Righting the ship will be the goal for Florida State on Saturday as the Seminoles head to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. FSU has lost three of four games and is just 2-4 in ACC play, following an 81-75 loss at Boston College on Monday.
The Hokies are coming off of a loss at Louisville and currently have the look of a team sitting on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Florida State took both meetings between the schools last season, but went 0-2 against Virginia Tech the season before, which included a loss in Blacksburg. The Seminoles’ last road win over the Hokies came in February 2015.
The Match-Up
Who: Florida State Seminoles (13-5, 2-4 ACC) at Virginia Tech Hokies (13-5, 2-3 ACC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 20 at 12 p.m. EST (ESPN2)
Where: Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia
Key Players
For Florida State: Junior Terance Mann continues to be the driving force for the Seminoles, averaging 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59 percent from the field — all team-highs. Seniors Braian Angola and Phil Cofer also average in double-figures. Angola scores 14.3 points per game to go with 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a team-high 1.6 steals. Cofer averages nearly 13 points and six rebounds per contest.
For Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech features five players, averaging in double-figures, led by junior guard Ahmed Hill, who averages better than 15 points per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 49 percent from deep. Kerry Blackshear Jr. shoots 62 percent from the field while averaging 13.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. Justin Bibbs averages better than 13 points on 51 percent shooting. Nickeil Alexander-Walker averages nearly 12 points per game while Justin Robinson scores 11.4 per contest on top of leading the team with 5.6 assists per game.
What to Watch For
3-point shooting: Florida State and Virginia Tech rank first and second in the ACC in made 3-pointers per game while the Hokies lead the conference and rank in the top 25 nationally, shooting better than 40 percent from deep. FSU has gone cold of late from beyond the 3-point arc. Over their last four games, the Seminoles are just 29-for-106 or 27 percent from deep. That includes a dismal 5-for-26 showing against Boston College on Monday night. Over that stretch, Angola is responsible for 12 of FSU’s 29 makes. Virginia Tech on the other hand, has four players who average at least one make per game. The Hokies were just 12-for-40 or 30 percent from downtown in the two losses to FSU last season. The season before when Virginia Tech swept the Seminoles, it shot 19-for-37 or 51 percent from distance.
Phil Cofer: Once the most pleasant surprise for Florida State, senior forward Phil Cofer has gone ice cold of late. Since a career-high 28 points at Duke, Cofer has averaged just eight points while shooting just 26 percent from the field and 22 percent from beyond the arc. Cofer is a player who can stretch the floor for FSU and take the Hokie bigs away from the rim. During his struggles, Cofer has found a way to contribute by averaging seven rebounds per game.
Rebounding: If there is one place where Florida State should have a true advantage over Virginia Tech, it is on the glass. The Hokies are an average of -6 in ACC play while the Seminoles are +3.7 on average in conference. Since 7-foot-4 junior Christ Koumadje has returned, FSU is outrebounding foes by 11 boards per game. Kerry Blackshear, at 6-10, is the only Virginia Tech taller than 6-6 who sees significant playing time.
Chris Clarke: The X-factor for Virginia Tech on Saturday may be junior forward Chris Clarke. Clarke played only in the meeting in Tallahassee last season and not in the ACC Tournament, but finished with 22 points and eight rebounds to lead the Hokies. Clarke at 6-6 plays bigger than he is, but when he scores in double-figures this season, the Hokies are 5-0.
Number to Pay Attention To
0: That’s the number of times that Florida State has made the NCAA Tournament when starting 2-5 or worse through seven games of ACC action. That’s what the Seminoles would fall to with a loss on Saturday.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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