Syracuse at Florida State Preview
Matchup History
On Saturday December 4th, the Syracuse Orange will face the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald Tucker Center. This matchup will be each team’s first ACC matchup this season.
The last time the teams faced was on February 15th, 2020 in Tallahassee in a close game in which the Seminoles won 80-77. The leading scorers for each team were Patrick Williams (17 points) and Elijah Hughes (25 points). Both players were selected 4th and 39 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, respectively.
They were scheduled for play on January 6th at the Carrier Dome but the game was postponed due to a covid related issue within the FSU program. The Orange have a 7-5 all-time record against the Seminoles.
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Recent Games
Syracuse (4-3)
The Orange are coming off a double overtime thriller in which they defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 112-110 on Tuesday night. With less than a second to go, Indiana guard Khristian Lander fouled Joe Girard as he was driving toward the basket which led to two free throws. Girard made both free throws to send the Hoosier home with their first loss of the season.
Overall, the game was a tale of two halves. Syracuse dominated the Hoosiers in the first half, knocking down 60 percent of their shots overall, 53 percent from behind the arc, and forcing 12 Indiana turnovers, scoring 16 points off of them.
In the second half, the Orange struggled defensively, especially with their big men Cole Swider and Jesse Edwards in foul trouble. Both players fouled out in the 2nd half and double overtime respectively. Nonetheless, the Orange were able to overcome foul trouble and Indiana’s timely plays and gut out an ugly win at home to keep them above .500.
Florida State (5-2)
The Seminoles are coming off a blowout loss on the road to the 2nd ranked Purdue Boilermakers. Only two players scored in double figures for the Seminoles. Their two leading scorers were Caleb Mills who scored a season high 22 points and John Butler who scored 10 points.
Through seven games, Mills leads the Seminoles with 12.1 points per game. In recent memory, the Seminoles haven’t been known to have players who put up flashy stats in the scoring department. But they have a tendency to be more balanced across the board and hang their hats on the defensive end.
For the Seminoles, any given night can be anyone’s night which can be a dangerous advantage but can also work against a team if the players don’t know their roles. The Orange will look to keep their record above .500 while the Seminoles will look to avoid back to back losses.
The next matchup between these teams will take place on January 15, 2022 at the Carrier Dome.
