For the second time in three games, Florida State will be facing a ranked opponent as rival Miami comes to the Donald L. Tucker Center for an afternoon showdown to kick off the month of February on Sunday. The Hurricanes come in 14-6 overall, 4-3 in the ACC and ranked 23rd in the country. Miami however, is coming off an embarrassing home loss to Georgia Tech on Wednesday night, 70-50.
Consistency has been an issue for Miami this season. The Hurricanes have wins over Illinois and Duke, but losses to Green Bay, Eastern Kentucky and the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday.
Junior Sheldon McClellan has been the leader for Miami this season, averaging a team-high 14.6 points-per-game and better than five rebounds. A Texas transfer, McClellan is shooting 51 percent from the field this season, but has struggled of late, combining for just 13 points over Miami’s last two games.
His backcourt mate, Angel Rodriguez, is also a transfer. Rodriguez came to Miami from Kansas State and has averaged nearly 14 points and a team-high 4.6 assists-per-game. Rodriguez has broken the 20-point mark three times this season which includes a 24-point effort in a 90-74 upset of Duke back on January 13th.
The Miami backcourt should pose a challenge for the Seminole guard duo led by freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Rathan-Mayes leads Florida State in scoring with over 14 points-per-game, assists with 4.7 per contest and steals with 1.2 a game. Rathan-Mayes followed up a FSU freshman record 35 points against North Carolina with 21 points and 5 assists in Wednesday’s 82-76 double-overtime victory over Wake Forest.
Joining Rathan-Mayes in the backcourt is junior Devon Bookert, who shot 3-for-4 from deep on Wednesday and scored 15 points as the Seminoles improved to 11-10 on the year and 3-5 in conference play. Bookert is averaging nearly 11 points-per-game this season and has made 42 percent of Florida State’s treys for the year.
Where Florida State has struggled has been inside and on the glass. The Seminoles allowed 22 offensive rebounds in Wednesday’s victory over the Demon Deacons and will be facing the conference’s leading rebounder in Miami’s 7’0″ center, Tonye Jekiri. Jekiri is averaging 10.3 rebounds-per-game and 12 per contest in ACC play.
FSU will play three 7-footers, but freshman forward Phil Cofer has been the Seminoles’ best player on the block this season. Cofer finished with 19 points and 8 rebounds in Wednesday’s win and is averaging nearly eight points and five rebounds for the season.
The leading rebounder for the Seminoles is 6’7″ swingman Montay Brandon, who is averaging 5.4 boards per contest. Brandon ranks second on the team in scoring with just under 13 points-per-game. Brandon struggled on Wednesday, but is shooting 54 percent from the field this season.
Sunday’s contest will be the first of two between the teams this season. The teams split last season’s match-ups with each squad winning on the road. Miami took down Florida State in Tallahassee last season by a 77-73 score. Donnavan Kirk paced the Hurricanes with 16 points last year at the Tucker Center while Jekiri added 15 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. Bookert scored 17 points to lead the Seminoles.
Sunday’s showdown will begin after 12:30 P.M. eastern time and will air on ESPNU.
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