Preview: FSU Takes on Rutgers in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Florida State will look to win consecutive games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and improve to 6-0 for the first time since the 2008-09 season on Tuesday as the Seminoles head north to take on Rutgers. It will be the first true road game of the year for FSU.

Rutgers is off to a 6-0 start after topping East Carolina on Friday, but the Scarlet Knights have not played the greatest of competition. This will be just the second meeting between the schools. Florida State took the first at home back in December 1967. FSU has not won back-to-back games in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 2004 and 2005 and not on the road since beating Minnesota in November 2004.

The Match-Up

Who: Florida State Seminoles (5-0) at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-0)
What: 2017 ACC/Big Ten Challenge
When: Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. EST (ESPNU)
Where: Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey

Key Players

For Florida State: Junior Terance Mann’s 17 points per game leads the Seminoles as does his field goal mark of 69 percent. Phil Cofer, a senior forward, isn’t behind as he averages 13.2 points per game. Mfiondu Kabengele, a redshirt freshman forward, is scoring 11.4 points per game while averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds. Senior Braian Angola averages 12.4 points per game to go with 4.4 assists per game.

For Rutgers: Like FSU, Rutgers has four players averaging in double-figures scoring. Geo Baker averages a team-high 12.5 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field. Junior guard Corey Sanders averages nearly 12 points to go with five rebounds and a team-best 3.5 assists. Senior forward Deshawn Freeman is averaging 11 points per game while leading the Scarlet Knights in rebounding and steals with 7.7 and 1.5 per game, respectively. Fellow senior Mike Williams scores 10.2 points per contest.

What to Watch For

How things start: During its last two victories, the Seminoles have wasted little time jumping on teams early. FSU led Kennesaw State 14-2 to begin the game and The Citadel 18-2. This however, will be FSU’s first true road game, so there could be a different dynamic playing away from Tallahassee. Rutgers has played well early as well, leading by double-digits at the break in each of its last two contests.

FSU seniors: With the exception of redshirt freshman Mfiondu Kabengele, the two most improved FSU players thus far have been seniors. Over the last two games, both Phil Cofer and Braian Angola have set new career scoring highs. After seeming out of place last season in a fast-paced offense, Cofer has been outstanding to start the season, averaging better than 13 points and nearly five rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. A former junior college All-American, Angola really seems to have found his comfort zone. Not only is Angola averaging better than 12 points per contest, he’s shooting 55 percent from the field, 46 percent from deep and ranks second on the team in assists and steals behind only Trent Forrest.

FSU offense vs. Rutgers defense: FSU and Rutgers are both undefeated this season, but have done so with different styles of basketball. While FSU has played good defense, the Seminoles currently rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring, field goal percentage and assists per game. Rutgers is holding its opponents to just 49 points per game — the best in the country. The Scarlet Knights also rank in the top 10 in field goal percentage defense, holding foes to just 33 percent from the field.

The battle inside: Rutgers may be the first team that FSU has faced this season that can legitimately match up with it inside. The Scarlet Knights have five players who are averaging at least five rebounds per game and as a team, it is outrebounding opponents by nearly 15 per contest. The Seminoles will likely be without Chris Koumadje, a 7-foot-4 junior, who has missed the last two games with a leg injury. FSU is among the nation’s best shot-blocking teams at 8.8 per game, but Rutgers isn’t bad either, averaging 6.2 rejections per contest with Eugene Omoruyi leading the way with 1.5 per game. Freshman Ike Obiagu ranks fourth in the ACC for FSU with 2.4 blocked shots per game.

The Number to Pay Attention To

1-6: That’s FSU’s record on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Over those seven games, FSU is being outscored by an average of 10 points per game in those contests. Only one of the losses — at Iowa two years ago — was decided by single digits. Florida State lost that one in overtime, 78-75.

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