Syracuse basketball welcomes Florida State to the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday night in a critical Atlantic Coast Conference clash for both squads.
At this juncture in the 2023-24 season, both the Orange and the Seminoles are sitting on the wrong side of the proverbial bubble for this spring’s NCAA Tournament.
However, the ‘Cuse and FSU are playing relatively well these days. Syracuse basketball (13-5, 4-3 in the ACC) has won two straight, at Pittsburgh and at home versus Miami, and is 10-3 over its past 13 affairs.
Florida State (11-7, 5-2 in the ACC) had claimed five victories in a row before falling to Clemson in Tallahassee, Fla., this past Saturday. The Seminoles had a poor showing during its non-conference docket but has started off strong in conference competition.
How to watch Syracuse basketball hosting Florida State on Tuesday evening.
The ‘Cuse and FSU will battle beginning at 7 pm on January 23, with television coverage on ESPN2. Coverage may also be available on fuboTV.
When I wrote this piece, FanDuel had Syracuse basketball as a 4.5-point betting favorite, with the over/under set at 149.5 points.
To date in 2023-24, the Orange is 9-0 at the Dome. At the time of this writing, the ‘Cuse had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 68. The Seminoles were at No. 93, meaning this is likely a quadrant-three game for Syracuse basketball.
Over at KenPom, I found it interesting that both the Orange and Florida State were rated in the top 50 as it pertains to adjusted defensive efficiency.
Here is FSU’s resume to date. The Seminoles have beaten Kennesaw State, Central Michigan, UNLV, Colorado, North Florida, Winthrop, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Miami.
Florida State has lost to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Florida, SMU, Lipscomb and Clemson.
While first-year head coach Adrian Autry has relied on a relatively deep bench this season, FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton spreads his minutes around even further.
Twelve Florida State players, at present, log at least 10 minutes per game.
Neither of these ACC groups is particularly stellar shooting the ball, and that includes from the field as a whole and beyond the arc.
What’s more, the Seminoles and the Orange each commit about 12 turnovers per contest. The ‘Cuse must limit its miscues and get out in transition after forcing FSU into mistakes.
In their all-time series together, Syracuse basketball has won two consecutive encounters, and the Orange is 10-6 against the Seminoles.
After the ‘Cuse plays FSU, Syracuse basketball will wrap up its three-game home stand versus N.C. State. The Orange and the Wolfpack will go toe to toe starting at 7 pm on Saturday, Jan. 27, with television coverage on the ACC Network.