University of North Carolina Athletics
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Know Your Opponent: Florida State
February 23, 2019 | Men's Basketball
By Bobby Hundley
Florida State (Seminoles.com)
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Rankings: No. 17 KenPom, No. 16 AP
NET/SOS: No. 21 NET, No. 51 SOS
Record: 21-5, 9-4 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 49-13 (FSU 81, UNC 80, Jan. 3, 2018, Tucker Center)
By Bobby Hundley
Florida State rolled to a 12-1 non-conference start to the season, picking up impressive wins over Florida, LSU and Purdue with only a 6-point setback to Villanova in the loss column. Pair that with the momentum from last year's Elite Eight run and Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles looked poised to break into the upper echelon of the ACC as league play began.
It's never that easy in the ACC, of course. The 'Noles dropped four of their first five conference games - road losses at Virginia, Pitt and BC and a last-second stunner at home against Duke - and found themselves in a similar spot to the one they faced in 2018 when they started 2-4 and finished tied for eighth in the league.
But instead of getting stuck in the middle of the pack for a second straight year, FSU went and reeled off eight straight wins, its longest conference winning streak as a member of the ACC. Suddenly the 'Noles, who dominated Clemson at Littlejohn on Tuesday, are just two games out of first and firmly in the mix for a double-bye in Charlotte.
Mfiondu Kabengele comfortably leads the Seminoles in scoring despite coming off the bench and playing just north of 20 minutes per game. He's been even better in ACC play, making 58 percent of his 2s, 46 percent of his 3s and 77 percent of his free throws on top of ranking in the top 10 in the league in block percentage, turnover rate and rebounding on both ends. He has fouled out of five games already this year, which is a concern, but he has not collected more than three whistles during the current 8-game winning streak.
Terance Mann is the only other Seminole averaging in double figures. The 6-7 senior is FSU's best outside shooter at 46 percent for the season and 48 percent in ACC contests, but strangely sits fifth on the team in attempts. Familiar faces P.J. Savoy, Phil Cofer and M.J. Walker all outpace Mann from deep despite the fact that only Cofer is making better than 33 percent out of that group. That said, the FSU offense is still a top-5 unit in the league thanks to a free throw rate that ranks second behind only Pitt in the category.
Defensively, FSU ranks 17th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency and leads the league in 2-point defense. That is due in large part (emphasis on large) to the continued development of 7-4 senior Christ Koumadje. The big man from Chad pairs with the 6-10 Kabengele to give the 'Noles one of the most fearsome frontline duos in the country in terms of rim protection. Junior Trent Forrest helps lock down the perimeter for a team that, as always, is among the tallest and longest in the country. At 6-1, grad transfer David Nichols is the only player who sees the floor for FSU who is shorter than 6-4.
The variance of the ACC schedule handed Florida State a slate with essentially just one shot at the upper crust of the league. While that can be good for the win total, it has limited FSU's opportunities to bag those precious Quadrant 1 wins. Saturday marks the 'Noles' last chance at a Q1 road victory, one that would go a long way toward some very favorable seeding both in Charlotte and in the NCAA tournament.
Florida State (Seminoles.com)
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Rankings: No. 17 KenPom, No. 16 AP
NET/SOS: No. 21 NET, No. 51 SOS
Record: 21-5, 9-4 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 49-13 (FSU 81, UNC 80, Jan. 3, 2018, Tucker Center)
By Bobby Hundley
Florida State rolled to a 12-1 non-conference start to the season, picking up impressive wins over Florida, LSU and Purdue with only a 6-point setback to Villanova in the loss column. Pair that with the momentum from last year's Elite Eight run and Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles looked poised to break into the upper echelon of the ACC as league play began.
It's never that easy in the ACC, of course. The 'Noles dropped four of their first five conference games - road losses at Virginia, Pitt and BC and a last-second stunner at home against Duke - and found themselves in a similar spot to the one they faced in 2018 when they started 2-4 and finished tied for eighth in the league.
But instead of getting stuck in the middle of the pack for a second straight year, FSU went and reeled off eight straight wins, its longest conference winning streak as a member of the ACC. Suddenly the 'Noles, who dominated Clemson at Littlejohn on Tuesday, are just two games out of first and firmly in the mix for a double-bye in Charlotte.
Mfiondu Kabengele comfortably leads the Seminoles in scoring despite coming off the bench and playing just north of 20 minutes per game. He's been even better in ACC play, making 58 percent of his 2s, 46 percent of his 3s and 77 percent of his free throws on top of ranking in the top 10 in the league in block percentage, turnover rate and rebounding on both ends. He has fouled out of five games already this year, which is a concern, but he has not collected more than three whistles during the current 8-game winning streak.
Terance Mann is the only other Seminole averaging in double figures. The 6-7 senior is FSU's best outside shooter at 46 percent for the season and 48 percent in ACC contests, but strangely sits fifth on the team in attempts. Familiar faces P.J. Savoy, Phil Cofer and M.J. Walker all outpace Mann from deep despite the fact that only Cofer is making better than 33 percent out of that group. That said, the FSU offense is still a top-5 unit in the league thanks to a free throw rate that ranks second behind only Pitt in the category.
Defensively, FSU ranks 17th nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency and leads the league in 2-point defense. That is due in large part (emphasis on large) to the continued development of 7-4 senior Christ Koumadje. The big man from Chad pairs with the 6-10 Kabengele to give the 'Noles one of the most fearsome frontline duos in the country in terms of rim protection. Junior Trent Forrest helps lock down the perimeter for a team that, as always, is among the tallest and longest in the country. At 6-1, grad transfer David Nichols is the only player who sees the floor for FSU who is shorter than 6-4.
The variance of the ACC schedule handed Florida State a slate with essentially just one shot at the upper crust of the league. While that can be good for the win total, it has limited FSU's opportunities to bag those precious Quadrant 1 wins. Saturday marks the 'Noles' last chance at a Q1 road victory, one that would go a long way toward some very favorable seeding both in Charlotte and in the NCAA tournament.
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