Preview: FSU Visits Miami in Rivalry Showdown

For a third straight game, Florida State will be taking on a ranked team as the Seminoles head south to take on Miami on Sunday night. The Seminoles swept the Hurricanes last season and will be looking to take three straight from their rivals for the first time since winning six straight from February 2009 to February 2012.

FSU is coming off a big home victory over North Carolina, 81-80. Like the Seminoles, Miami is 1-1 in ACC play after falling at Georgia Tech its last time out. FSU beat the Hurricanes 75-57 behind a monster second half and 15 points each from Jonathan Isaac and Dwayne Bacon in last year’s contest in Coral Gables.

The Match-Up

Who: No. 24 Florida State Seminoles (12-2, 1-1 ACC) at No. 16 Miami Hurricanes (12-2, 1-1 ACC)
When: Sunday, Jan. 7 at 6 p.m. EST (ESPNU)
Where: Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida

Key Players

For Florida State: Junior slasher Terance Mann averages 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and shoots 62 percent to lead Florida State in all three statistical categories. Senior Phil Cofer struggled his last time out, but is averaging nearly 14 points and shooting 54 percent from the field and 48 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Guards Braian Angola and C.J. Walker average better than 13 and 10 points per game, respectively.

For Miami: 6-foot-11 sophomore Dewan Huell scores 13.4 points per game to lead Miami while shooting 66 percent and grabbing 6.4 rebounds. Bruce Brown, a 6-5 guard, is in a bit of a sophomore slump, but is scoring nearly 11 points per contest while bring down a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Dejan Vasiljevic, also a sophomore, has been Miami’s biggest 3-point threat this season with 32 makes on 40 percent shooting. He averages 10.3 points per game.

What to Watch For

3-point shooting: In ACC play, Florida State has filled it up. The Seminoles have made 26 triples and are shooting 43 percent in conference games against Duke and North Carolina. Braian Angola, Phil Cofer, M.J. Walker and C.J. Walker have been particularly lethal over the first two games. Dejan Vasiljevic is the guy to watch for the Hurricanes from beyond the arc as are Chris Lykes and Anthony Lawrence. Defensively however, both teams have defended the arc well. Miami’s opponents are shooting just 27 percent from deep while foes are shooting just over 29 percent from distance against the Seminoles.

Dewan Huell: Against talented big men, it’s been a mixed bag for Florida State this season. Against the Duke duo of Wendell Carter, Jr. and Marvin Bagely, FSU was dominated, particularly by Bagley. On Wednesday, FSU held North Carolina’s Luke Maye to 14 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Miami has a big who can present a bit of difficulty in Dewan Huell. The sophomore forward, like Bagley, is long and can step out a little bit and make shots. He’s averaging better than 13 points and shooting 66 percent. Huell’s length and athleticism should provide a real challenge for an FSU front line that is missing Chris Koumadje.

Braian Angola: Stiffer competition has not derailed Braian Angola’s breakout senior season. In fact, it has brought out the best in him. In two ACC games, Angola is averaging 21.5 points per game for the Seminoles to go with 6.5 rebounds and a total of eight made 3-pointers over the two contests against Duke and North Carolina. Angola’s length and ability to shoot and handle the ball are big reasons for his success this season. He averaged just two points in a pair of contests against Miami last season.

Pace: Despite losing its top three scorers from last season, Florida State has shown no signs of wanting to slow things down offensively this season. Miami on the other hand, plays more of half-court game, despite being an athletic team. Miami was able to play at its pace in last season’s meeting in Tallahassee, but was still defeated. Expect the Seminoles to try to push the tempo early.

Number to Pay Attention To

.665: That’s the free throw percentage this season for both Florida State and Miami, which is tied for last in the ACC. The Seminoles missed their final four shots from the stripe while trying to put away North Carolina on Wednesday night.

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