Florida State vs. Purdue: Who Has The Edge?

Purdue Boilermakers

After the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils knocked off the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs this past weekend, everything changed in the college basketball power rankings. A shakeup was certainly warranted, and now we have Duke at the top of the basketball world once again. However, the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers have made a strong case that they are right behind them, and they are coming for that No. 1 spot should Duke falter. The Boilermakers are 6-0 with impressive victories over North Carolina and No. 6 Villanova to validate their impressive status as one of the top teams in the country.

Zach Edey has led Purdue with 17.7 points per game, and has dominated the paint both offensively and defensively. He's so much taller and bigger than his competition, and he just makes it look so easy out there at times. His partner in crime in the post, Trevion Williams, has also been a monster that is putting up impressive numbers. He's scoring 13 points per game, and grabbing 7.7 rebounds per game, which is a team high. Edey and Williams form the best post duo in the country, and when they are both on the floor at the same time, good luck defending them.

Freshman Caleb Furst is another player that hasn't received very much coverage this season, but has been a key part of Purdue's success through the first six games. Faust has scored in double-digits in half of his games, and has hauled in at least eight rebounds in four of his games. Mason Gillis, who missed the first four games, was supposed to be the starter at the forward spot this season but has seemingly been overtaken by the freshman because of his impressive performances this season.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State had a huge scare in its last game out Wednesday. Trailing the Boston University Terriers by 1 with just 3 seconds left in OT, freshman Matthew Cleveland grabbed an offensive rebound and layed the ball in off the backboard for a miraculous 81-80 win. The game was close throughout, and it was a very disappointing performance from the Seminoles against inferior competition. Florida State is 5-1 this season, but those wins have come against far weaker competition, with the loss coming to their in-state rival Florida Gators. Now the Seminoles get to face one of the most talented and deep teams in the country in Purdue.

Malik Osborne has led the Seminoles with 12.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, but he is going to have a very tough task taking on Edey and Williams this Tuesday. It is almost impossible to put up gaudy numbers against these guys, and Osborne will have to have his A-game going if he wants to help his team get an upset victory on the road. Guard RayQuan Evans has struggled this season, scoring just 7.2 points per game on 38.7% shooting. He has done a good job distributing the ball to others with 3.4 assists per game, but it really just has not been working when he gets pressured by good defenders.

FSU was ranked in the top 20 to start the season, and they do have quite a bit of talent. The problem has been consistency, and they will need to prove that they belong by beating a team of note.

FSU vs. Purdue Prediction

I've been on the Purdue bandwagon like many other people in the gambling space since last season, and there is no reason for me to jump off here. The Boilermakers are much better than Florida State, and I don't know how the Seminoles are going to be able to defend or score in the post against Edey and Williams. Purdue is at home, and they are rolling right now. Until Florida State can prove that they can handle ranked competition, I'll take Purdue to continue their quest towards being the No. 1-ranked team in the country.

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