Florida State vs LSU prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

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It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Florida State-LSU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Florida State-LSU.

The college basketball season comes alive on Tuesday with a number of ACC-versus-SEC collisions. This game in Baton Rouge is a matchup of football schools looking for renewal on the basketball court.

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, a basketball lifer, had Florida State at the top of the world four and a half years ago. FSU won the ACC championship and was poised to be a top-two seed, possibly a No. 1 seed, at the 2020 NCAA Tournament. We all remember, however, that March Madness got cancelled because of the pandemic. It was an agonizing, heartbreaking moment for a program which had risen to the top of the sport and then wasn’t able to chase its dream of making the Final Four when it was in great position to pull it off. Hamilton built Florida State hoops into something very special, and that’s why — in recent years, despite struggling profoundly — he hasn’t been fired. He built up good will and has, in the eyes of many, earned the right to personally decide when he wants to retire from coaching. Florida State is not going to intervene.

Given how well FSU has played to start this season, that decision to let Hamilton step down when he’s good and ready seems like a smart choice.

Florida State looks like a good team again. There are legitimate questions about the level of competition this team has faced, but even then, FSU — which was losing to comparable opponents far too often the past couple of seasons — is now handling those kinds of games with more consistency. A blowout win over UMass, a solid win over Temple away from home, and a decisive win over Hofstra would seem to suggest that Florida State is in the process of restoring order. The Seminoles did lose to Florida, but the Gators are really good this season. That’s FSU’s only defeat so far this season. The Seminoles are winning all the games they are supposed to win.

Now, though, the schedule does get tougher. Winning on the road in Red Stick will be a challenge. LSU has also won all of the games it was supposed to win this season under coach Matt McMahon. The Tigers’ only loss is to a really good Pittsburgh team which might challenge for the ACC championship. FSU versus LSU is a battle of one-loss teams. Both coaching staffs will learn a lot about how good their teams really are in this game. This is the kind of measuring-stick matchup we love to see in the first month of the college basketball season. How these teams go at it will be fascinating to watch; how they respond to this game, win or lose, in subsequent weeks will be even more interesting.

Here are the Florida State-LSU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Florida State-LSU Odds

Florida State: +3.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +136

LSU: -3.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -164

Over: 148.5 (-110)

Under: 148.5 (-110)

How to Watch Florida State vs LSU

Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT

TV: SEC Network

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Florida State Will Cover The Spread/Win

The spread is arguably generous to LSU, given that Florida State has been taking care of business this season. FSU has won multiple games away from home and won’t be fazed by the road environment in Baton Rouge. LSU’s one loss was to an ACC opponent. Florida State should get a lot of information from studying the film of LSU’s loss to Pittsburgh.

Why LSU Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Tigers are hosting a Florida State team whose one loss was to Florida, an SEC opponent. LSU can learn a ton from seeing how Florida exploited FSU. Being at home, LSU should inhabit a comfort zone which helps the Tigers play their best and win decisively.

Final Florida State-LSU Prediction & Pick

Florida State’s quality of competition has not been quite as robust as we think it needed to be. LSU is a step up in weight class, and we think the Tigers will handle the Seminoles at home. Take LSU.

Final Florida State-LSU Prediction & Pick: LSU -3.5

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