Is Florida State For Real?

Riding an offense that is among the best in the country, and a defense that has kept them in every game, the Florida State Seminoles are riding high in college basketball this season. And with a stretch of games coming up that will go a long way toward deciding their odds to win a national title, it's worth asking whether or not the Seminoles are legitimate contenders.

FSU's Impressive Offense

Florida State's offense has been what has put them above their competition so far this year, with the team scoring over 85 points per game to this point, making them a top-15 scoring team in the country. A huge reason for their offensive success has been the play of guard Dwayne Bacon, who is averaging over 18 points per contest on 49% shooting through the team's first 13 games. Every title contender needs a guy who can score the way Bacon is, so he will need to keep that up throughout the year.

Perhaps an illustration of how good Florida State's offense is was their win over Virginia on the road, something that not many teams manage to pull off. The Seminoles scored 60 points in that game, including a bucket in the game's final seconds to secure a surprising victory over the Cavaliers. While 60 points doesn't seem like much, it's a big number against a Virginia team that prides itself on locking teams down defensively.

Florida State Basketball Futures Betting

As of right now, live betting on the Florida State Seminoles to win the NCAA Tournament is paying out at +5000 odds. However, betting on Florida State would be unwise at this juncture, only because they are about to face a stretch of games that will be very telling as far as their viability to win a title this year is concerned.

Florida State's next five games are against Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Louisville. Combined with their win over Virginia, that makes six straight games against ranked opponents, which simulates an NCAA Tournament type of schedule. If FSU does well in those games, it'd be worth wagering on them. If not, that should be a telling sign.