No. 2 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m. NBC Sports Washington
The Cavaliers had no issues with Syracuse on Saturday and beat it 59-44 to take the season series from the Orange in what was a less intense affair than the January meeting in Charlottesville. De'Andre Hunter really did pick up where he left off against the 2-3 zone, leading the Cavaliers in scoring with 15 points off the bench while also adding six assists. Kyle Guy had 14 points and hit four 3-pointers, while Mamadi Diakite had 12 points, as he finished on the back end of several press-breaking plays for the Wahoos. His 12 points were the most he's scored since he also put up 12 in November against Vanderbilt.
Isaiah Wilkins, Jack Salt, and Ty Jerome rounded out UVa's scoring with six points each. Wilkins added six rebounds, four blocks and two assists to his tally, Salt had six rebounds, and Jerome had six
assists. Devon Hall didn't score, the first time that's happened this year, as he took four 3s and missed all of them. He did have four rebounds and four assists, though.
Virginia held Syracuse to 33.3 percent shooting and, perhaps most encouragingly, outrebounded the Orange 35-26 in this outing, much better than in January. It was just another ho-hum dominating performance that is becoming too easy to take for granted this season. Let's not do that, Wahoo fans. Up next for the Cavaliers is a road trip to Florida State, normally a tough place for UVa to win. Here's more on this year's Seminoles:
Record: 17-6, 6-5 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Junior guard Terance Mann (15.5), senior guard Braian Angola (14.1), senior forward Phil Cofer (13.4)
Leading rebounders: Mann (5.9), Cofer (5.5), junior center Christ Koumadje (5.5), sophomore guard Trent Forrest (4.9), freshman forward Mfiondu Kabengele (4.8), Angola (4.4)
Assist leaders: Forrest (3.9), Angola (3.2), sophomore guard CJ Walker (3)
Notable: Five other players average at least six points: Walker (9.3), Koumadje (8.9), freshman guard M.J. Walker (8.3), Kabengele (7.5), Forrest (6.1). Four players average one steal: Angola (1.6), Forrest (1.4), CJ Walker (1.2), Mann (1). Koumadje and freshman center Ike Obiagu average two blocks.
Best win: at then-No. 5 Florida, 83-66, on Dec. 5
Worst win: at Rutgers, 78-73, in late November
Other wins: George Washington, Fordham, Colorado State, Kennesaw State, The Citadel, Loyola (Md.), Tulane, Charleston Southern, Southern Mississippi, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Louisville
Best loss: at then-No. 4 Duke, 100-93, on Dec. 30
Worst loss: at Wake Forest, 76-72, last Wednesday
Other losses: Oklahoma State, Miami, Louisville, Boston College
What Florida State does well: The Seminoles score 84.4 ppg, good enough for 19th in the nation. They shoot 47.6 percent from the field (47th) and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc (102nd). They also move the ball well, recording 16 assists per game (50th). FSU owns a +4.3 rebounding margin (62nd), records 7.2 steals per game (tied-75th), and 4.9 blocks per game (33rd). The 'Noles hold opponents to 40.9 percent shooting (37th) and 33.2 percent from 3 (92nd).
What Florida State doesn't do well: Despite the pretty good field goal percentage defense, FSU
gives up 73.3 ppg (tied-212th). The Seminoles only shoot 69.1 percent from the free throw line (248th) and they turn the ball over 13 times per game (tied-168th).
Virginia is on a 14-game winning streak and, at 11-0 in the ACC, is one win from tying its best start in the conference, which came in the 1980-81 season. Florida State has won the past two meetings between these teams, 60-58 last year at John Paul Jones Arena on a 3-pointer by Dwayne Bacon with two seconds remaining, and 69-62 in Tallahassee two seasons ago. The state of Florida has been unkind to UVa. It lost 17 games in a row there before winning at FSU in the 2013-14 season. This year's FSU team is capable of making a deep tournament run with its athleticism and scoring, but inconsistency and turnovers are issues that they need to try to figure out before March. The most recent three-game stretch sums up the Seminoles this season: They poured in 103 points to beat Miami, then lost to Wake Forest, the conference's 14th-place team, while scoring 72 points, and then turned around and won at Louisville.
For some reason, FSU always seems to be a huge team, and this one is no different. In particular, Koumadje, at 7-foot-4, and Obiagu, at 7-foot, loom large. Virginia will need to try to be tough on the boards again. They are also strong on the perimeter. Angola (41.4 percent), Cofer (39), CJ Walker (33.7), and M.J. Walker (40) are all capable 3-point shooters.
