Duke basketball: Predicting every win and loss this season
By Matt Giles
Game 19: Duke basketball at Florida State
The Duke Blue Devils will play at the Florida State Seminoles, who rank No. 20 to start the year, on Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) in the Tucker Center.
Florida State sits behind Duke at No. 2 in the 2021-22 ACC Preseason Poll. The Seminoles also sit behind Duke at No. 2 in the ACC regarding the conference’s incoming recruiting classes, per the 247Sports 2021 Team Rankings. The influx of talent includes five-star shooting guard Matthew Cleveland and Kentucky transfer Cam’Ron Fletcher, a former 2020 four-star guard.
As for Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, the 73-year-old trails Mike Krzyzewski by only one year in age. And over the years, he’s built Florida State into a perennial power in the ACC.
So it would be no surprise at all to see his Seminoles take down the Blue Devils in Tallahassee after losing to them the last time in the Tucker Center when former Duke one-and-done Cam Reddish’s 3-pointer was the difference for the Blue Devils in 2018-19.
Predicted final score: Florida State 84, Duke 81
The Blue Devils fall to 16-3 overall (6-2 ACC) on the season.