Sweet 16: Florida State vs. Gonzaga Tangle

Zags and Seminoles Match Up Well in Sweet 16

The fans at Staples Center will see a intriguing Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday Night. The Florida State Seminoles and the Gonzaga Bulldogs when they take their seats on Thursday. Oddsmakers opened the Bulldogs as -6.5-point favorites versus the Seminoles, while the game’s total opened at 155. The line has crept down to 6, while the total has dropped to 153. The Seminoles are big and deep this season. 11 different players saw action in the first eight minutes Sunday against Xavier. The team is tied for 17th in the nation with 5.2 blocks per game. Their two centers, 7-footer Ike Obiagu and 7-4 Christ Koumadje, have combined for 101 blocked shots. Xavier’s two best players couldn’t handle FSU pressure. Seniors Trevon Blueitt and J.P Macura, combined to commit half of the Musketeers’ 18 turnovers. Florida State closed the game with an 18-4 run to win 75-70. Expect a lot of perimeter defense in this one as well. After finishing the ACC regular season 9-9, the Seminoles have seen their share of scraps along the way. The Zags will be no different. Florida State was 3-0 in overtime games against eventual NCAA Tournament teams. They also rallied from 18 down to beat Clemson. The Tigers are still alive in the Midwest Region.

Zags are a Well Balance Team Heading into Sweet 16

The Zags’ marched to a fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance. They might not have followed the usual script, but they made plays when it mattered. After being off for nine days, Gonzaga looked rusty in the first round. They needed a clutch 3-pointer from Zach Norvell Jr. to finally put away UNC-Greensboro 68-64. The rust was worn off by Saturday when the Bulldogs raced to a 15-0 lead in their second-round matchup with Ohio State. This was unlike in their November meeting where Gonzaga rolled to a 27-point victory. Ohio State made a second-half surge. The Buckeyes led 67-62 after Keita Bates-Diop’s 3-pointer with 6:02 to go. Zach Norvell, known by his teammates as Snacks, hit from downtown and snatched a rebound that led to a three-point play by Killian Tillie. Gonzaga regained the lead for good. Norvell finished with 28 points and made 6 of 11 shots from long range. He scored five straight points to put the Zags up 78-69 with 1:52 left. He also has 12 rebounds to set a career high. To counter the Seminoles’ huge front line, the Bulldogs will have stay out of foul trouble. Fouls plagued them against Ohio State. Killian Tillie, a 6-10 sophomore, 6-foot-9 senior Johnathan Williams and Norvell each had four fouls. Point guard Josh Perkins fouled out in the closing seconds.  

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Power Stats

Florida State Seminoles

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Supergrid

Title	Stat	Rank	Stat	Rank
Away Team Overall Scoring vs Home Team Overall Defense	81.12	29	67.50	43
Home Team Overall Scoring vs Away Team Overall Defense	84.19	9	73.73	166

Head To Head Summary

Head To Head Detail

Sweet 16 Betting Trends

Florida State Seminoles
Florida State is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida State’s last 6 games

Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Gonzaga is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games
Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Gonzaga’s last 7 games

Florida State Seminoles

Gonzaga Bulldogs

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