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Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball (13-10, 7-5 ACC), after dropping a close game against the Virginia Cavaliers, are keeping things within the Old Dominion state as the squad is set to face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-10, 5-7 ACC).
FSU, barely clinging to hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth, fell short in a back-and-forth at home over the weekend.
From Matt Minnick:
Florida State is just a couple of consistent three point shooters away from being a really solid club. The team absolutely carved up Tony Bennett’s packline D in the first half, but when you’re constantly getting outscored by 15+ points from the three point line it’s mighty hard to win in modern basketball. In this one, UVA outscored FSU by 24 points from deep.
I don’t know what Chandler Jackson did to get in the dog house for two games, but wow was it nice to have him back in this one. He’s quietly put together a pretty nice 2024 (when he’s been able to play). Hopefully he starts to be more consistent off the court because he could be a candidate for a breakout campaign in 2024-25.
Jamir Watkins would have been absolutely sensational on the FSU teams circa 2018 and 2019. Sheesh, that would have been fun. As it is, I’m betting some NBA team will be getting a nice contributor in the second round.
At this point in the season, Florida State is running out of chances to build an NCAA Tournament resume. Lazy efforts in losses to Lipscomb, SMU, USF, and Louisville are really haunting them right now. The ‘Noles are a top 45 team since January 1st, but being a top 45 team isn’t the same as having a top 45 resume. The most realistic path to an NCAA Tournament bid is probably winning enough of their remaining games to secure a double-bye in the ACC Tournament and then using their depth to win three straight games.
From Michael Rogner:
One of Coach Hamilton’s post-game staples is talking about how many close games there are in the ACC. Not so much this year. Just 16.8% of the games have been decided by 4-points or less (or in OT), which is the lowest in the conference since 2011. That year there were three dominant teams (UNC, Duke, FSU) who blew out a bunch of bad teams. This year there just aren’t that many good games. Mike Young has been at Virginia Tech for five years, but this is just the fifth time the two teams have played. The first three were double digit blowouts (VT won 2), and this year, in Tallahassee, it looked to be four straight before VT backdoor covered on an 11-1 run to end the game. It doesn’t seem likely that this will be a nail biter, but that’s why you play the games.
If FSU is going to make the Tourney, they have to win eight straight, which would get them to 15-5 in conference. Virginia Tech only has seven games left, and even if they win them all, they still won’t make it. The current odds, by the way, of FSU going bananas and winning all those games is 0.09%, or roughly 1-1,100. So I’m saying it. There’s a chance.
It’s feeling more and more likely that Ham will be allowed to finish out his contract and coach one final season on some sort of farewell tour. Hopefully, FSU fans won’t take umbrage when a coach forgets to give Ham flowers, but more importantly, could a farewell tour be just what the doctor ordered? If you are a transfer looking to play one year, there are worse situations than helping a HOF coach who has been such a trailblazer for minority representation in basketball ride off with one last trip to the Dance. Are you feeling it? We drop some bags, we retain the core players, we add some talent? Hello?
Florida State took down the Hokies earlier in the season, a 77-74 win on January 6 in Tallahassee.
Virginia Tech is currently riding a three-game losing streak, the most recent a 74-66 loss to Notre Dame on the road.
From our SB Nation sister site, Gobbler Country:
Why did Tech lose this game? Where do we begin? The Hokies have no consistent inside presence. Kidd has gone AWOL the past two games, scoring eight combined points in losses to Miami and Notre Dame. For the Hokies to win, they need Kidd to score around 15 points per game and provide an actual inside presence.
Pedulla scored 13 quiet points. His turnovers remain an issue because he often tries to do too much. The Hokies don’t have players who can consistently create their own shot, which always shows up. MJ Collins scored only two points despite playing a team-high 36 minutes.
Could this be the worst loss of the Mike Young era?
According to DraftKings, the Seminoles are a 5.5-point underdog against the Hokies, with the over/under set at 152.5.
FSU vs. Virginia Tech: How to watch, stream, listen
Date
Tuesday, February 13
Time
9 p.m.
