After a fairly lengthy rest, No. 18 Florida State will return to action on Saturday against NC State. The Seminoles have won nine of 10 and are coming off a 68-61 home victory on Monday over Notre Dame.
NC State comes in as winners of four of five and are becoming more and more of a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack defeated the Seminoles last season in Raleigh, 92-72. FSU won two years ago in the last meeting in Tallahassee, 95-71.
The Match-Up
Who: NC State Wolfpack (20-8, 8-7 ACC) at No. 18 Florida State Seminoles (22-6, 10-5 ACC)
When: Saturday, March 2 at 12 p.m. EST (ESPN2)
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida
Key Players
For NC State
Torin Dorn, G (Sr.): 13.9 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 48% FG
C.J. Bryce, G (Jr.): 12.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 40% 3PT
Markell Johnson, G/F (Jr.): 11.4 PPG, 4.2 APG, 52% FG
For FSU
Mfiondu Kabengele, F (So.): 13.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 52% FG
Terance Mann, G (Sr.): 11.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 52% FG
Trent Forrest, G (Jr.): 9 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2 SPG
What to Watch For
3-point shooting: NC State ranks fourth in the ACC in 3-point percentage and fifth in the conference in 3-pointers made, but in conference play, the Seminoles have actually shot slightly better than the Wolfpack from deep. The 3-point arc played a major role in last season’s contest in Raleigh as the Wolfpack went 13-for-22 from downtown compared to FSU’s dismal 0-for-15. Sam Hunt and Allerik Freeman each made four 3s, but both have since graduated. Markell Johnson was 3-for-4 from deep for NC State. Braxton Beverly currently leads the Wolfpack in makes and shoots 35 percent from deep in conference. P.J. Savoy leads the Seminoles in triples with 41 for the season, but is just 1-for-5 from distance over his last two games.
Rebounding: The battle on the glass will be one to watch on Saturday as Florida State and NC State are among the better rebounding teams in the ACC. The Seminoles rank fourth in the conference in rebounding margin while the Wolfpack are fifth. When it comes to offensive rebounds, only Duke grabs more per game among ACC schools than NC State. NC State held a 36-32 edge on the glass in last season’s match-up. Guard Torin Dorn is the leading rebounder for NC State at nearly seven per game, but much like the Seminoles, it is rebounding by committee. The Wolfpack have five players grabbing at least four boards per contest. Led by Terance Mann’s 6.4 rebounds, FSU has three players who average at least 5.5 per contest.
Mfiondu Kabengele: After a monster night at Clemson more than a week ago, FSU redshirt sophomore forward and leading scorer Mfiondu Kabengele has struggled to get much going in the last two games. In a loss to North Carolina on Saturday and Monday’s win over Notre Dame, Kabengele is a combined 5-for-16 from the field while averaging nine points and five rebounds. He has averaged 2.5 blocks over those two games. The Wolfpack don’t have a lot of size down low, so Saturday could provide an opportunity for Kabengele to get going again. He finished with six points in nine minutes in last season’s loss in Raleigh.
Number to Pay Attention To
66.2: That’s the number of points that Florida State is giving up in ACC play, which ranks fourth in the conference behind Virginia, Clemson and Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack are the third-highest scoring team in ACC play, but are just 1-3 when scoring 70 points or fewer.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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