Florida State men’s basketball (18-14, 10-8 ACC) faces No. 1 Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC) in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Thursday night, one day after Robert McCray V put up 30 points and eight assists in a 95-89 win over Cal.
McCray’s 30 points were the most by a Seminole in an ACC Tournament game since Jamir Watkins scored 34 in 2024, with FSU’s 95 points setting a new school record in tournament play.
The Blue Devils enter the game as the nation’s top team on paper and in the rankings, led by freshman Cameron Boozer, who averaged 22.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on his way to winning both ACC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Duke, however, will be without Caleb Foster (who has a fractured bone in his foot and will be out for the foreseeable future) and Patrick Ngongba, as announced by the program earlier this week.
FSU lost to Duke 91-87 back on January 3, a close matchup where the Seminoles actually led for more time than Duke, committed fewer turnovers and outshot the Blue Devils from the field and from the perimeter. The difference was Duke going 23-of-25 from the free-throw line and seemingly having an answer every possession Florida State needed a stop.
Since that matchup, the Seminoles have bounced back from a midseason slump to establish themselves as one of the hottest teams in the country. Florida State will have its hands full as a massive underdog (-16.5 points, according to FanDuel), but Luke Loucks’ squad enters the matchup brimming with confidence and eager to prove itself as a potential NCAA Tournament contender.
“I don’t get into all the metrics and the bubble, [but] I don’t know if there’s 25 better teams playing than Florida State right now,” Loucks said after FSU’s win over Cal. “I’m not trying to sell you guys that we need an at-large bid because we shot ourselves in the foot too much earlier in the season. But the way we scrap and the way we line up and guard, doesn’t matter who we’re playing. And the way we can put the ball in the basket, I certainly hope we get a crack at the NCAA Tournament, and I know we still have work to do to get there.“
FSU vs. Duke tips off at 7 p.m., with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN.
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Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils: How to watch, stream, odds
Date
- Thursday, March 12th
Time
- 7 p.m. ET
Watch/Stream
- Channel: ESPN
- Stream: WatchESPN/ESPN App
Listen
- Seminoles Radio Network
- FSU Broadcast: Ch. 371/SXM App
Spread
- -16.5, Florida State