Watch, Stream
ESPNU
Listen
Seminoles Radio Network, SiriusXM RADIO FSU Broadcast: CH. 119 or 193
Possible starting lineup for Florida State
- Forward No. 2 Jamir Watkins (14.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg; 8 pts and 8 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Forward No. 5 De’Ante Green (5.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg; 3 pts and 3 rebs against Virginia Tech, March 4, 2023)
- Forward No. 11 Baba Miller (7.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg; 8 pts and 10 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 1 Jalen Warley (7.3 ppg, 2.6 apg; 7 pts and 6 asts against Virginia Tech, January 29, 2022)
- Guard No. 22 Darin Green Jr. (11.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg; 10 pts and 3 stls against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
Top Florida State reserves
- Center No. 3 Cam Corhen (8.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg; 11 pts and 3 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 23 Primo Spears (10.6 ppg, 2.2 apg; 11 pts and 2 asts against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 0 Chandler Jackson (5.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg; 9 pts and 2 rebs against Virginia Tech, March 4, 2023)
- Forward No. 33 Jaylan Gainey (3.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg; 11 pts and 3 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 20 Josh Nickelberry (3.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg; 2 pts and 0 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Forward No. 10 Taylor Bol Bowen (3.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg; 6 pts and 0 asts against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
- Center No. 12 Tom House (1.7 ppg, 0.4 rpg; 0 pts and 0 rebs against Virginia Tech, January 6, 2024)
Possible starting lineup for Virginia Tech
- Forward No. 31 Robbie Beran (6.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg; 2 pts and 3 rebs against Florida State, January 6, 2024)
- Forward No. 15 Lynn Kidd (13.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg; 2 pts and 8 rebs against Florida State, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 0 Hunter Cattoor (14.2 ppg, 2.8 rpg; 27 pts and 4 rebs against Florida State, January 29, 2022)
- Guard No. 2 MJ Collins (5.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg; 10 pts and 4 rebs against Florida State, January 6, 2024)
- Guard No. 3 Sean Pedulla (15.6 ppg, 4.5 apg; 26 pts and 2 rebs against Florida State, January 6, 2024)
Game notes, via FSU Sports Info
SEMINOLES TRAVEL TO PLAY SECOND GAME OF SEASON AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH
Florida State, which has won seven of its last 11 ACC games, travels to play at Virginia Tech on Tuesday, January 13, 2024 at 9:00 p.m. It’s the second meeting between the two teams following the Seminoles’ 77-74 win over the Hokies on January 6, 2024 at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee. The Seminoles arrive in Blacksburg on Tuesday with four ACC road victories. Florida State has won at Notre Dame (January 13, 67-58), at Miami (January 17, 84-75), at Syracuse (January 23, 85-69), and most recently at Boston College (February 6, 63-62). The four road victories by the Seminoles is just two wins away from matching the six ACC road win total of six they earned during the 2019-20 season. Florida State won the ACC regular season championship and ACC Championship with a 16-4 overall league record and six conference road wins. Following Tuesday’s game at Virginia Tech, the Seminoles play host to Duke (Saturday, February 17) and Boston College (Tuesday, February 20).
SEMINOLES TO HONOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN TURQUOISE UNIFORMS AGAINST HOKIES
Florida State will wear its distinctive Nike Seminole Heritage turquoise uniforms in its game against Virginia Tech. It marks the 28th time the Seminoles will wear the uniforms since first wearing them on November 17, 2013, in an 89-61 win over UT Martin. It’s the eighth time the Seminoles have worn the special uniforms during an ACC game — the Seminoles are 5-2 against ACC teams in the uniforms. It’s the first time the Seminole have worn the uniforms against Virginia Tech. The Seminoles have worn the uniforms against Pittsburgh (twice), Boston College (twice), Miami, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest in regular season ACC play. The Seminoles are 20-7 when wearing the special N7 turquoise uniforms.
HAMILTON RANKS FIFTH IN ACC HISTORY FOR WINS
Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton enters Tuesday’s game at Virginia Tech as the fifth winningest coach in ACC history with 417 wins. He is also the fifth winningest coach in ACC history for ACC regular season victories (166), ACC regular season and ACC Tournament wins combined (192). He is sixth in the ACC record book for ACC road wins (69), and eighth in ACC history for NCAA Tournament wins as an ACC Head Coach (18).
WATKINS, GREEN JR. IN TOP 10 FOR STEALS; SEMINOLES RANK SECOND IN ACC IN STEALS PER GAME
Entering Tuesday’s game at Virginia Techy, Florida State junior Jamir Watkins is ranked sixth in the ACC in steals (40 steals / 1.74 spg) and senior Darin Greer Jr. is tied for seventh in the steals per game category (36 steals / 1.65 spg) while the Seminoles ranked second in the ACC with 212 steals and a team averaged od 9.2 steals per game. Florida State has earned double figures in steals in four of the last five games, and in six of 12 ACC games.
