Florida State returned home after a road trip loss at Duke last Saturday and got a chance to face the Georgia Tech team, which just scored an upset victory over Miami this week. This should be a good time for FSU to build on some of the things they’ve found in the last few games.
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The game will be broadcast live from the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida at 1:00 p.m. on Regional Sports Networks.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Breakdown
Georgia Tech haven’t won an ACC match so far this week, but they’ve certainly been given a brutal start. UNC, Clemson and Virginia have been formidable opponents so far this season, and it wasn’t unreasonable for GT to be 0-3 in that stretch, but his first ACC win, Miami, was a I surprised many people by winning. Miami went his 13-1 lead, the only loss being on the neutral floor to a good team in Maryland, defeating Rutgers, Virginia and Providence. They had good resumes. So when they traveled to Atlanta and lost to the Yellow Jackets, many woke up and many wondered how it all happened.
First, Miami was ice cold from 3 and just 5/32 overall. Nijel Pack had him 3/12 and Isaiah Wong 0/8 from deep. It’s hard to win a match when those two are struggling like that. Norchad Ommie gave Miami his rebound on his 14th offense when he fouled in the 21st minute. Second, Lance Terry was phenomenal, with just 13 shots (6 free throws) he scored 24 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and also grabbed a steal.
Terry joined from Gardner Webb and averaged 10.9 PPG and 2.7 RPG in his career. He hasn’t scored in double figures in a row this season, but he clearly has the talent to score in his best games, as he showed against Miami.
Georgia Tech’s best player is Myles Kelly, the only Yellow Jacket to average double-digit points with 14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.0 APG on 42.2/39.3/88.2 shot splits. He has had his double-digit numbers in all but his two games at the end of November, and his average PPG in the ACC so far is his 18. A matchup between Kelly and Matthew Cleveland should be a lot of fun. He and Terry are the only players on the team where he shoots over 3-33%.
Dallan Coleman was someone FSU recruited heavily a few years ago, but GT was able to give him some early playtime and is starting to make the most of it, averaging 9.7 PPG and 3.0 RPG. He’s still a bit inefficient, shooting just 40.2% from the floor and 32.8% from deep. Coleman is one of those players whose efficiency decreases the more he shoots.
Jalon Moore is a near-double-digit scorer at 9.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG and is one of the team’s better defenders, averaging 2.3 blocks + steals per game. His 2.1 offense per game his rebounding is something FSU has to keep an eye on.
We are a team that is searching for who we want to be. Nine different players at least he starts two games and all nine of them he plays over 12 minutes per game. Javon Franklin, Rodney Howard, and Divion Smith are all good rebounders, and in total he gets 5.4 offensive his rebounds per game. Smith and Kyle Sturdivant are the best playmakers on the team, averaging a combined 5.8 assists per game. And then Tristan Maxwell…does he play? I honestly don’t know what he’s good at.
Florida Seminole Breakdown
Florida State suffered a disappointing 86-67 loss to Duke last weekend in Durham. The coaching staff took pride in the way they fought and didn’t give up until the end, but they couldn’t find the momentum they needed. ‘s failure ruined everything. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr.’s performances still have to be satisfied, and Matthew Cleveland nearly freed his throw to record his fourth consecutive double.
It will be a challenging matchup against Georgia Tech’s tricky defense and FSU’s main ball handlers Jalen Whalley, Chandler Jackson and Caleb Mills. They need to be strong on the ball, make accurate passes on time, and organize things so that the attack runs as smoothly as possible.
Bubba Miller needs to sit down for one more game before returning to action. I know he’s a little bit of a jerk to get back there and FSU can’t wait to have him. More on him in the next game.
injury report
Jaylan Gainey will miss the season with a torn ACL.
Camron Fletcher will miss the season with a knee injury.
Bubba Miller will be back for the next match against Wake Forest, but will have to sit out this final one.
Jeremiah Bembry was seen wearing the boots at a Duke match.
Tristan Maxwell and Jordan Meka missed the last two games at Georgia Tech due to illness, but could return for this game. They were likely to appear in the Miami game, but still did not play.
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Anticipated starter
Florida
G: Jalen Whalley
G: Caleb Mills
G: Darrin Green Jr.
F: Matthew Cleveland
C: Cameron Cohen
Georgia Tech
G: Lance Terry
G: Darran Coleman
G: Miles Kelly
F: Jaron Moore
C: Rodney Howard
game key
don’t force 3 seconds
Georgia Tech has the best 3-point defense in the ACC, and the team has shot only 27.3% from 3 points so far this season. As Miami found in this past game, taking too many 3s robs them of valuable shots they otherwise could have made. 3 is likely too many for him to take 20 times (Miami takes 32 and makes 5). So unless the FSU are blisteringly hot from 3 in this game, they should focus on getting inside.
good at basketball
Even without the pesky Jose Alvarado, this is a tough GT defense to score. Allowing one of his lowest 50 percentages when it comes to field goal percentages made. They aren’t forcing as many turnovers or blocking as many shots as they normally would, but they still can’t be lousy at basketball. Generate shots.
free throw disparity
It is imperative that Florida defend this without fouling it. Georgia Tech’s free-throw percentage (free-throw attempts per field goal attempt) is just 2-for-5 in games below his 30%, with wins in low-lying Alabama and northern Illinois. . Conversely, FSU must reach the free-throw line. 2-4 in a game where Georgia Tech allows a free throw rate over his 36%.
Game prediction
FSU is 2.5 points ahead at 144.5 over/under.
Florida State needs to have enough athletes to defend Georgia Tech. It depends on FSU getting enough quality shots and free throws to score enough. I like this ‘Noles’.
FSU 72 GT 68
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