Syracuse vs. No. 18 Florida State: Scouting the Opponent
Syracuse basketball (6-1) (1-0 in the ACC) will face the defending (regular season) ACC champions when the No. 18 ranked Florida State Seminoles travel to Central New York for an in-conference showdown. The Orange was scheduled to suit up for three games in between a thrilling overtime win vs the Buffalo Bulls on Dec. 19 and Florida State coming up on Jan. 6, none of which took place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Seminoles come into Wednesday’s matchup vs the Orange having lost to Clemson 77-67, which may cost them their spot in the AP Top 25 poll. FSU, like many programs around the country, has been inconsistent due to a limited off-season. The 'Noles have especially struggled on the glass this season with not a single player averaging over six rebounds a game. This is a figure to keep in mind going into this matchup as the Orange has two players well over that figure in Quincy Guerrier and Alan Griffin (more on this later). Nonetheless, the Seminoles have posted a 5-2 (1-1) record despite losing two players to the 2020 NBA draft lottery.
Florida State’s leading scorer is it's most experienced one in senior M.J Walker, who is tallying over 15 points a game on 38% shooting from long distance. The Orange will have to do their best to keep Walker off the charity stripe as he is nearly automatic from the line, making 92% of his free throws (37-40).
A player to watch for the Seminoles is freshman Scottie Barnes. The 6-foot-8 forward from West Palm Beach has been playing a major role in FSU’s system. Barnes leads the Seminoles in assists by a large margin, tallying more than double the assists of second-place Walker, who is in second place with 14 (Barnes has 30). He has been efficient from the floor thus far this season (47%), however, his struggles from the free-throw line (42.3%) could prove detrimental to the Seminoles chances of winning games down the line.
A stat to keep in mind: Rebounds.
The Seminoles gave up an astonishing 19 offensive boards in their loss to the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday night. FSU lost the overall battle on the glass 49-35. In contrast, Syracuse's Quincy Gurier has been rebounding the ball at an elite level in the recent competition. The sophomore forward is averaging a double-double for Jim Boeheim's squad. Even more significantly, Gurrier is coming into the matchup vs Flordia State having notched two of his best games this season. The 6-foot-7 forward exploded for 16 boards vs Northeastern, he followed it up with an impressive 27 points and 11 rebounds vs the Bulls in the ensuing game.
The game is the first one on the road for the Seminoles as the Orange look to stay undefeated in the Carrier Dome this season (5-0) and extend its three-game winning streak. The matchup is scheduled for Jan. 6 with tipoff at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACCN network.