CORHEN WITH REMARKABLE NUMBERS FROM THE FIELD
Florida State’s Cam Corhen is shooting .806 from the field (25 of 31) in the last seven games and enters Tuesday’s game against Virginia Tech ranked eighth in school history with a career field goal shooting percentage of .583. He is shooting .650 from the field in the first and was a perfect five
FLORIDA STATE’S OFFENSE AGAINST VIRGINIA
Florida State scored 76 points against Virginia on Saturday – nearly 20 points more than the Cavaliers allow on a per game basis this season. Virginia leads the ACC in scoring defense as it allows an average of 57.1 points scored per game in its first 24 games of the season. The Seminoles scored 18.3 points more on Saturday than the Cavaliers have allowed on a averages basis during the season.
SEMINOLES APPROACHING 100 TEAM BLOCKED SHOT
Florida State totaled its ACC season-high of eight shots against Virginia on Saturday in the Donald L. Tucker Center. It marked the third time this season the Seminoles had blocked eight or more shots in a game with 10 coming in its victory over Winthrop (December 22) and nine coming against Kennesaw State in their season-opener. Florida State enters Tuesday’s game against Virginia Tech ranked seventh in the ACC in blocked shots per game (4.3 bpg) and need just two blocked shots to become the seventh team in the ACC this season to blocked 100 or more shots as a team. The Seminoles blocked 125 shots last season (3.9 bpg). Florida State has blocked at least one shot in each game during the 2023-24 season and in 39 consecutive game dating to a 90-75 loss against Foerst on January 11, 2023. The last time the Seminoles did not block a shot was in a 75-64 win over Georgia Tech on January 7, 2023.
FLORIDA STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE AGAINST VIRGINIA
Florida State made more free throws than Virginia (26-18), made more free throws than Virginia attempted (26-24) and outshot the Cavaliers (78.8 – 75.0) in the game between two of the front runners in the AC on Saturday night in Tallahassee. It marked the sixth time this season the Seminoles had made more free throws than their opponent had attempted (North Florida, 13-12; Winthrop, 30-12; Lipscomb, 21-15; Wake Forest, 24-21; Notre Dame, 13-11; Virginia, 26-24).
FLORIDA STATE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE AGAINST VIRGINIA NOTE II
Florida State made its ACC season-high of 26 free throws against Virginia on Saturday in Tallahassee. The Seminoles’ free throw total against the Cavaliers marked the third time in ACC play that they had made 20 or more free throws in an ACC game. Florida State also made 23 free throws against Louisville (February 3) and 24 in its win over Wake Forest (January 9). Florida State made its season-high of 30 free throws in its 67-61 win over Winthrop (December 22) in Tallahassee. FLORIDA STATE FROM THE FIELD Led by Florida State’s seven-member bench bunch, which shot better than 60 percent from the field (11-18) against Virginia, the Seminoles shot .511 from the field against the Cavaliers. It marked the second time in the last three games – and sixth time this season — the Seminoles had shot better than 50 percent from the field in a game. The Seminoles’ shot a season-high .627 from the field in an 83-75 win over UNLV In the semifinals of the Sunshine Slam on November 20, 2023and shot their ACC season-high of .517 in an 82-71 win over Georgia Tech on January 3 in Tallahassee. Florida State’s 47 shots were its fewest field goal attempts in a single game this season.
LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO…
…Defeat Virginia Tech and win the two-game regular season series between the two teams for the first time since the 2014-15 season when the Seminoles won in Tallahassee (86-75, January 6, 2015) and in Blacksburg (73-65, February 7, 2015). The Seminoles also won the home-and-away series against the Hokies during the 2011-12 season). While these two teams have played multiple times in a season, the 2023-24 schedule is the first time since the 2014-15 season that the two have met twice during the regular season; …Defeat Virgina Tech and defeat the Hokies for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. The Seminoles defeated the Hokies in six consecutive meetings between the two teams from January 7, 2017 through February 1, 2020; …Defeat Virginia Tech and win its second consecutive game against the Hokies for the first time since a victory in the 2019 ACC Tournament in Charlotte (65-63 in overtime, March 14, 2019) and during a regular season game in Blacksburg (74-63, February 1, 2020)
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