Florida State will look to equal its longest winning streak in ACC play on Saturday evening when it travels to South Bend to face Notre Dame. No. 14 FSU enters the contest having won three in a row and by an average margin of 30 points. The Seminoles however, are just 5-4 away from the Donald L. Tucker Center this season.
After four straight losses, Notre Dame rebounded by beating Wake Forest earlier this week. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish will look to continue a trend of the home team winning every game in their series with FSU since Notre Dame joined the ACC. The Seminoles won 83-80 in the first match-up between the teams this season in Tallahassee.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 14 Florida State Seminoles (21-4, 9-3 ACC) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (18-7, 7-5 ACC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Where: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana
Key Players
For Florida State: Naismith and Wooden Award finalist Dwayne Bacon is FSU’s leading scoreer for a second straight season, averaging 17.6 points per game. Jonathan Isaac is averaging better than 13 points and team-highs of 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes scores just more than 10, but is among the ACC’s leaders in assists with 4.7 per contest.
For Notre Dame: Undersized forward Bonzie Colson has been the heart and soul of the Irish this season, averaging better than 16 points and nearly 11 rebounds. V.J. Beacham is scoring better than 15 points per contest while leading Notre Dame in 3-pointers made. Guards Matt Farrell and Steve Vasturia each average about 14 per game. Farrell is the leading assist man for the Fighting Irish at 5.4 per game.
What to Watch For
3-point shooting: Notre Dame leads the ACC in 3-point makes and 3-point percentage. No one knows that better than Florida State. In the first meeting between the teams this season at the Tucker Center, Notre Dame shot 15-for-21 from beyond the arc. The Fighting Irish shot just 12-for-37 from inside the arc. FSU is in the middle of the pack in the ACC in 3-point shooting, but is 31-for-66 or 47 percent during its winning streak.
Jonathan Isaac: The first contest between FSU and Notre Dame this season allowed FSU freshman forward Jonathan Isaac to have the best game of his young career. In the 83-80 victory, Isaac finished with 23 points on an ultra-efficient 7-for-9 shooting with 10 rebounds and seven blocks. Isaac’s long 6-10 frame and ability to play both inside and out makes him a tough match-up.
Bonzie Colson: Notre Dame junior forward Bonzie Colson plays bigger than his 6-5 frame. He’s the ACC’s leading rebounder and the Irish’s leading scorer, but was neutralized by FSU in the first meeting. Colson was held to just nine points and eight rebounds. It was the only game this season in which he was held to single digits in both categories. Colson is coming off a 27-point, 16-rebound effort against Wake Forest and will need to play well for the Fighting Irish on Saturday. Against a big front line for FSU, Colson could again have his work cut out for him.
Point guard play: Matt Farrell, a Notre Dame junior guard, is a dynamic player, averaging 14.1 points and 5.4 assists per game. Things for Farrell however, won’t come easy as he is matched up with FSU’s leading assist man, Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Rathan-Mayes has long been regarded for his offense, but did an outstanding job on N.C. State’s Dennis Smith, Jr. on Wednesday night. Rathan-Mayes held Smith to a season-low eight points. Farrell did play well in the first match-up with 17 points and seven assists. The point guard match-up could go a long way in determining the winner of Saturday night’s contest.
Number to Pay Attention To
11: That’s the number of blocked shots that Florida State had in the first meeting with Notre Dame. The Irish may have shot well from deep, but could get little inside. If FSU can again outplay Notre Dame on the block, it would serve the Seminoles very well as it’s unlikely Notre Dame will again shoot 15-for-21 from downtown.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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