Syracuse will finish the regular season by traveling to Florida to take on the Seminoles on Sunday afternoon. Here is a quick look at the game:
BUBBLE TEAM: Florida State is the quintessential definition of a bubble team. The Seminoles are among ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s Last Four Out with a record of 18-11 and 9-8 in the ACC and have an RPI of 59. Their biggest wins this season have come against then-No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth and then-No. 22 Massachusetts. But those wins look less impressive now that the regular season is winding down since UMass and VCU are now projected as 7-seeds. A win against Pitt (currently projected as a 9-seed) on Feb. 23 helped those chances, as did surviving a scare at Boston College on Tuesday. A win against struggling Syracuse would certainly help pad FSU’s NCAA chances.
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SCOUTING THE SEMINOLES: Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton has jumbled his lineup this season, and two key adjustments have helped FSU win four of its last five games. On Feb. 5, Hamilton took starting point guard Devon Bookert out of the lineup in favor of Aaron Thomas, and Thomas has averaged 18.3 points in the eight games since. ACC Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ian Miller made his first start of the season against North Carolina on Feb. 17 and responded with 22 points in a six-point loss. He is second on the team in scoring with 13.6 ppg.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: Syracuse is 3-1 all-time against the Seminoles. The last time these two teams met was in the first round of the 1997 NIT. Randell Jackson’s 20 points and 11 rebounds led FSU to a 82-67 win. Otis Hill led the Orangemen with 16 points.
GAME INFORMATION: Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center. TV: ACC Regional Network/ESPN3.
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