The Florida State Seminoles are 9-5 on the season but have won their last two games in ACC play. Now, the Seminoles will head out on the road to take on a struggling Syracuse team that is currently sitting at 8-8 on the season.
Despite being 8-8, Syracuse is coming off a win over Pittsburgh, 77-61 and that could help Syracuse get back on track.
Can Syracuse hold off Florida State at home for its second straight win? Here are our college basketball picks and predictions for Florida State vs. Syracuse on Saturday, January 15.
Florida State vs Syracuse odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Syracuse opened as a 2.5-point favorite and hasn’t changed since. Meanwhile, the total has opened at 149.5 and also hasn’t moved since.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Florida State vs Syracuse predictions
Predictions made on 1/14/2022 at 10:35 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021-22 college basketball season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: Sign up with Caesars and get your first bet matched up to $1,001! Claim Now
Canada: Bet $1, get $100 in free bets when you sign up with BetVictor! Sign Up Now
Florida State vs Syracuse game info
• Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
• Date: Saturday, January 15, 2022
• Tip-off: 3:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Florida State at Syracuse betting preview
Injuries
Florida State: Tanor Ngom C (Out).
Syracuse: Bourama Sidibe C (Out).
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Under is 8-3 in Seminoles’ last 11 games following a ATS loss. Find more NCAA betting trends for Florida State vs. Syracuse.
Florida State vs Syracuse picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Florida State Seminoles aren’t nearly as good as recent years, but the team still has it on the defensive end. Florida State is forcing turnovers at 23.7%, and that has helped the Seminoles keep teams off-balanced on the offensive end.
However, opponents have shot a 49.6% effective field goal percentage against Florida State this season and have hit 33.7% of threes and 48.9% of shots inside the arc.
The Seminoles will block shots and create many takeaways, but when teams are able to get shots up, the defense isn’t all that great.
Syracuse, on the other hand, does very well on the offensive end. The Orange have hit 37.7% from downtown on the year and continue to limit turnovers. That will obviously be crucial going up against Florida State.
The Orange are very capable of earning offensive rebounds, especially against Florida State, although the Seminoles and their length could be tricky at times.
Syracuse has really struggled defensively. It looks like teams know how to beat that Syracuse zone now. Opponents have hit 33.5% from downtown against the Orange this season and 51.4% inside the arc. Of course, out of the zone, the Orange also struggle to rebound and are giving up 32.8% offensive rebounds on the season.
Florida State should be able to feast on the glass, and while the Seminoles aren’t the hottest shooting team in the nation, they’ll get some open looks and many second-chance opportunities.
Because of that, I’ll side with Florida State with 2.5 points.
Prediction: Florida State +2.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
I’m not so sure Syracuse will have success offensively against Florida State. The Seminoles are the tallest team in the nation and it’s much harder to shoot over this bunch than other ACC teams like Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, and Miami.
I also believe Florida State will force enough turnovers in this game to keep Syracuse off-balanced, despite Syracuse only turning the ball over 16.8% of the time this season.
While both teams will be able to get second chance opportunities at a solid rate, the number is sitting at 149.5. You’re asking for both teams to basically score 75 to hit the Over. That’s just too many points.
Prediction: Under 149.5 (-110)
Best bet
I’ll stick with the Under in this game. Florida State’s length could be an issue for Syracuse and its shooting ability.
Meanwhile, Florida State isn’t the greatest shooting team, and even with open looks, will miss some shots.
Florida State is allowing teams to score an average of 67.9 points per game right now. Meanwhile, on offense, even with a non-conference slate, Florida State only averaged 73 points.
I like this game to go Under.
Pick: Under 149.5 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed our Florida State vs. Syracuse picks, you could win $26.45 on a $10 bet?
Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
