Florida State Seminoles at Wake Forest Demon Deacons Betting Preview

The Atlantic Coast Conference gets the college basketball spotlight on Wednesday night when the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles hit the road to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. On the road, the Seminoles are seven-point favorites, with an over/under of 142.5 points.
The Demon Deacons have had an up-and-down season thus far. At one point, Wake Forest endured a three-game losing streak, albeit against the likes of Arizona, Penn State, and North Carolina State.
However, Danny Manning’s team appears to have turned things around lately. The Demon Deacons have won three in a row, including a road win over Pittsburgh and a victory over a Top 25 Xavier team.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles are fresh off a road upset of Louisville, as Florida State is making a strong case for being one of the best teams in the ACC and in the country. Saturday’s win in Louisville was Florida State’s sixth in a row.
To date, Florida State’s only losses this season have come in its season opener to Pittsburgh and in a road game against Indiana. Along the way, the Seminoles have knocked off the likes of Florida, Tennessee, and Purdue, padding their resume even before the win over Louisville.
A Team Effort
In true Leonard Hamilton fashion, the Seminoles are coming at their opponents in vast numbers. The Seminoles have nine players who average at least 10 minutes per game. Perhaps more importantly, no Florida State player averages more than 12 points per game.
Hamilton’s rotation is fluid, and his team’s scoring is balanced, meaning the Seminoles aren’t overly reliant on any one player to lead them.
That being said, the backcourt trio of Trent Forrest, Devin Vassell, and M.J. Walker stands out a little. All three average at least 11 points per game, and all had huge roles in the win over Louisville.
Vassell and Walker, in particular, have stepped into much larger roles this season. The kicker is that all three are bigger guards who are physical and can give opponents trouble on the defensive end of the floor.
Waking Up
As mentioned, Wake Forest has won three straight games, in part because its role players are stepping up. Leading scorer Brandon Childress scored just eight points in each of Wake Forest’s last two games.
Earlier in the season, that would have been a huge problem for the Demon Deacons. But they’ve found a way to win despite his troubles.
Center Oliver Sarr has shaken off a slow start, scoring in double figures in seven of his last eight games. Freshman Ismael Massoud has also found his shooting stroke over the past couple of games.
Most importantly, Chaundee Brown, Wake Forest’s second-leading scorer, has exploded for 61 points over his last three games, serving as a catalyst for the team’s recovery.
Not Ready
Outside of their upset of Xavier, the Demon Deacons haven’t stacked up well against top competition. Florida State’s depth and athleticism will prove too much for a team that lacks standout players outside of Childress. Bet on the Seminoles to cover the seven-point spread on the road.