Fresh off its biggest margin of defeat of the season, Florida State will head north to Syracuse to continue a stretch of seven of 10 games on the road. The Seminoles were handled by Georgia Tech on Wednesday night and will look to avoid their first losing streak of the season as they invade the Carrier Dome to take on an Orange squad looking to climb over .500 in ACC play.
Syracuse is 3-1 against Florida State since joining the ACC during the 2013-14 season. The teams split the two meetings last season with each team winning at home. Syracuse is 4-0 at home in ACC play this season, but has yet to win away from the Carrier Dome in conference play.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 6 Florida State Seminoles (18-3, 6-2 ACC) at Syracuse Orange (12-9, 4-4 ACC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 28 at 12 p.m. EST (ESPN2)
Where: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York
Key Players
For Florida State: Dwayne Bacon averages 17.1 points to lead the Seminoles in scoring, but has been cold of late. Freshman Jonathan Isaac is a tough cover, averaging nearly 13 points and eight rebounds. Xavier Rathan-Mayes is averaging better than 10 points per contest and a team-high 4.6 assists per game.
For Syracuse: Senior guard Andrew White is averaging more than 16 points per game to pace the Orange. Versatile forward Tyler Lydon is scoring 14.2 points per game to go along with almost eight boards. Tyus Battle, a 6-6 freshman, is averaging more than 10 points per game.
What to Watch For
How FSU starts: A theme in both of Florida State’s conference road losses has been slow starts. The Seminoles fell behind 7-0 in a loss to North Carolina on Jan. 14 and 12-2 at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. With a top 10 opponent coming in, the Carrier Dome should be alive on Saturday and FSU would be best served to avoid falling into another early hole.
Dwayne Bacon: Dwayne Bacon is Florida State’s leading scorer for the second season in a row and has scored in double-figures in every game. Over the last two however, he has struggled mightily from the field. In a win over Louisville on Saturday and a loss to Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Bacon has combined to go just 9-for-31 shooting or 29 percent. Syracuse has good size in the backcourt that could give Bacon some trouble. In two games against the Orange last season, Bacon averaged 13.5 points on just 35 percent shooting.
Tyler Lydon: Sophomore forward Tyler Lydon is a versatile 6-9 player who gave the Seminoles fits in two games last season. Lydon averaged 15.5 points against FSU in two games and shot an efficient 11-for-16. Lydon is a match-up nightmare and might find himself spending a good portion of the day on FSU forward Jonathan Isaac. Lydon is also Syracuse’s top rebounder. In both of FSU’s ACC losses, the Seminoles were demolished on the glass with an average margin of -18 per game.
Point guard play: Florida State’s combination of Xavier Rathan-Mayes and C.J. Walker struggled in Wednesday’s loss at Georgia Tech, combining for just five points on 2-for-14 shooting and just three assists. Syracuse also has a pretty good point guard duo in Frank Howard and John Gillon. Each are among the ACC’s leaders in assists and when those two play well, the Orange seem to play well. In losses this season, FSU’s point guards have been dismal. Whichever backcourt plays better on Saturday will be a key factor in deciding the outcome.
Number to Pay Attention To
62: That’s the percentage Syracuse shot in last season’s match-up in the Carrier Dome which resulted in an 85-72 win over the Seminoles. This season, the Orange are shooting 45.5 percent from the field which ranks 10th in the ACC while FSU is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
You must be logged in to post a comment Login