Florida State vs. Louisville Prediction, Game Preview

Florida State vs. Louisville prediction and game preview. The Seminoles play their school-record sixth straight ranked opponent when they host the Cardinals.

Florida State vs. Louisville Game Preview

When: Saturday, Jan. 21 – 2 p.m. ET
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
TV Broadcast: ESPN

Louisville had its way with FSU last season, winning both matchups by a combined 41 points. But this isn’t the same Seminoles team that went 8-10 in the ACC and missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. These ‘Noles are proving to be a legitimate threat to win their first ACC title in school history behind freshman Jonathan Isaac, Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

Rick Pitino has his Cardinals sitting at 16-3 and riding a four-game winning streak. They’re coming off an impressive 32-point win over Clemson on Thursday, during which they shot a season-high 56.3 percent from the floor. Guard play is going to be huge in this matchup, and Louisville has one of the ACC’s best in Donovan Mitchell. However, starting point guard Quentin Snyder sat out the Clemson game with a hip injury and is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.

Florida State Wins If …

… Bacon and Rathan-Mayes take the pressure off Isaac down low. Isaac is coming off his best performance against going for 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks against Notre Dame. Coach Leonard Hamilton praised the young big man and believes he continues to improve, but Isaac’s play has been streaky throughout the season. Relying heavily on him isn’t the move quite yet.

That’s where arguably the ACC’s most dangerous offensive backcourt duo comes in. Bacon had 11 points while shooting just 5 of 13, and Rathan-Mayes scored eight while taking just seven shots. Bacon is averaging 17.4 points and needs to get into a better rhythm Saturday, and although Rathan-Mayes is taking more of a distributor role with 4.8 assists per game, he should look for his shot more often.

Louisville Wins If …

… the loss of Snider doesn’t catch up with it. The Cardinals didn’t register their first assists against Clemson until roughly six minutes remained in the first half after committing six turnovers in the game’s first six minutes. Snider is the floor general and guides the offense, but Louisville is going to have to figure things out when he’s not around.

The Cardinals were down by nine against the Tigers in the first half, and a similarly slow start against the Seminoles likely would prove costly.

Matchup To Watch

Isaac vs. Anas Mahmoud

The guard might shine, but this battle of big men down low could end up deciding the outcome. Isaac is starting to come into his own and will get a big challenge from Mahmoud, a 7-foot junior who ranks second in the ACC with 39 blocks. Keep each other off the boards also will be crucial.

Betting Odds

Spread: Florida State -1
Over/Under: No line as of post