Miami Hurricanes Basketball Game 28 Preview: Florida State Seminoles
By Sam Jacobs
Location: The BankUnited Center
Time: 9:00
TV: Sun Sports
The Miami Hurricanes basketball team suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Louisville on Saturday. Miami (17-10, 7-7) will continue to push towards a NCAA Tournament berth when the Florida State Seminoles (15-13, 7-8) come to town. The ‘Canes have an opportunity to both win a rivalry game and keep their season alive on Wednesday night.
Recap of First Game
Back on the first of February, the #23 Miami Hurricanes left the Tucker Center in Tallahassee with a bitter, 1-point loss. Miami held an 11-point lead at the half and led by as many as 16 at one point. The Hurricanes’ offense went dry in the second half, and the Seminoles rallied behind Montay Brandon’s strong performance. Brandon had 18 points, many of which came on fast break opportunities. Miami did manage to keep talented point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes under control. Sheldon McClellan missed the would-be winning shot at the buzzer.
Florida State Scouting Report
Since knocking off Miami, Florida State has beaten Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Boston College (each lower tier ACC teams), while dropping games to Clemson, Duke, and Virginia. FSU’s 7-8 conference record has the Seminoles just one-half game back of Miami in the ACC standings.
Florida State has allowed an average of 59.7 points per game dating back to the Miami game, which really speaks to the level of defense they have played. They are athletic at every position and can really shutdown an opponent when they play focused. The Hurricanes may have another low-scoring game on their hands.
One of major factors responsible for FSU’s offensive inconsistencies this season has been the turnovers. They rank 302nd in the nation in giveaways with an average of 14.2 per game. Miami managed to force 16 turnovers in the initial matchup and more of the same will be necessary on Wednesday.
The Seminoles feature a trio of 7-footers in Michael Ojo, Boris Bojanovsky, and Kiel Turpin. Ojo gets the starts, but Coach Leonard Hamilton rotates between the three frequently. Turpin did the most damage of the three against the Hurricanes a few weeks ago. The senior big man went for 10 points on 5-6 shooting in what was one of his best games this season. That includes a crucial bucket in the game’s final minutes to give FSU the lead.
Redshirt freshman point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes is the team’s go-to guy offensively. The 6’4” Rathan-Mayes has great quickness off of the dribble that allows him to penetrate defenses. His outside shooting is inconsistent, but he still takes a ton of jumpers. He has averaged 15.3 points per game over Florida State’s last three contests.
Shooting guard Devon Bookert leads FSU from beyond the arc. He shoots 41.7% from deep and commonly attempts 4-5 shots from 3-point range. Miami did a good job of holding Bookert in check last time around.
Prediction
Florida State: 58 – Miami: 62
If the Miami Hurricanes play with the mentality that their season is on the line, which it pretty much is, they should take this one from FSU. The in-state rivalry usually draws a solid crowd (a good bit of FSU fans) and the ‘Canes generally play better in that environment. If Miami can match its defensive energy and focus from the Louisville game, the Hurricanes may only need to break the 60-point mark offensively to secure the victory.
Davon Reed, who may match up with either Phil Cofer or Montay Brandon, will need to step up in this one. Reed had a minimal impact against the Cardinals, which really damaged Miami’s 3-point game.
Just when Hurricanes’ fans thought Angel Rodriguez might have turned a corner, he had an incredibly inefficient game against Louisville. Rodriguez shot 1-12 from the field and turned the ball over 4 times. It would be pretty convenient if he had a quality game going up against Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
A second loss to Florida State in a month’s span might just punch the Hurricanes’ tickets to the NIT, while a victory keeps their NCAA Tournament hopes alive for at least a few more days. That makes Wednesday night’s matchup a crucial one for Miami.