Who: Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4, 0-1 ACC) vs Florida State Seminoles (11-4, 1-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, January 8 @ 3:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, VA
The Opponent: Fresh off a 65-point victory over Mt. St. Mary’s on Sunday, the Hokies return to ACC action against the Florida State Seminoles. Leonard Hamilton’s squad enters Saturday’s action with an 11-4 record, but is coming off a shocking 65-60 loss to Auburn. However, FSU already has a 1-0 record in the ACC, thanks to a 75-69 win over Clemson on December 12.
The ‘Noles are built around defense and love to wear other teams down and force turnovers and bad shots late in possessions. FSU is currently seventh in the nation with 42.1 rebounds per game and leads the nation in field goal percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 34.7% shooting.
Here’s a look at FSU’s probable starting lineup:
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | PPG | RPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Derwin Kitchen | G | 6-4 | 204 | Sr. | 10.1 | 5.3 |
| 4 | Deividas Dulkys | G | 6-5 | 196 | Jr. | 8.3 | 3.3 |
| 21 | Michael Snaer | G | 6-5 | 224 | So. | 7.6 | 2.9 |
| 31 | Chris Singleton | F | 6-9 | 225 | Jr. | 15.2 | 8.3 |
| 5 | Bernard James | F | 6-10 | 240 | Jr. | 7.2 | 5.8 |
As you can probably tell, the Noles are big all around the court. Chris Singleton is a monster at the power forward position, coming off a season in which he was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Singleton already has five double-doubles and one triple-double (22 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals at UNC-Greensboro) this season. The junior leads the ACC in steals, is fourth in rebounding, fifth in blocks, and eighth in points per game. If that wasn’t enough, Singleton also shoots nearly 40% (21-53) from beyond the arc. Needless to say, the Hokies need to control one of the ACC’s most dynamic players if they want to come out on top Saturday.
The Hokies did catch a break in that starting center Xavier Gibson will miss his third straight game with a knee injury suffered against Butler on December 23. Bernard James has filled in admirably for Gibson, recording a double-double in his first game as a starter in a victory against Baylor on December 25.
The ‘Noles are also strong in the backcourt with the trio of Derwin Kitchen, Deividas Dulkys, and Michael Snaer. Kitchen is second on the team in scoring and shoots 50.5% from the field while leading the team in assists. Dulkys always seems to be open for a game-turning three-pointer. He’s currently 23-of-76 (35.5%) on the year from deep. Snaer is an up-and-coming star for FSU, starting all but one game in his sophomore season.
FSU will use a nine-man rotation with four reserves averaging more than 10 minutes per contest. True freshman Okaro White (6-7, 180 lbs) is averaging 6.5 points per game, including 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic.
Keys to VicTory:
- Convert on Turnovers
- Despite being one of the top defensive teams in the ACC, the Seminoles commit more turnovers (17.2) than they force (16.9) per game. The Hokies forced 25 turnovers in their 99-34 victory over Mt. St. Mary’s and will need to do much of the same in order to get fastbreak points before FSU has a chance to set up its defense.
- Stay Out of Foul Trouble
- This is an obvious key, seeing as how the Hokies have just eight scholarship players. Tech worked its way around foul trouble against St. Bonaventure and USC-Upstate but if one of its bigs (I’m looking at you Jeff Allen) gets some early fouls, it could become a field day for Chris Singleton and the ‘Noles frontcourt.
- Green Light
- Erick Green has dazzled since moving into the starting lineup for the injured Dorenzo Hudson. The sophomore is averaging 14 points per game in his last five, while dishing out 17 assists to just two turnovers. This will be Green’s first real test as a starter, and it will be interesting to see how he responds against tougher competition. A good showing from Green would put Tech in a good position to win.
Despite it being just the first weekend of January, this game has big ramifications for the Hokies. They’ve had their chance to dominate some cupcakes, but conference play starts now. Tech is already 0-1 on its home floor in ACC play and can’t afford to fall to 0-2 with both losses being in Blacksburg. In addition, this is the only meeting between the Seminoles and Hokies this season. A win over FSU, which figures to be near the top of the ACC, would look pretty good come March.
