Teams looking to stay unbeaten on the season clash when the Florida Gators take on the 20th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Saturday. After beating Army by seven in the opener, the Gators (3-0) have posted wins by 20 and 46 points over Boston College and Stetson, respectively. The Seminoles (2-0) walloped North Florida 86-58 before outlasting Indiana in overtime, 69-67, on Wednesday. FSU has won six straight games in the series, including a 63-51 triumph last year at Gainesville, Fla.
Tip-off from Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla., is set for 11 a.m. ET. Florida leads the all-time series 43-28, including an 18-13 edge in games played at Florida State. The Seminoles are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Florida vs. Florida State odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 140. Before making any Florida State vs. Florida picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. It's also off to a fast start in the 2020-21 season, going 5-1 on all its top-rated picks and returning over $400. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Florida vs. FSU. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for FSU vs. Florida:
- Florida vs. Florida State spread: Florida State -2.5
- Florida vs. Florida State over-under: 140 points
- UF: Five Gators scored in double figures in a 90-70 win over Boston College on Dec. 3
- FSU: The Seminoles are 67-3 at home since the end of the 2015-16 season
Why Florida can cover
Under coach Mike White, the Gators have 15 wins of 20 or more points against power conference opponents, with nine coming in neutral or road games. Junior forward Keyontae Johnson leads Florida in scoring and is one of four Gators scoring in double figures. Johnson is averaging 19.7 points, six rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals. He is hitting 63.9 percent of his field goals, including 50 percent of his 3-pointers. He is also connecting on 76.9 percent of his free throws.
Also powering Florida is sophomore guard Tre Mann, who is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 62.5 percent of 3-pointers. Mann is also averaging 3.3 rebounds and four assists. He is also deadly at the free throw line, connecting on 84.6 of his attempts. Last season, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 29 appearances, including four starts.
Why Florida State can cover
The Seminoles are coming off an ACC regular-season championship in 2019-20, when they finished 16-4, one game ahead of Virginia, Louisville and Duke. Freshman point guard Scottie Barnes is off to a fast start to his career and banked in a running shot with 1.8 seconds left in overtime on Wednesday to lead the Seminoles past Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Barnes is averaging 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and two steals per game. Against the Hoosiers, he scored nine points, dished out five assists and recorded four steals.
Also making an impact is senior guard M.J. Walker. Walker is averaging a team-high 18 points per game, hitting 91.7 percent of his free throws and 45.5 percent of his 3-point shots. Walker is also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He earned All-ACC honorable mention honors as a sophomore.
How to make Florida vs. Florida State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total. In fact, it says Florida's Tyree Appleby will score more than five points over his average, while Florida State's Scottie Barnes will top his average by three points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Florida State vs. Florida? And which side of the spread that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Florida vs. Florida State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up nearly $2,700 on its college basketball picks the last four years, and find out.
