After snapping its 8-game skid in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Monday, Florida State will be back on a neutral court Sunday to take on George Washington in the BB&T Classic. The Seminoles are off to a 6-1 start following consecutive wins over Illinois and Minnesota while George Washington is a disappointing 4-3 after winning the NIT last season.
The Colonials’ three losses have all come by single-digits and to respectable competition in Georgia, UAB and Penn State. George Washington has had to replace three of its four leading scorers from last season and the chemistry has been slow to materialize early on. George Washington is coming off a 77-74 victory over Harvard.
The Match-Up
Who: Florida State Seminoles (6-1) vs. George Washington Colonials (4-3)
What: BB&T Classic
When: Sunday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. EST (CBS Sports Network)
Where: Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
Key Players
For Florida State: For the second straight season, sophomore Dwayne Bacon has been carrying the scoring load for the Seminoles, averaging more than 18 points and shooting better than 52 percent from the field. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac is shooting nearly 59 percent from the field and averaging 15.1 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds. Redshirt junior guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes is averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 4.4 assists per contest.
For George Washington: Wake Forest transfer and senior forward Tyler Cavanaugh leads the Colonials, averaging 18.4 points, eight boards and 2.7 assists per game, but hasn’t been as efficient as last season. Yuta Watanbe, a 6-9 swingman, and Jaren Sina are combining to average 24.5 points. Watanbe has missed the last two games for George Washington with a lower leg injury. Senior Matt Hart is the Colonials’ biggest threat from deep, shooting nearly 48 percent.
What to Watch For
FSU defense: After a horrendous showing in the second half against Temple more than a week ago in the NIT Season Tip-Off, the Florida State defense has been outstanding in its last two games. The Seminoles have held opponents to under 33 percent shooting and just a combined 12-for-43 from deep. As a team, the Colonials are shooting 42 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Tyler Cavanaugh: At 6-9 and 240 pounds, Cavanaugh will be a tough cover for the Seminoles. Cavanaugh has good range and a very good game on the lower block and has scored at least 15 points in six of the Colonials’ seven games this year. Though FSU has played very well defensively the last two games, Cavanaugh is a bit of a different animal. Expect to see the combination of Jarquez Smith and Phil Cofer try to slow him down.
How FSU finishes: Florida State has only played two games decided by single digits this season, including the last time out against Minnesota as the Seminoles watched a 17-point lead with just over three minutes to play get whittled down to as low as seven. The other contest was a 3-point loss to Temple. As for George Washington, six of its seven games have been decided by eight points or less and three of its four victories have come by four points or fewer. If this one is close down the stretch, the Colonials may have the edge.
Michael Ojo: Senior graduate center Michael Ojo is without question having the best year of his FSU career, averaging 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds. After scoring in double-figures just once in his first four seasons on campus, Ojo has already hit that threshold twice this season, including a 12-point effort against Minnesota. At 7-1 and 305 pounds, Ojo could be in for another solid showing. The Colonials have 6-10 and 6-11 bodies to throw at Ojo in Collin Smith and Collin Gross, but neither have the bulk or raw strength that Ojo does.
Number to Pay Attention To
.325: That’s the field goal percentage Florida State has held its opponents to over the last two games. Prior to that, only Iona had shot below 40 percent. If the Seminoles can come close to duplicating those numbers for a third straight game, it should result in a third straight win.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
Mike Olivella/FSU athletics
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