Florida State is right in the thick of the NCAA tournament race, currently projected as a No. 8 seed. For sure, the Seminoles will be looking for a signature victory to bolster their resume, and snapping the winning streak of UVa, which is rated No. 1 in RPI, would get everyone's attention. They always seem to be one of the most physical challenges for the Cavaliers in any given season. This game, along with the Louisville road contest, are probably the toughest games remaining on UVa's schedule. Vegas seems to think this one will be a major hurdle, too, as UVa is a fairly slim 3.5-point favorite. I am taking Virginia, though. It's hard to pick against the 'Hoos the way they are playing right now, so let's see if they can keep it going.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
The Cavaliers had no issues with Syracuse on Saturday and beat it 59-44 to take the season series from the Orange in what was a less intense affair than the January meeting in Charlottesville. De'Andre Hunter really did pick up where he left off against the 2-3 zone, leading the Cavaliers in scoring with 15 points off the bench while also adding six assists. Kyle Guy had 14 points and hit four 3-pointers, while Mamadi Diakite had 12 points, as he finished on the back end of several press-breaking plays for the Wahoos. His 12 points were the most he's scored since he also put up 12 in November against Vanderbilt.
Isaiah Wilkins, Jack Salt, and Ty Jerome rounded out UVa's scoring with six points each. Wilkins added six rebounds, four blocks and two assists to his tally, Salt had six rebounds, and Jerome had six
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| Mamadi Diakite got several close looks at the rim. |
Virginia held Syracuse to 33.3 percent shooting and, perhaps most encouragingly, outrebounded the Orange 35-26 in this outing, much better than in January. It was just another ho-hum dominating performance that is becoming too easy to take for granted this season. Let's not do that, Wahoo fans. Up next for the Cavaliers is a road trip to Florida State, normally a tough place for UVa to win. Here's more on this year's Seminoles:
Record: 17-6, 6-5 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Junior guard Terance Mann (15.5), senior guard Braian Angola (14.1), senior forward Phil Cofer (13.4)
Leading rebounders: Mann (5.9), Cofer (5.5), junior center Christ Koumadje (5.5), sophomore guard Trent Forrest (4.9), freshman forward Mfiondu Kabengele (4.8), Angola (4.4)
Assist leaders: Forrest (3.9), Angola (3.2), sophomore guard CJ Walker (3)
Notable: Five other players average at least six points: Walker (9.3), Koumadje (8.9), freshman guard M.J. Walker (8.3), Kabengele (7.5), Forrest (6.1). Four players average one steal: Angola (1.6), Forrest (1.4), CJ Walker (1.2), Mann (1). Koumadje and freshman center Ike Obiagu average two blocks.
Best win: at then-No. 5 Florida, 83-66, on Dec. 5
Worst win: at Rutgers, 78-73, in late November
Other wins: George Washington, Fordham, Colorado State, Kennesaw State, The Citadel, Loyola (Md.), Tulane, Charleston Southern, Southern Mississippi, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Louisville
Best loss: at then-No. 4 Duke, 100-93, on Dec. 30
Worst loss: at Wake Forest, 76-72, last Wednesday
Other losses: Oklahoma State, Miami, Louisville, Boston College
What Florida State does well: The Seminoles score 84.4 ppg, good enough for 19th in the nation. They shoot 47.6 percent from the field (47th) and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc (102nd). They also move the ball well, recording 16 assists per game (50th). FSU owns a +4.3 rebounding margin (62nd), records 7.2 steals per game (tied-75th), and 4.9 blocks per game (33rd). The 'Noles hold opponents to 40.9 percent shooting (37th) and 33.2 percent from 3 (92nd).
What Florida State doesn't do well: Despite the pretty good field goal percentage defense, FSU
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| The "old" FSU logo was easier to find this time around than the newer one for some reason. |
Virginia is on a 14-game winning streak and, at 11-0 in the ACC, is one win from tying its best start in the conference, which came in the 1980-81 season. Florida State has won the past two meetings between these teams, 60-58 last year at John Paul Jones Arena on a 3-pointer by Dwayne Bacon with two seconds remaining, and 69-62 in Tallahassee two seasons ago. The state of Florida has been unkind to UVa. It lost 17 games in a row there before winning at FSU in the 2013-14 season. This year's FSU team is capable of making a deep tournament run with its athleticism and scoring, but inconsistency and turnovers are issues that they need to try to figure out before March. The most recent three-game stretch sums up the Seminoles this season: They poured in 103 points to beat Miami, then lost to Wake Forest, the conference's 14th-place team, while scoring 72 points, and then turned around and won at Louisville.
For some reason, FSU always seems to be a huge team, and this one is no different. In particular, Koumadje, at 7-foot-4, and Obiagu, at 7-foot, loom large. Virginia will need to try to be tough on the boards again. They are also strong on the perimeter. Angola (41.4 percent), Cofer (39), CJ Walker (33.7), and M.J. Walker (40) are all capable 3-point shooters.
Florida State is right in the thick of the NCAA tournament race, currently projected as a No. 8 seed. For sure, the Seminoles will be looking for a signature victory to bolster their resume, and snapping the winning streak of UVa, which is rated No. 1 in RPI, would get everyone's attention. They always seem to be one of the most physical challenges for the Cavaliers in any given season. This game, along with the Louisville road contest, are probably the toughest games remaining on UVa's schedule. Vegas seems to think this one will be a major hurdle, too, as UVa is a fairly slim 3.5-point favorite. I am taking Virginia, though. It's hard to pick against the 'Hoos the way they are playing right now, so let's see if they can keep it going.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
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