Preview: Seminoles Head to Chapel Hill for Another Marquee Match-up

What appeared to be a gauntlet has been smooth sailing so far for Florida State as the ninth-ranked Seminoles have won three straight games over ranked opponents. The latest came Tuesday night with an emphatic 88-72 win over No. 7 Duke. FSU will face more stiff competition on Saturday as it travels to take on No. 11 North Carolina.

Since being upset at Georgia Tech to open ACC play, the Tar Heels have won three straight with a 93-87 win at Wake Forest being the most recent. North Carolina beat FSU 106-90 last season in Tallahassee and has won six straight in the series. The last FSU win came in the championship game of the 2012 ACC Tournament. Under head coach Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles have won just once in Chapel Hill.

The Match-Up

Who: No. 9 Florida State Seminoles (16-1, 4-0 ACC) at No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels (15-3, 3-1 ACC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Where: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Key Players

For Florida State: Dwayne Bacon is averaging nearly 18 points per game to lead the Seminoles while shooting 48 percent from the field. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac has also been efficient shooting 52 percent while averaging more than 12 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Xavier Rathan-Mayes is scoring better than 11 points per game, including 14.5 in ACC play. Rathan-Mayes scored 30 points against North Carolina last season. He also leads the team in assists at 4.6 per game.

For North Carolina: Leading scorer Justin Jackson is averaging 17.7 points and is shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point land. Junior guard Joel Berry is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and averaging 15.6 points per game and a team-high 4.6 assists. Forward Kennedy Meeks is averaging just shy of 13 points and 10 rebounds per game while senior Isaiah Hicks is scoring more than 12 per contest.

What to Watch For

Rebounding: If there was one area that could be circled in last season’s contest between Florida State and North Carolina, it was the battle on the glass. North Carolina held a distinct 50-33 rebounding edge over the Seminoles last season and had 18 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points. The Tar Heels currently lead the ACC in rebounding and rebounding margin and adequately combating that would go a long way in FSU pulling the upset. Thanks largely to a front line headlined by 7-4 Christ Koumadje and 7-1 Michael Ojo, the Seminoles are a markedly improved team on the glass. FSU ranks fifth in the ACC in both rebounding and rebounding margin. In ACC games however, the Seminoles are second to only the Tar Heels in conference in both categories.

3-point shooting: In ACC play, Florida State has managed to shoot the ball pretty well from deep. In conference games, the Seminoles are shooting nearly 41 percent from downtown this season and against the Tar Heels last year, FSU went 10-for-20 from deep. P.J. Savoy is a volume shooter who has provided instant offense for the Seminoles off the bench the last two games, but could be a big difference-maker on Saturday. The Tar Heels are in the middle of the pack in the ACC when it comes to 3-point percentage, but went just 5-for-26 in their only conference loss.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes: Florida State guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes took over in the second half of Tuesday’s win against Duke, scoring 18 of his game-high 21 points. Throughout his career, Rathan-Mayes has traditionally played well against North Carolina. Rathan-Mayes scored 30 points last season to pace the Seminoles in the loss to the Tar Heels and set an FSU freshman record with 35 points in his last trip to Chapel Hill two years ago. In four ACC games this season, Rathan-Mayes is averaging 14.5 points while shooting 53 percent from the field.

Kennedy Meeks: With Brice Johnson off to the NBA, the guy down low that Florida State will have to contain is Kennedy Meeks. At 6-10 and 260 pounds, Meeks is a big body who can dominate on the low block. FSU has done an excellent job holding opposing big men at bay this season, but Meeks may be the best the Seminoles have seen thus far. Meeks didn’t play last season against FSU, but in two previous games, is averaging 17.5 points and seven rebounds against the Seminoles.

Number to Pay Attention To

176: That’s the total amount of points Florida State and North Carolina are combining to average this season. The Tar Heels, who average 89.3 points per game, rank sixth nationally. The Seminoles, who average 86.7 points, rank 13th nationally. In what should be a high-scoring game, defense will be at a premium. The Seminoles allowed 89 points in their only loss this season to Temple. North Carolina has been held under 70 points just twice this season and both times resulted in losses.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson