 13-point win at Louisville earlier this season.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

In a battle between two of the top programs in the ACC (and the nation overall) and with games between these schools historically averaging a 3.25-point difference, Florida State opened as just a 2.5-point home favorite on Monday. The total has gone OVER in 10 of FSU’s 14 home games this season, and in six of Louisville’s nine road games, and the teams combined for 143 points in their previous meeting, so the total in this contest opened at 140.5 points.

Louisville News & Notes

The battle for first place in the ACC is extremely tight, with Louisville holding just a half-game lead over Duke and Florida State. A victory at Tallahassee would nearly secure the conference title for the Cardinals, while also bolstering their resume for the selection committee come tournament time.

The Cardinals may be forced to win this key road game without one of their top players as center, and second-leading scorer, Steven Enoch is questionable after leaving their last game after five minutes due to an ankle injury.

Louisville comes into Monday’s game having won five of its last seven on the road, but it will need to get over its mental block of not being able to beat Florida State. The Cardinals lost to the Seminoles earlier this season — at home — and have only beaten Florida State twice in their last six meetings.

Florida State News & Notes

Currently the No. 8 team in the nation, Florida State has already tied a school record with 13 wins within the ACC. While it is a virtual lock to break that record with four conference games remaining, notching a win on Monday has a little extra meaning.

Florida State has never won the ACC regular-season title, but a victory at home Monday over Louisville would put it in the driver’s seat to accomplish that very feat. The Seminoles go into the game 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games and have won 16 of their last 18 contests — with the losses coming on the road against Duke and Virginia.

Higher-scoring games have been the norm lately for the Seminoles, with the total going OVER in seven of their last 10 games.

Betting Pick: Florida State -2.5

A first ACC regular-season title is within Florida State’s grasp — it is playing great basketball, it is at home and Louisville has been inconsistent. I think that’s enough to give the Seminoles the edge.