Florida State’s 3-game homestand came to a close on Wednesday as the Seminoles failed to complete the season sweep of Clemson in a 62-56 loss at the Tucker Center. While the Seminoles were unable to sweep the Tigers, they’ll have the opportunity to do so against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Saturday.
With the loss to Clemson, FSU saw its 2-game winning streak snapped as the ‘Noles fell to 12-11 for the year and just 4-6 in ACC play. Despite a sub-par ACC and road record, Florida State will likely be the favorite on Saturday as Virginia Tech comes in with a record of 9-13 and just 1-8 in conference action.
Florida State bested the Hokies 86-75 on January 6th in Tallahassee for its first ACC win as FSU held a 42-22 rebounding edge. That could translate to a big day for 7’3″ junior Boris Bojanovsky, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s loss.
The top rebounder for Florida State this season has been swingman Montay Brandon, who averages 5.4 boards per game. Brandon is shooting 55 percent from the field and ranks second on the team with 12.6 points-per-game.
Virginia Tech has struggled on the glass this season ranking below 300th nationally and will rely on its guards to try to deliver the home victory against the Seminoles. Freshman Justin Bibbs leads the team, averaging 13.7 points-per-game on a respectable 49 percent shooting and a stellar 46 percent from beyond the arc.
His backcourt partner, Adam Smith, also averages better than 13 points per contest for the Hokies. In the meeting between the teams in Tallahassee, Bibbs and Smith combined to score 49 of Virginia Tech’s 75 points in the loss.
Like Virginia Tech, Florida State is also led in scoring by a freshman guard. Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored a team-high 15 points in Wednesday’s loss to Clemson and leads the team for the season averaging just under 14 per game. Rathan-Mayes is on pace to average more assists than any Seminole in over a decade with 4.5 per game.
Junior guard Devon Bookert has been Florida State’s best long-range shooter making 37 of FSU’s 90 triples this season while shooting 39 percent from deep. Averaging better than 10 points-per-game, Bookert also leads the squad in minutes played with 35 per contest.
While Florida State is looking to sweep the season series from the Hokies, Virginia Tech won the last meeting between the teams in Blacksburg, topping the Seminoles 80-70 in February of 2013. Erick Green led Virginia Tech with 26 points that night while Okaro White paced FSU with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Saturday’s contest will tip off after 3:00 P.M. eastern time and can be seen on the Raycom Sports Network.
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