A double-bye will be on the line Tuesday night in Tallahassee in what will be a match-up of top-15 teams on Senior Night. Florida State and Virginia Tech will do battle for the right not to play until Thursday at next week’s ACC Tournament.
Both programs are coming off big weeks and made the two biggest jumps in the AP Poll. FSU collected home wins over Notre Dame and NC State and has won 10 of 11 overall. Virginia Tech is coming off an upset of No. 3 Duke. FSU defeated the Hokies last season in Blacksburg, 91-82, and has won three straight in the series.
The Match-Up
Who: No. 15 Virginia Tech Hokies (22-6, 11-5 ACC) at No. 14 Florida State Seminoles (23-6, 11-5 ACC)
When: Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. EST (ESPNU)
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida
Key Players
For Virginia Tech
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, G (So.): 16.4 PPG, 2.1 SPG, 49% FG
Kerry Blackshear, F (Jr.): 14.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 54% FG
Ahmen Hill, G (Sr.): 13 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 82% FT
For FSU
Mfiondu Kabengele, F (So.): 13.2 PPG, 1.3 BPG, 51% FG
Terance Mann, G (Sr.): 11.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 52% FG
Trent Forrest, G (Jr.): 9.1 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2 SPG
What to Watch For
M.J. Walker: The difference for Florida State in last season’s 91-82 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg was the play of M.J. Walker. The then freshman scored a career-high 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting, which included 4 of 7 from deep. Walker is coming off a solid effort in which he scored 15 points against NC State in a 78-73 victory on Saturday. When Walker scores in double-figures this season, the Seminoles are 9-1.
Kerry Blackshear: Virginia Tech junior forward Kerry Blackshear has been on an absolute tear of late. Over his last four games, Blackshear is averaging 23.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game while shooting almost 70 percent from the field,. The 6-foot-10 star has recorded three straight double-doubles coming in. Blackshear will be a tough match-up for FSU’s front line, which includes leading scorer Mfiondu Kabengele. He finished with 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting and five rebounds in last season’s defeat.
Replacing Justin Robinson: Virginia Tech will be without starting point guard Justin Robinson on Tuesday night, which could serve as a huge blow. A 6-2 senior, Robinson leads the ACC in assists per game and ranks second for the Hokies in steals and 3-point percentage. Robinson finished with a game-high 26 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 4 of 6 from deep last season against the Seminoles. With Robinson out, leading scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker will likely be the Hokies’ primary ball handler.
3-point shooting: The 3-point line will probably play a big part in determining Tuesday’s winner on Senior Night in Tallahassee. The Hokies rank second in the ACC in 3-point percentage at nearly 40 percent and make more triples per game than any other team in the ACC at 9.6 per contest. FSU is the second worst team in the conference in defending the perimeter, allowing opponents to shoot better than 35 percent from deep. NC State was a solid 9-for-19 against the Seminoles from downtown on Saturday. Ty Outlaw leads the Hokies in makes from distance while P.J. Savoy holds that distinction for Florida State. FSU did hold Virginia Tech to 10-for-29 from distance last season, although both teams shot better than 53 percent from the field.
Number to Pay Attention To
12: That’s the number of ACC victories both teams will be going for on Tuesday night. For FSU, it would tie a program record set three previous times. For Virginia Tech, it would add to the record of 11 already set this season.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
You must be logged in to post a comment Login