The No. 4 Florida State Seminoles (28-7) will be 5-point favorites in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament at XL Center when they challenge the No. 12 Murray State Racers (28-4). The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 144 points and action starts at 6:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
Murray State Racers vs. Florida State Seminoles Betting Odds
Both teams were triumphant in their last game. The Seminoles were victorious over the No. 13 Vermont Catamounts 76-69, while the Racers easily got past the No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles 83-64.
The Racers had a much better free throw rate (0.250 vs. 0.108) and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.616 (above their season average of 0.560). The Seminoles, meanwhile, knocked down 31 of their 37 free throws (83.8 percent) and had a turnover percentage of 8.9 (better than their season average of 16.6). Mfiondu Kabengele was a key piece for Florida State with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Murray State was lifted by Ja Morant, who finished with 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds. This gave him his second triple-double of the season.
Of the Racers’ 30 games with betting action, 16 have finished over the projected point total. Murray State heads into the game with records of 28-4 straight up (SU) and 20-10 against the spread (ATS).
Unlike Murray State, a little over half of Seminoles games have finished under the total. Moreover, Florida State owns records of 28-7 SU and 16-19 ATS.
Baskets could be hard to come by as a pair of the country’s top defenses battle. Florida State ranks 47th in defensive efficiency (97.2) and Murray State is 25th (95.6).
Murray State Racers vs. Florida State Seminoles Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Florida State, ATS Winner – Florida State, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- Murray State ranks fourth in assists per game (18.3) while Florida State ranks 189th (12.7).
- The Seminoles rank 50th in steals allowed per game (5.4) while the Racers rank 98th (5.9).
- The Seminoles rank 51st in blocks per game (4.3) while the Racers rank 144th in blocks allowed per game (3.5).
- Florida State averages 37.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 70th in the NCAA. Murray State ranks 130th in rebounds allowed per game (34.4).
Bettings Trends:
- The Seminoles’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 3.4, down from 7.8 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Racers have scored an average of 80.2 points per game (3.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.6 points per game (0.1 below their season average).
