North Carolina vs Florida State 02/03/20 NCAA Basketball Betting Odds and Picks

The University of North Carolina Tar Heels head to the Donald L. Tucker Center to challenge the Florida State Seminoles on Monday, February 3, 2020.

North Carolina has lost six out of its last eight games played and they are looking to get back in the ACC picture as they have won just three of ten conference games played this season. Florida State is the 5th ranked team in the nation and they have an 8-2 record in the ACC. The Seminoles have won nine out of their last 10 games played. These teams played once last season with the Tar Heels emerging victorious at 77-59 in North Carolina.

Anthony Returns

Freshman star Cole Anthony returned to action after missing seven weeks following arthroscopic surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. But even the return of North Carolina’s leading scorer couldn’t prevent the Tar Heels from losing their 8th game in their last 10 outings.

Anthony scored 26 points off the bench in the loss to Boston College last Saturday night. He shot just 5-14 from the floor and 14-14 from the foul line to lead the Tar Heels. Brandon Robinson scored 12 points but he left the game with a sprained right ankle. Armando Bacot had 11 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina which shot just 22-61 from the floor against the Eagles.

North Carolina is averaging just 71.5 points per game this season. They are allowing their opponents to score 70.8 points per outing. The Tar Heels are ranked 5th in the NCAA in rebounding at 43.5 boards grabbed per contest. They are also averaging 14.5 assists per game this season.

Florida State Back on Track

The Florida State Seminoles won 10 straight games before losing to the Virginia Cavaliers 56-61 last January 29, 2020. Florida State got back on track with a solid 74-63 win over Virginia Tech to improve to 18-3 SU on the season and 8-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are one game behind conference leaders Louisville.

Devin Vassell led the Seminoles with a career-high 27 points on Saturday. He shot 8-10 from the floor and went 7-7 from behind the three-point arc. Vassell has scored in double digits in his last eight games played and is averaging 17.6 points per game during that period. The Seminoles shot 49% from the floor and 45% from three-point range against the Hokies.

The Seminoles are averaging 75.0 points per game and they are allowing opponents to score just 64.4 points per contest, 61st in the nation. Florida State is averaging 33.3 rebounds per game and they are putting up an average of 13.6 assists per contest. They are shooting 45.9% from the floor and 36.1% from the three-point area.

Who Wins?

North Carolina is 2-6 SU in their last eight games played. The Tar Heels are 1-4 SU in their last five games played on the road. Florida State is 11-1 SU in their last 12 games played. The Seminoles are 17-0 SU in their last 17 games played at home. Head to head, the Tar Heels are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played. Florida State is also just 2-8 SU in their last 10 home games against North Carolina.

The Tar Heels are looking to get back in the ACC picture. They are next to last in conference play and that’s mainly because they missed Cole Anthony for seven straight games. Anthony is back and although he looked rusty in his first game back, there is no question that he makes the Tar Heels a different team in this game.

Florida State has a very good team that has the ingredients to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament in March. They have a deep roster and they force more turnovers than any team in the ACC. They also have their star in Vassell and he has played well in his last eight games played.

I think this game is going to be closer than what the oddsmakers are saying. Cole Anthony makes North Carolina much better and while they lost their first game with him back, I think they will be more adjusted here and play better basketball than they did last weekend. I like the Seminoles to win though because they have a deeper team.

Prediction: Florida State Seminoles

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Other Bets to Make

The Tar Heels are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games played. North Carolina is 3-3 ATS in six road games played this season, and 3-6 ATS in their last nine games against the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seminoles are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. Florida State is 6-2 ATS in their last eight February games, and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games. Head to head, the Tar Heels are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Seminoles.

North Carolina lost a close game to Boston College despite playing with Cole Anthony. Anthony shot poorly but still managed to score 26 points. His teammates though spent most of the game just watching their freshman star do the work. I think that the Tar Heels play better here and with the rust off, I like North Carolina to give the 5th ranked team in the nation a good challenge. I expect the Seminoles to win but not by more than six points.

Prediction: North Carolina +9.5

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The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by North Carolina. The under is 2-4 in the Tar Heels’ six road games played this season, and 4-2 in their last six February games. The total has gone over in six out of the last eight games played by Florida State. The over is 7-3 in the Seminoles’ last 10 home games, and the over is 6-1 in their last seven games against the Atlantic Coast Conference. Head to head, the total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games between these two teams.

The Tar Heels ranked 70th in the nation in pace while Cole Anthony was out. Now that he’s back, I expect North Carolina to push the ball more and have more possessions. With their shooting woes, the Tar Heels have to play up-tempo basketball to have more shot attempts. The Seminoles shoot much better but this is a team that doesn’t mind playing fast at all. I like Cole Anthony to push the ball hard and Florida State will keep up with him and the Tar Heels. This one should be a high-scoring contest.

Prediction: Over 143.5

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