Florida State Seminoles basketball is riding high in January, with a four-game win streak breathing new life into a season that was on the verge of cratering.
The team standing in the way of making it five in a row? The Miami (FL) Hurricanes (10-6, 3-2 ACC).
The Hurricanes, once ranked as high as No. 8 in the country in the early weeks of the season, snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday with a 75-71 win over Virginia Tech.
From Michael Rogner:
Former Seminole Matthew Cleveland is having a good year for Miami. As we mentioned on the podcast, it’s not a great look that he’s once again putting up good numbers for a team which is underperforming. The Hurricanes began the year ranked 13th in the AP Poll, having returned two high profile transfers, added Cleveland, and gave an increased role to future NBA player Wooga Poplar. The Canes have great experience, four players shooting north of 42% from deep, yet they’ve lost by 20+ to Kentucky and Colorado, and lost at home to Louisville, which – 48 games into Kenny Payne’s head coaching tenure – remains the only game he’s won away from the KFC Yum! Center.
According to DraftKings, Florida State is a 6.5-point underdog on the road to the Hurricanes, with the over/under set at 157.5.
FSU vs. Miami: How to watch, stream, listen
Date
Wednesday, January 17
Time
7 p.m.
Watch, Stream
ACC Network
Listen
Seminoles Radio Network, SiriusXM RADIO FSU Broadcast: CH. 119 or 193
Possible starting lineup for Florida State
- Forward No. 2 Jamir Watkins (13.0 ppg, 65.9 rpg; First career game against Miami)
- Forward No. 5 De’Ante Green (6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg; 0 pts and 3 rebs against Miami, February 25, 2023)
- Forward No. 11 Baba Miller (7.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg; 6 pts and 2 rebs against Miami, January 24, 2023)
- Guard No. 1 Jalen Warley (6.8 ppg, 2.4 apg; 11 pts and 5 asts against Miami, February 24, 2023)
- Guard No. 22 Darin Green Jr. (12.7 ppg, 1.6 spg; 20 pts and 4 asts against Miami, February 25, 2023)
Top Florida State reserves
- Center No. 3 Cam Corhen (8.4 ppg, 3.56 rpg; 8 pts and 3 rebs against Miami, February 25, 2023)
- Guard No. 0 Chandler Jackson (4.7 ppg, 1.4 apg; 10 pts and 1 ast against Miami, January 24, 2023)
- Guard No. 23 Primo Spears (10.8 ppg, 1.9 apg; First career game against Miami)
- Forward No. 33 Jaylan Gainey (3.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg; First career game against Miami)
- Guard No. 20 Josh Nickelberry (3.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg; 0 pts and 0 rebs against Miami, January 16, 2021 – at Louisville)
- Forward No. 10 Taylor Bol Bowen (3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg; First career game against Miami)
- Center No. 12 Tom House (2.1 ppg, 0.5 rpg; 2 pts and 2 rebs against Miami, January 24, 2023)
Possible starting lineup for Miami
- Forward No. 15 Norchad Omier (17.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg; 12 pts and 11 rebs against Florida State, January 24, 2023)
- Guard No. 0 Matthew Cleveland (16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg; First career game against Florida State)
- Guard No. 4 Bensley Joseph (8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg; 12 pts and 7 rebs against Florida State, February 25, 2023)
- Guard No. 5 Wooga Poplar (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg; 14 pts and 5 rebs against Florida State, January 24, 2023)
- Guard No. 24 Nigel Pack (13.2 ppg, 3.8 apg; 18 pts and 5 asts against Florida State, January 24, 2023)
Game notes, via FSU Sports Info
FLORIDA STATE — WINNERS OF FOUR STRAIGHT ACC GAMES – TRAVELS TO PLAY AT MIAMI
Florida State, which has won each of its last four ACC games against Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame, travels to play at Miami at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. It’s the first of two games this season between the Seminoles and the Hurricanes as the first half of a home-and-home series between the two ACC schools from the state of Florida. Florida State plays Miami on Senior Day in Tallahassee at the Donald L. Tucker Center (March 9) on the final day of the regular season. The Seminoles enter Wednesday’s game having won five consecutive games in Coral Gables with their victory in 2023 coming as an 85-84 victory. In addition to having won four consecutive ACC games, the Seminoles have won five of their last six games dating to a 91-75 win over North Florida on December 19 in Tallahassee. Following Wednesday’s game against Miami, Florida State will play host to Clemson on Saturday, January 20 at 4:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
SEMINOLES STREAKING
Florida State enters its game at Miami on Wednesday having won four consecutive ACC games for the first time since January of the 2021-22 season when it won five consecutive ACC games against Louisville (79-70, January 8), Miami (65-64, January 11), at Syracuse (76-71, January 15), against Duke in overtime (79-78, January 18), and at Miami (61-60, January 22). FLORIDA
STATE’S DEFENSIVE EFFORTS DURING ITS CURRENT FOUR-GAME ACC WINNING STREAK
Florida State held Notre Dame to 58 points and to a .418 field goal shooting percentage in its victory in its road victory over the Irish on Saturday, blocked nine shots in its win over the Deacons on January 9 in Tallahassee, limited Virginia Tech to 74 points in its win over the Hokies in January 6 in Tallahassee and limited Georgia Tech to a .424 shooting percentage in its win over the Yellow Jackets on January 3 on its home court. Florida State has held three of its last four ACC opponents under its scoring average for the season in winning four consecutive conference games: Georgia Tech (72.8 for the season, 71 against the Seminoles), Virginia Tech (74.1 for the season, 74 against the Seminoles), Wake Forest (80.8 for the season, 82 against the Seminoles), Notre Dame (63.0 for the season, 51 against the Seminoles).
WATKINS LOOKING TO BECOME THE FIRST SEMINOLE TO LEAD IN POINTS, REBOUNDS, ASSISTS AND STEALS
Redshirt junior Jamir Watkins enters Wednesday’s game against Miami looking to become the first player in Florida State history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals. Through the first 16 games of the season, he is averaging a team-leading 13.0 points, a team-leading 5.9 rebounds, a team-leading 3.3 assists and a teamleading 1.6 steals. Watkins is the only player in the ACC who is leading his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals.
WARLEY ONLY ONE STEAL SHY OF 100 FOR HIS CAREER
Junior Jalen Warley enters Wednesday’s game against Miami with 99 career steals in the first 79 games of his career. He averages 1.3 steals per game and needs just one steal to reach 100 for his career. Warley has 10 steals in four career games against Miami, including three in two games between the teams during the 2022-23 season.
LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO…
…Defeat Miam and win its second consecutive game against the Hurricanes. The most recent game between the Seminoles and the Hurricanes resulted in an 85-84 win over by the Seminoles; …Defeat Mami and gain its 12th win in the last 13 games played between the two teams. The Seminoles won each of the games between the two teams from January 27, 2018, through January 22, 2022 and in the second of two games between the teams in 2023