Two teams headed in opposite directions will meet on Saturday in Atlanta as 17th-ranked Florida State travels to Georgia Tech. The Seminoles have won six straight and will look to tie a school record for consecutive ACC wins on Saturday.
Since a 3-3 start to ACC play, Georgia Tech has lost six straight games, including a 59-49 defeat at FSU two weeks ago. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 76-68 loss to Virginia Tech while FSU topped Wake Forest, 88-66 on Wednesday. Georgia Tech did win the last meeting between the teams in Atlanta two years ago after FSU had ascended to No. 6 in the country, 78-56.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 17 Florida State Seminoles (19-5, 7-4 ACC) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-14, 3-9 ACC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. EST (Raycom Sports Network)
Where: McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia
Key Players
For FSU
Mfiondu Kabengele, F (So.): 13.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 52% FG
Terance Mann, G (Sr.): 12 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 53% FG
Trent Forrest, G (Jr.): 9.3 PPG, 4 APG, 2.1 SPG
For Georgia Tech
Jose Alvarado, G (So.): 11.4 PPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 SPG
James Banks III, F (Jr.): 10.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 55% FG
Michael Devoe, G (Fr.): 9.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.5 APG
What to Watch For
Jose Alvarado: To say that Georgia Tech leading scorer and sophomore guard Jose Alvarado is struggling would be putting it mildly. Averaging a team-high 11. 4 points for the season, Alvarado has averaged just four points over his last six games on just 17 percent from the field. After scoring a career-high tying 23 points last season against the Seminoles, Alvarado was 0-for-10 with no points before fouling out in the first meeting earlier this month.
FSU bigs: Although Florida State was just +2 on the glass during the first meeting between the schools, the battle inside is one that should be to the Seminoles’ advantage. FSU currently ranks fifth in the ACC in rebound margin while Miami is the only team worse in that category than the Yellow Jackets. Mfiondu Kabengele, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, is FSU’s leading scorer and finished with a team-high tying 12 points the first time around. Christ Koumadje, a 7-4 senior center, finished 2-for-2 with six points and eight rebounds. Koumadje is coming off a career-performance, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds against Wake Forest on Wednesday night.
Abdoulaye Gueye: If there was one bright spot for Georgia Tech during the first match-up, it was senior forward Abdoulaye Gueye. Gueye finished with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. The rest of the team was 11-for-53 from the field. Gueye also performed admirably against the Seminoles last season, finishing with 14 points on 4 of 6 from the field and seven boards.
Number to Pay Attention To
7: That’s the number of consecutive wins that Florida State will be going for on Saturday. The last time that FSU won seven straight ACC games was during the 2011-12 season when it won seven straight following a conference-opening loss at Clemson. FSU would go on to win its only ACC Tournament title.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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