Game Preview: Duke Blue Devils vs Florida State Seminoles

Duke hosts FSU today in a conference matchup of top 25 teams.

When: Dec. 30 | 2:00 PM (ET)
Where: Durham, NC - Cameron Indoor Stadium
Watch Live: CBS

In their second game of the ACC season the Duke Blue Devils take on the 11-1 Florida State Seminoles. Leonard Hamilton has his Seminole squad playing excellent basketball thus far this season, their only loss being a 71-70 loss to Oklahoma State back in the Orange Bowl Classic. Mitchell Solomon scored on a tip-in with 6 seconds left and then took a game-clinching charge at the other end of the court to hand Florida State their first defeat.

The Seminoles are currently riding a 2 game winning streak and last time out they hit 19 3's in rout of Southern Miss (98-45). This game at Duke begins a tough stretch for Hamilton and Florida State with UNC coming into Tallahassee on January 3rd and then having to travel to take on the Hurricanes on the 7th. Terance Mann leads the Seminoles in scoring at 15.1 points a game, he also pulls down 6 rebounds and dishes 3 assists per contest as a 6'6 guard. Forward Phil Cofer is second on the team in rebounding at 5.5 a game and just behind Mann in scoring at 13.4. While the Seminoles only have 3 players averaging double-figure scoring they do have several players in CJ Walker and Mfiondu Kabengele who are averaging just under 10. The Seminoles also have 10 players averaging double figure minutes.

Duke comes in having beaten Evansville handily in their last outing. Before that the Blue Devils lost their conference opening to a hot shooting Boston College Eagles at Conte Forum. Although it is odd to have an out of conference game sandwiched between two ACC opponents it may have been exactly what Duke needed to shake off the BC hangover. Duke is still lead in scoring by freshman Marvin Bagley who is at 21 points a game, Bagley is also leading the team in boards at 10.9 a game. The entire starting 5 for the Devils average in double figures with Grayson Allen coming in behind Bagley at 17.1 points and 4.3 assists a game. Allen is hitting on 45% of his 3 point shots so far this year.

Analysis:

Florida State shoots the ball from the outside fairly well at just under 37.8% ranking them 85th in the nation while Duke comes in shooting 37.5% ranking them at 96th. Where Duke has the edge over Florida State is rebounding where Duke is ranked 10th overall in the nation while the Seminoles are 154th. Both teams are in the top 25 in blocked shots with Duke averaging just one more a game. The key for Duke, especially if they are cold from beyond the arc is to continue to rebound the basketball on the offensive end as they have for most of the year. Recycling possessions should be huge for Duke, especially if the offense stagnates. Florida State under Leonard Hamilton always sports a very athletic team - Duke will have to defend at a very high level and limit turnovers and run outs. Duke should have the advantage but Florida State is known for playing the Blue Devils extremely well in recent years. Defending he perimeter has been a weakness for this Duke team, this was exposed mightily against BC. Boston College much like Florida State doesn't shoot an inordinate amount of 3's but if Duke's defense hasn't progressed then it could be a very long night.

Keys for Duke:

-Rebound the basketball at a high level
-create turnovers that lead to easy offense
-make the simple play
-defend the perimeter and limit 3 point shots off of open looks
-be physical

Notes

• No. 4 Duke, which is unbeaten at home this season and has won five straight ACC home games, welcomes No. 24 Florida State Saturday afternoon.
   
• Duke has won 10 straight ACC home openers and is 28-9 in ACC home openers under Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils have dropped just one ACC home opener since 1995-96.
   
• Duke is the only team ranked among the NCAA’s top 10 in scoring (94.2; 2nd), rebounds (44.7; 3rd) and assists (20.8; 1st). The Blue Devils also lead the nation in rebound margin (+12.8) and are sixth in scoring margin (+21.7).
   
• Freshman Marvin Bagley III (21.2 ppg; 2nd ACC) and senior Grayson Allen (17.1 ppg; 6th ACC) lead five Blue Devils in double figures. Bagley leads the ACC in rebounding (10.9) and is second in the NCAA with 10 double-doubles.
   
• Duke is 36-10 all-time versus Florida State, which includes a 20-2 record at home (19-2 at Cameron Indoor Stadium). Under Coach K, the Blue Devils are 43-9 in the series.
   
• The last meeting came on February 28, 2017 in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils took a 75-70 win behind Frank Jackson’s 22 points.
   
• Florida State has won 11 of its first 12 games of the season for the second consecutive year. Saturday’s contest will be the ACC opener for the Seminoles.
   
• Terance Mann (15.1 ppg) and Phil Cofer (13.4 ppg) are the top two scorers for Florida State while Braian Angola is also averaging double-figures in scoring (11.7 ppg).
   
• The Seminoles are ranked in the top-15 nationally in field goal percentage defense (tied for 12th; .375) and blocked shots per game (15th; 6.2 bpg).