FSU takes on Florida in crucial rivalry game

Florida State will take on the Florida Gators at 4 p.m. on December 11. The game will be played inside the Donald L. Tucker Center and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Last season, the Gators and Seminoles played a classic game that saw FSU come out on top 73-71 after a jumper by Dwayne Bacon with 4.6 seconds to play.

The Noles come into this game after annihilating Nicholls State 118-63. FSU set career-high marks under Leonard Hamilton for points in a game and three pointers (17) made in a game during the win.

The Gators lost 84-74 against Duke back on Tuesday, they are currently 7-2 and ranked #21 in the nation. Florida averages 76.7 points per game while allowing 65.9 points per game, the Gators don’t have as good as an offense as FSU but they play pretty good defense. On offense, UF is only shooting 43.8% from the field and 33.1% from three point range. They don’t shoot that well from the field, and hopefully FSU’s strong defense will limit Florida’s shooting percentages again.

Florida’s two losses have both came to top 25 teams, Gonzaga and Duke, and they also defeated Miami 65-56. UF is led by KeVaughn Allen, a sophomore guard, he’s averaging 13.3 points and 1.4 steals per game. Devin Robinson is a junior forward who’s having a career year, he’s putting up 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. In total, the Gators have nine players averaging double-figures in minutes, so they a pretty deep rotation like Florida State.

The Seminoles are averaging 90.3 points per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 38.2% from three point range. The Noles are 9-1 with their lone loss to Temple, the team seems to have matured a lot since dropping that game to the Owls back on Thanksgiving Day.

FSU is led by Dwayne Bacon, he’s averaging 16.6 points, four rebounds and one steal per game. The sophomore guard has seen his three point percentage go from 28.1% as a freshman to 40.9% this year. Jonathan Isaac is averaging 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. The freshman has missed the last three games with a hip flexor, but it sounds like he’ll be returning for the big game against Florida. PJ Savoy is the third Seminole averaging double figures in points but he’s only played in four games after missing the first few with a turf toe injury. Savoy is averaging 12.8 points and one assist per game. He’s shooting 51.7% from three point range and has made 13 three’s over the last two games, he’s turning into a weapon for the Noles.

Projected Starters:

– FSU

PG: Xavier Rathan-Mayes

G: Dwayne Bacon

G: Terance Mann

F: Jonathan Isaac

C: Michael Ojo

– Florida

G: Kasey Hill

G: KeVaughn Allen

F: Justin Leon

F: Devin Robison

C: John Egbuno

Prediction: It’s going to be a battle, but Florida State pulls away in the second half to beat the Gators for the third straight year. The Seminoles have shown they have a lot of talent this season, they squandered that with their loss at Temple, but now they have matured. A win over Florida will help FSU’s resume in March, plus, a win in this game improves the Seminoles record to 10-1 and most likely puts them into the top-25 tomorrow.

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