Florida State is off to a perfect 3-0 start after hitting the century mark in a 100-86 win over Winthrop. Before heading to the Big Apple for the final two rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off, the Seminoles will remain home to face Detroit Mercy in the tournament.
The Titans are coming off consecutive blowout losses to East Tennessee State and Illinois, but did finish with a winning record last season at 16-15. FSU won the only previous meeting between the schools by a single point in December of 1994, 84-83. That game also took place in Tallahassee.
The Match-Up
Who: Detroit Mercy Titans (1-2) at Florida State Seminoles (3-0)
When: Sunday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. EST (ACC Network Extra)
Where: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, FL
Key Players
For Detroit Mercy: Sophomore guard Josh McFolley is averaging better than 16 points this season for Detroit Mercy, including a career-high 25 in a loss to East Tennessee State. 6-8 guard Chris Jenkins is averaging 12 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Jarod Williams, Jaleel Hogan and Corey Allen are all averaging in double-figures scoring.
For Florida State: Dwayne Bacon is averaging 16 points to lead the Seminoles and is shooting 47 percent from deep. Jonathan Isaac, a 6-10 freshman, has been as good as advertised with 14.7 points and 1.7 steals per game averages on 56 percent shooting. Terance Mann has done everything for FSU while redshirt junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes leads the team averaging 6 assists to go with 9.3 points per game.
What to Watch For
FSU bigs: Florida State’s two 7-footers made their presence felt in Friday’s win over Winthrop. Michael Ojo, a 7-1 senior, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Christ Koumadje, a 7-4 center, was also stellar, finishing with 14 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
3-point shooting: If there is one place Detroit Mercy might have an advantage over FSU, it’s from beyond the arc. Detroit Mercy is shooting better than 40 percent, thanks largely to McFolley, who has gone 7-for-11. Allen has also shot it well from deep at 6-for-12. FSU as a team is shooting less than 33 percent from deep. Winthrop shot 5-for-9 from downtown in the first half to stay within striking distance on Friday night.
Chris Jenkins: Averaging 12 points per game, Chris Jenkins is a big guard at 6-8 and the type that gave FSU trouble its last time out. Against Winthrop, the Seminoles had a tough time containing Xavier Crooks who finished with 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting.
Phil Cofer: The FSU junior forward reportedly injured his ankle in Friday’s win over Winthrop and could be held out Sunday for precautionary purposes. Cofer missed all but 11 games last season with an ankle injury. Cofer is averaging 6.3 points through three games this season and shooting better than 69 percent from the field. Cofer brings the Seminoles some much needed physicality on the block.
Number to Pay Attention To
11.3: That’s been Florida State’s average rebounding advantage through three games. The Titans have a bit more size than previous opponents, but have been outrebounded by an average of 15 over their last two games.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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