Florida State Seminoles at No. 12 Florida Gators
Thursday, 12/22/11, 7:00 PM EST, TV: ESPNU
Opening Point Spread: Florida -8
Current Betting Line: Florida -8
Opening Total: 137
Current Total: 136
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Florida State has won three of its last five games against Florida and travels to Gainesville on a three-game winning streak. The Seminoles are led by their defense once again this year, holding opponents to 34.2 percent shooting, which is actually lower than their 36.3 percent mark from a year ago. It’s important to note that most of the program’s most impressive work has occurred in Tallahassee, posting a 1-3 record on the road. Florida State is 0-4 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points the last two-plus seasons.
The Seminoles are led offensively by All-American candidate Michael Snaer, who has scored in double figures in a career-high seven consecutive games. He is averaging 14.0 points and 4.7 rebounds a game. Florida State is the third winningest program in the ACC in the last four years and has averaged 23.3 wins per season over that span. As mentioned before, the team’s defensive effort is spectacular, holding 109 of its last 111 opponents below 50 percent shooting from the field.
Florida is 9-6 against Florida State under head coach Billy Donovan and is going for its 12th consecutive win inside the O’Connell Center, posting a 5-0 mark inside the venue already during the 2011-12 campaign. The Gators are scoring 86.1 points per game, which has been made possible by averaging 11.2 three-point makes a contest. All five starters scored in double figures in the team’s last effort, handing Mississippi Valley State an 82-54 defeat. Florida shot a season-best 83.3 percent from the charity stripe and is 11-17 ATS at home the last two-plus seasons.
The Gators are more than a three-point shot, out-rebounding their opponents in 10 of 11 games. Florida will look for junior guard Kenny Boynton to lead the way offensively, averaging 18.7 points per game. He comes in as the second-leading scorer in the SEC and has gone over the 20-point mark six times this season. Senior Erving Walker joins him in the backcourt and both were named preseason second-team conference selections. He will look to have a better game against the Seminoles than his previous three tries, averaging just 8.0 points on 30 percent shooting.
Bettors will likely back the Gators due to their 3-0 ATS mark against ACC opponents, while the Seminoles are 7-12 ATS as an underdog.
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