Florida State bounced back from a home loss to Clemson to top Virginia Tech on Saturday and improve to 13-11 on the season and 5-6 in ACC play. Drawing even in conference play however, won’t be easy for Florida State as FSU returns home to take on fourth-ranked Duke on Monday.
The Blue Devils come in 20-3, 7-3 in ACC play and off perhaps their best performance of the season. On Saturday, Duke buried No. 10 Notre Dame 90-60 behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from freshman standout Jahlil Okafor.
A 6’11” freshman, Okafor leads a Duke team that ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring and field goal percentage. Okafor ranks in the top 5 of the ACC in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage. Okafor averages better than 18 points and nine rebounds-per-game while shooting a conference-best 66 percent from the field.
Okafor is one of three outstanding freshmen that Florida State must find a way to contain. Justise Winslow is averaging better than 11 points and five boards per contest while guard Tyus Jones is averaging 11.1 points-per-game and five assists. Senior Quinn Cook ranks second on the team scoring better than 14 points per contest while leading the squad in made 3-pointers and minutes played.
For Florida State to pull the upset on Monday, it will need big games from freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes and junior forward Montay Brandon. Rathan-Mayes leads the team in scoring averaging nearly 14 points and his 4.8 assists-per-game average is on pace to be the most for any Seminole since Delvon Arrington averaged better than six 13 years ago. Rathan-Mayes set a new career-high with 11 assists in Saturday’s 73-65 victory over the Hokies and scored a FSU freshman record 35 points in a game against North Carolina earlier this season.
The team’s leading rebounder, Brandon, has been one of the more efficient wing players in the ACC. In addition to grabbing more than five rebounds a contest, Brandon is the Seminoles’ second leading scorer, averaging nearly 13 points-per-game while shooting 56 percent from the field.
In Florida State’s only victory over a ranked team this season, Brandon was a perfect 7-for-7 with a game-high 18 points in a February 1st upset of then No. 23 Miami.
Despite playing a trio of 7-footers, the Seminoles have struggled to get much from their bigs this season and will need junior guard Devon Bookert to help stretch the floor on Monday. Averaging better than 10 points-per-game, Bookert is shooting a team-best 41 percent from 3-point land and was a perfect 3-for-3 in Saturday’s victory over Virginia Tech.
Duke handled the Seminoles last season in Durham, 78-56, behind 18 points and 9 rebounds from Rodney Hood, but since 2002, FSU has seven victories over Duke teams ranked in the top 10. The last came in the ACC Tournament in 2012.
Monday’s contest is slated to begin at 7:00 P.M. eastern time and will air nationally on ESPN.
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