Rogers' HIGH NOON HUSTLE >> 19-11-1 L31 NCAAB!
(NCAAB) Florida State vs. Syracuse,
Point Spread: -3.00 | -104.00 Florida State (Away)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Florida State Seminoles were coming off seasons of 17 and 20 wins and were un-ranked in either preseason poll, although The Blue Ribbon Yearbook had them at No. 20. The No. 6 Seminoles have been a big surprise at 18-3 (6-2 in ACC play) but are coming off their worst performance of the season, a shocking 78-56 loss at un-ranked Georgia Tech. Speaking of things not going right, 12-9 (4-4 in ACC play) Syracuse is off to its worst start in coach Jim Boeheim's 41-year tenure!


Florida State: FSU made a HUGELY impressive run in winning FIVE of six games in a stretch in which the team faced a ranked opponent in each game. However, this past Wednesday, Georgia Tech built a 29-point lead at McCamish Pavilion and wound up blasting the visiting Seminoles by the score of 78-56! Florida State now looks to avoid its first two-game losing streak of the season. The Seminoles rolled into Atlanta having won 14 of 15 games but Georgia Tech threw a variety of zone looks at Florida State, which made only 20 of 71 shots (6 for 25 from beyond the arc) for a season-low 28.2 percent. "I think that's every coach's concern: you hope you don't have one of these days, and (you hope) you don't run into a team that's having a great day," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said Wednesday. "It inevitably always seems to happen to every team every year. I hope this is the only one that we're going to have."

Syracuse: The Orange may be off to the worst start to a season in Boieheim's 41-year career but one couldn't tell it by the team's play here at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse is 0-7 in games away from the Dome this season (outscored by an average of 13.3 points) but in 14 home games, the Orange are 12-2 while outscoring opponents by 18.1 PPG. The Orange improved to 4-0 at home in conference play after rallying from an eight-point deficit midway through the second half to defeat Wake Forest 81-76 on Tuesday. The 6-7 Andrew White scored a game-high 27 points against the Demon Deacons and the graduate transfer leads the team at 16.3 PPG. He's joined on the perimeter by Battle (10.2) and PG Gillon (8.3 & 4.9 APG). The 6-9 Lydon (14.2 & 7.8) is Syracuse's best frontcourt player.


The pick: FSU will arrive in Syracuse looking for its first win at the Carrier Dome since 1997 but at 84.2 PPG (17th), this is Hamilton's best offensive team. Bacon (17.1), Rathan-Mayes (10.1-4.6 APG) and Mann (8.9) are an excellent trio of guards and the 6-10 Issac (12.9 & 7.8) is joined by two 'monsters' inside, the 7-1 Ojo (5.2 & 3.8) and the 7-4 Koumadje (3.5 & 2.0), who are capable of disrupting opposing teams' play around the basket. Make FSU a 10* play.