NCAAB: Notre Dame looks to spoil FSU's tourney seeding

Florida State guard Trent Forrest (right) drives to the hoop against the Louisville Cardinals. (Photo by Logan Stanford/Icon Sportswire)

Annie Moore

March 4th, 2020

On Wednesday night in South Bend, Notre Dame will try to play spoiler to Florida State’s hope for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, while the Seminoles will hope to snag sole possession of first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Florida State Seminoles vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish odds

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Total

Florida State Seminoles	-1.5	-125	O 147
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	+1.5	+105	U 147

Unlucky Irish

Notre Dame has endured a disappointing season, and they own an 18-11 record (9-9 in ACC play). No. 8 Florida State is 24-5 and second in the ACC at 14-4.

A win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night would put the Seminoles and Louisville in a tie for first place in the ACC, but Florida State has the head-to-head advantage.

While a trip to the NCAA Tournament may not be on the line for the Irish, they’ve never lost to Florida State at Purcell Pavilion.

Mooney has been a walking double-double

Notre Dame’s John Mooney will lead the charge, and he currently leads the nation in double-doubles, with 24 in 28 games. He is second in the nation in rebounding, and is the only player in Division I averaging more than 16 points and 12 rebounds.

A win could also help Notre Dame build for next year, but the Irish will have to get past a dynamic FSU team.

JOHN MOONEY 😤😤 pic.twitter.com/slHsdpr66D
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) February 24, 2020

Another banner year for FSU

Florida State has put together another outstanding year. FSU needs only five more wins to tie the school record of 29 (2018-2019 season).

The Seminoles’ 14 conference wins is also a single-season school record, which tops last season’s 13 regular-season ACC victories.

That’s all thanks in part to some stellar shooting. Entering Wednesday night’s game, Florida State is second in the ACC in field goal percentage (45.9%).

“The most underrated star in the league is Devin Vassell. He’s a first-round draft pick. He's legit.”

— @JayBilas pic.twitter.com/1TnovQ8dpS
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) February 1, 2020

Leading that effort is sophomore guard Devin Vassell, who is averaging 12.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Senior guard Trent Forrest has added 11.7 points per game and 4.1 assists to the mix.