Preview: FSU Begins 3-Game Road Stretch in Atlanta

Sixth-ranked Florida State is 14-0 at home this season, including a perfect 5-0 in ACC play. The next three games however, will be on the road beginning on Wednesday night against Georgia Tech.

Under first-year coach Josh Pastner, the Yellow Jackets have overachieved by most’s standards at 11-8. Georgia Tech has upset wins over North Carolina and at Virginia Commonwealth, but are coming off consecutive losses in the state of Virginia. FSU on the other hand, is flying high after back-to-back victories over ranked teams in Notre Dame and Louisville. The Yellow Jackets defeated FSU last year in Tallahassee by an 86-80 score to snap a 10-game losing streak to the Seminoles.

The Match-Up

Who: No. 6 Florida State Seminoles (18-2, 6-1 ACC) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-8, 3-4 ACC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. EST (ACC Network)
Where: McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia

Key Players

For Florida State: Sophomore Dwayne Bacon struggled his last time out, but is leading FSU in scoring at 17.4 points per game. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac has been red hot of late and for the season is averaging 13.3 points and team-highs of 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Isaac is also shooting it 54 percent from the field. Redshirt junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes is the leading assist man, averaging 4.7 dimes per contest to go with better than 10 points.

For Georgia Tech: Center Ben Lammers is averaging 14.5 points while shooting 53 percent from the field and grabbing a team-high 9.6 rebounds per game to lead the Yellow Jackets. Freshman Josh Okogie is Georgia Tech’s leading scorer, getting 14.6 points per game. Forward Quinton Stephens is averaging nearly 11 points and better than eight rebounds. Junior guard Tadric Jackson is averaging 10.4 points per game, but less than eight in ACC play.

What to Watch For

Jonathan Isaac: The Florida State freshman forward has been a man possessed of late, earning both ACC Freshman of the Week and National Player of the Week honors for recent performances against ranked competition. After a slow start to ACC play, Isaac has recorded three straight double-doubles, averaging nearly 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks over the last three games. He’s done so while shooting 61 percent from the field and will be an extremely tough player to cover for Georgia Tech on Wednesday night.

Georgia Tech’s defense: It’s no secret that Florida State likes to push the basketball and the Seminoles have done that well this season. FSU ranks in the top 15 nationally in scoring and field goal percentage and will look to use its athleticism to its advantage. The Yellow Jackets however, are a team that likes to slow the game down and rely on their defense. Georgia Tech is the lowest-scoring team in the ACC, averaging less than 67 points per game but rank in the top 5 in the conference in scoring and field goal percentage defense. The Yellow Jackets have held 13 of their 19 opponents to fewer than 70 points this season, including North Carolina, who managed a season-low 63 points.

The battle inside: Ben Lammers and Quinton Stephens are two very good big men for Georgia Tech, but dealing with FSU’s size won’t be easy. The Seminoles, who are headlined by 7-4 Christ Koumadje and 7-1 senior Michael Ojo, are deeper and more physical up front. Georgia Tech ranks just 14th in the ACC in rebounding margin. Last season however, the Yellow Jackets got the better of FSU on the glass, winning the battle 32-25 with 12 of those rebounds coming on the offensive end. Where Georgia Tech could create havoc inside is altering shots as the Yellow Jackets lead the ACC in blocks. Lammers is averaging an ACC-best 3.4 blocks per game.

FSU’s depth: There are a number of areas where Florida State looks to have the edge on Wednesday night, but the biggest might be depth. The Seminoles have 12 players who average at least 10 minutes per game while Georgia Tech has eight. Eight isn’t a terribly low number to have, but Corey Heyward and Abdoulaye Gueye combine for about 27 minutes per game. The two also combine for less than four points and only 4.2 rebounds.

Number to Pat Attention To

53.8: That’s the percentage Georgia Tech shot from the field in last season’s 86-80 victory over Florida State. The Yellow Jackets have shot an ACC-worst 43 percent from the field this season. In its three ACC wins, Georgia Tech is shooting 46 percent from the floor.

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