The Daily Nole

What to Watch For Wednesday: FSU Hoops Programs Headline Quiet Week

Mike Olivella/FSU athletics

For Florida State, cross country, soccer and volleyball seasons have all come to an end over the last month. FSU football awaits its Sun Bowl showdown against Arizona State after announcing Mike Norvell as its 11th full-time head coach.

The only events this week for the Seminoles will come on the hardwood. The match-ups aren’t exactly marquee, but without further ado, here’s what to watch for this week:

FSU men host North Florida
Florida State’s last home game before the Christmas holidays will take place on Tuesday night against North Florida. After watching its 7-game winning streak get snapped at Indiana, FSU used a big second half to even its ACC record last time out with a 72-53 win over Clemson. Devin Vassell led FSU with 14 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

The Seminoles are 8-2 for the season and ranked No. 21. Vassell leads the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 45 percent from deep. Trent Forrest, a senior guard, also averages better than 12 points to go with team-highs of 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals per contest. M.J. Walker has battled through injury this season, but is averaging better than 10 points per contest.

The Ospreys are currently 6-5, but were somewhat competitive in losses to Florida, Iowa and Creighton. Sophomore forward Carter Hendricksen averages 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game to lead the team. Ivan Gandia-Rose and J.T. Escobar, both senior guards, each average better than 13 points per contest. Escobar is shooting 45 percent from deep while Gandia-Rosa leads the team averaging 6.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The teams will meet at 8:30 p.m. EST in a contest that airs on ACC Network.

FSU women host St. John’s on Sunday
Florida State will look to start 10-0 for just the fourth time on Sunday as it plays host to St. John’s. The Seminoles remained No. 8 in this week’s AP Poll after starting ACC play with an 81-64 victory over Clemson over the weekend. The 3-headed monster of guards Nicki Ekhomu, Nausia Woolfolk and forward Kiah Gillespie — the ACC Player of the Week — is one of the best in the ACC and maybe the country.

Gillespie is averaging just shy of a double-double with 16.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Ekhomu and Woolfolk each average 14.9 points per contest. Woolfolk averages 1.9 steals and Ekhomu leads the team with 5.2 assists per game. St. John’s is off to a 6-3 start this season. Senior guard Qadashah Hoppie averages 16.3 points and shoots 42 percent from deep to lead the team. Leilani Correa averages 14 points for the Red Storm and is coming off a 33-point performance in a 96-60 win over Army.

Sunday’s contest begins at 2 p.m. EST and will air on ACC Network.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.

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