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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

NCAA Men’s Basketball action will continue when the Florida State Seminoles, the number 18th ranked team in the country, take on the Clemson Tigers. Both teams have had strong runs up until now this season. While one team is ranked, the other team is a statement win away from entering that conversation themselves.

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The Clemson Tigers have had a tricky schedule. While they have only faced one ranked opponent (Virginia Tech, lost), they have faced most of the solid un-ranked teams. This includes the likes of Maryland, Alabama, and Purdue. However, a win over the Seminoles will do wonders in establishing them in the conversation for the Top 25.

The Seminoles are still yet to face ranked opposition, but have done well against each opponent so far. They lost a rivalry match to the University of Central Florida, but have won every other game. Can they win this one?

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NCAA Men’s Basketball: The Tigers pull one out of the bag?

While the Seminoles are definitely the better team, the Tigers stand a good chance of upsetting them, especially after all the upsets we saw in basketball and college basketball in the last week. The Seminoles also have a big clash against the Duke Blue Devils coming up. The slate is filling up fast.

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USA Today via Reuters

The Seminoles will start the game with RaiQuan Gray, Balsa Koprivica, Anthony Polite, Scottie Barnes, and M.J. Walker. The Tigers will have Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Aamir Simms, Clyde Trapp, Al-Amir Dawes, and Chase Hunter on the floor.

Considering how the ACC has shaken out this year, with teams like Duke, UNC Tar Heels, and Kentucky all under-performing, the Seminoles can establish themselves as the best team here. However, the Tigers also want in on that window of opportunity. Both teams are coming off a week’s rest and will have a close matchup.

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For our pick, we have the Tigers. They have home-court advantage and have shown stellar defense this season. They should be able to have enough firepower going forward (despite it being a little inconsistent) to pull this win off.

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Written by

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Ishaan Bhattacharya

1,510 Articles

Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub. Ishaan has a keen interest in theatre and films, and has dabbled in the art, winning several awards for his scripts over the years. He has written for popular YouTube channels such as The Wrestling Hub and WhatCulture. Now, Ishaan also heads the site's NCAA Basketball division.

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