Georgia Tech vs. Florida State: ACC Conference Championship Betting Preview

The ACC Conference Tournament presented by New York Life will conclude on Saturday evening with the championship game. This year’s title game participants come as a bit of a surprise in a conference full of storied basketball programs. Nonetheless, Georgia Tech and Florida State will duel for the chance to raise a championship banner and provide a boost to their seeding in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

The ACC Tournament has had plenty of drama and excitement over the course of the five-day event. From thrilling on-court action to unfortunate off-court quirks, it has certainly been a tournament to remember. While they each had a unique path to get to the final, both Georgia Tech and Florida State certainly deserve to play for the title.

The following is a comprehensive breakdown and betting preview of Saturday’s ACC Tournament Final. Read on for vital game information, team statistics, trends, and best bets for the Georgia Tech vs. Florida State matchup.

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ACC Tournament Championship Game Info

(4) Georgia Tech vs. (1) Florida State, 8:30 p.m. ET

Moneyline: GTU: (+170) | FSU: (-200)
Spread: GTU: +4.5 (-110) | FSU: -4.5 (-110)
Total: 147.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Arena: Greensboro Coliseum — Greensboro, NC
TV: ESPN
Previous Meeting: Georgia Tech defeated Florida State 76-65 on January 30th.

ACC Tournament Championship Game Preview

Georgia Tech Overview (16-8 SU, 14-10 ATS, 13-9-2 O/U) 

One could say that Georgia Tech caught a fortunate break on their way to the ACC tournament Championship Game. Thanks to a positive virus test in the Virginia basketball program, the Yellow Jackets were awarded a spot in the final by forfeit. As a result, Tech has only played one game in the ACC Tournament thus far and carries a rest advantage into their matchup against Florida State. 

While the free pass through the semifinals will stand out in people’s minds due to recency bias, Georgia Tech has earned their way into the position that they’re now in. Just a month ago, Josh Pastner’s team was firmly entrenched in NCAA Tournament bubble talks. After winning seven straight games, including a 70-66 quarterfinal win over Miami in the ACC Tournament, the Yellow Jackets are a lock to hear their name called on Selection Sunday. Now, they have the opportunity to add a championship banner to their season resume.

Senior guard Jose Alvarado leads Georgia Tech. The New York City native is averaging 15.4 points on 51.2% shooting and 4.2 assists on the season. Paired with Micahel Devoe, he provides Tech with as good a backcourt as any in the ACC. Big man Jordan Usher led the Yellow Jackets in their quarterfinal win over Miami with 15 points.

Florida State Overview (15-5 SU, 11-8-3 ATS, 13-5-2 O/U) 

While Florida State did have to play and win their ACC Tournament semifinal game to reach Saturday’s championship, the Seminoles have also only played a single game in Greensboro thus far. FSU got a free pass through the quarterfinal round after Duke was forced to forfeit with a positive virus test. Florida State won’t have the rest advantage in the championship game, but the matchup is more or less fair given that both teams had a game canceled.

Of course, Leonard Hamilton’s squad asserted itself as a conference contender by winning the regular-season championship and earning the number one seed in the ACC Tournament. Florida State successfully rebounded from a loss to Notre Dame by dispatching North Carolina 69-66 in Friday’s semifinal game. The ACC Tournament Championship Game sets up as a rubber match between the Seminoles and Georgia Tech after the teams split their two regular-season meetings.

As a team, Florida State is long, athletic, and superbly talented. Any number of players are capable of leading the team in scoring on any given night. Guards M.J. Walker and Scottie Barnes earned a slew of ACC Conference awards this year. While forward Raiquan Gray is the notable man in the frontcourt, it was Serbian Balsa Koprivica who led the Noles in their semifinal win. His 17-point, 11-rebound double-double effort powered FSU into the title game.

Georgia Tech vs. Florida State Betting Trends

• Florida State leads the all-time head-to-head series over Georgia Tech 44-30.
• Florida State is 5-1 SU in their last six head-to-head meetings against Georgia Tech (lost most recent matchup).
• Georgia Tech is 7-1 ATS in their last eight games.
• Florida State is 12-5-2 ATS in their last 19 neutral site games.
• The under is 3-0-2 in Georgia Tech’s last five games against opponents with a winning record.
• The under has gone 3-1-1 in Georgia Tech’s last five games as an underdog.
• The over is 11-5 in Florida State’s last 16 games against opponents with a winning record.

ACC Tournament Championship Game Betting Picks

Against the Spread Pick

The win-loss record has been a thing of beauty over the past month for Georgia Tech. The only thing that gives me pause is the quality of opponent in which the Yellow Jackets put together this run. The seven-game winning streak that they ride into tonight’s ACC Tournament Championship Game includes a win over 22nd-ranked Virginia Tech. Outside of that, the rest of the opponents weren’t exactly ACC heavyweights this season. Florida State is a heavyweight. That should be a given seeing how the Seminoles are the top seed in the tournament. While FSU hasn’t played perfect ball of late, they are the deeper, more talented team in this matchup. For these reasons, I’ll lay the points and dear Tech to prove me wrong.
Pick: Florida State -4.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

Over/Under Pick

The two regular-season meetings between Georgia Tech and Florida State produced a total of 135 and 141 points respectively. Both of these numbers are well below the over/under line for Saturday’s ACC Tournament final. With that said, both teams played to the over this season. Florida State’s 13-5-2 record stands out in particular. Neither team eclipsed this number in their ACC Tournament games to get to this point. I’ll lean towards a lower-scoring affair on Saturday. Defensive intensity will be at an all-time high from both sides, given the stakes.
Pick: Under 147.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

Game/Team Prop Pick

Big games like the ACC Tournament Championship call for the best players to step up and show out. Florida State is easily the most balanced team in the ACC. So many players are capable of bringing on an opponent’s demise on a given night. Tonight’s I like Georgia Tech to get a heavy dose of senior guard M.J. Walker. While his season averages across the points, rebounds and assist categories suggest that this prop line is spot on, the stakes are higher tonight. After being relatively quiet in the Seminoles’ semifinal win over North Carolina, I like Walker to put together a strong stat line.
Pick: M.J. Walker Total Points, Rebounds, and Assists Over 16.5 (-112 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

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Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeSports.