After a thrilling 80-76 win over Louisville on Saturday, Florida State aims for what might be its signature victory of the season on Wednesday. Coming to Tallahassee will be No. 2 Virginia, who is 22-1, ranked second in the country and riding a 14-game winning streak.
FSU has won two straight in the series with Dwayne Bacon being the hero last season as he hit a last-second 3-pointer to lift the Seminoles to a 60-58 win in Charlottesville. FSU beat the Cavaliers 69-62 in their last trip to Tallahassee two years ago. Florida State had lost the previous five to Virginia.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers (22-1, 11-0 ACC) at Florida State Seminoles (17-6, 6-5 ACC)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. EST (ACC Network)
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida
Key Players
For Virginia: Sophomore guard Kyle Guy was nearly the hero for Virginia in last season’s loss to FSU and comes into Wednesday, averaging a team-high 15.5 points per game. Devon Hall averages better than 12 points per game and shoots 44 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Ty Jerome, a sophomore guard, scores 9.6 points per game to go with team-high averages of 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
For Florida State: While shooting 59 percent from the field, junior Terance Mann leads FSU by scoring 15.5 points and grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. Senior guard Braian Angola fills up the box score, averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals. Senior forward Phil Cofer scores better than 13 points per game and grabs 5.5 rebounds. He’s shooting 49 percent from the field.
What to Watch For
Phil Cofer: After a brief slump, Phil Cofer has come back to life for Florida State over the last four games. During that stretch, Cofer has averaged 18 points on 54 percent shooting. At 6-foot-8 and with the ability to play inside or out, Cofer is a tough match-up at his best. Against a Virginia team with a stingy defense, a big night from Cofer would go a long way.
Pace: It tends to lull people to sleep, but under head coach Tony Bennett, Virginia has perfected a half-court, defensive-minded, slow-paced brand of basketball. That contrasts with what FSU has liked to do in recent years under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Virginia is yielding a nation-best 52.3 points per game — 4.5 fewer than the next closest team. FSU hasn’t won an ACC game this season when scoring less than 80.
Rebounding: If there is one area where Florida State should have a distinct advantage over Virginia on Wednesday night, it will be on the glass. In conference play, the Seminoles rank third in rebounding margin behind only North Carolina and Duke at +4.3 per game while the Cavaliers are 11th at -1.6 per contest. The Seminoles play a pair of 7-footers in 7-4 Christ Koumadje and 7-1 Ike Obiagu. Mamadi Diakite, at 6-9, and Jack Salt at 6-10 are solid players inside, but could be giving up some height. Aside from those two, the Cavaliers don’t have a player taller than 6-7 who has appeared in more than 11 games.
Kyle Guy: Virginia’s leading scorer Kyle Guy has stepped up in a big way for the Cavaliers this season, scoring 15.5 points per game. Guy was a difference-maker against the Seminoles last season, leading the Cavaliers with 14 points and hitting the 3-pointer that put them ahead with seconds to play before Bacon hit the winner for FSU. Guy has hit double-figures in eight straight games and in 20 of 23 games this season.
Number to Pay Attention To
.500: That’s the percentage that Florida State has shot from 3-point land during its 2-game winning streak over Virginia. After going 6-for-13 from deep in Tallahassee two years ago, the Seminoles shot 8 of 15 last season. For the season, Virginia is holding foes to just 29 percent from distance.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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