#16 Virginia Tech v. #12 Florida State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#16 Virginia Tech Hokies (24-7)

#12 Florida State Seminoles (25-6)

Current odds:

Virginia Tech Hokies: (-120)

Florida State Seminoles: (+100)

• The line for this game is Virginia Tech by 1 point.

• No. 15 Virginia Tech takes on No. 13 Florida State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday afternoon. The Hokies, who are seeded fifth in the tournament, advanced with a relatively easy win over Miami on Wednesday, while the fourth-seeded Seminoles had a double-bye and are playing their first game. Junior forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. had 19 points and added 10 rebounds as the Hokies routed the Hurricanes 71-56 in the second round of the tournament. Senior guard Ty Outlaw added 14 points as Virginia Tech jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back, eventually building a 17-point lead at the break.

• Virginia Tech and Florida State will be facing off for the second time this season and the second time in 10 days after the Seminoles managed a 73-64 overtime win at home on March 5. Florida State managed to rally from a 14-point halftime deficit in that win, with leading-scorer Mfiondu Kabengele scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half and overtime.

• Blackshear was 8-of-12 from the field and Outlaw hit on 5-of-9 attempts as the Hokies shot 50 percent against the Hurricanes. Virginia Tech led the ACC with 292 3-pointers during the regular season and was sharp from long range on Wednesday, hitting 11-of-27 attempts from downtown. The Hokies were without point guard Justin Robinson, the team leader in assists at 5.2 per game, and he won’t be available for the remainder of the ACC Tournament because of a foot injury.

• The Seminoles are on a roll heading into the postseason, having won four straight and 13 of their last 14, with their only loss in that stretch coming at No. 3 North Carolina. Their most recent win came on Saturday at Wake Forest where Florida State fell behind 14-2 and trailed by seven at the break but rallied for a 65-57 win thanks to an 18-0 run during the second half. Junior guard Trent Forrest led the Seminoles in scoring with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting as he was the only scorer to reach double digits on a day where 11 different players managed to get on the scoresheet.

• Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech’s scoring leader at 16.6 points per game, scored 12 and added six assists against Miami.

• The Hokies committed 14 turnovers in their previous meeting with the Seminoles, which was well above their season average of 11.5.

• Florida State shot just 37.9 percent against Virginia Tech on March 5 and Kabengele was just 4-of-13 from the field.