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FSU Basketball Preview: Noles Face Duke in Ranked Battle on The Road

By Frank Urbina

Feb 25, 2017; Clemson, SC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) looks to take the shot during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2017; Clemson, SC, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) looks to take the shot during the first half against the Clemson Tigers at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /
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FSU basketball faces arguably their toughest test of the season — a road trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the Duke Blue Devils.

FSU basketball is set to play their hardest game of the season. A road trip to Cameron Indoor would be tough for any team. But for the road-weary Seminoles, it may be a near impossible task. The Duke Blue Devils are also coming off back-to-back losses. They’ll surely want to get one back in the win-column, especially playing at home.

With two games left in the regular season, Florida State finds itself two games back from the UNC Tar Heels for first place in the ACC. It’s not impossible to catch them, but it’s about as close to unlike as you can get.

Regardless, finishing with a top-four seed guarantees FSU a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. That would go a long way towards their hopes to bring the conference title back to Tallahssee for the first time since 2012.

The Last Time the ‘Noles Took the Court

Florida State traveled to Clemson on Saturday in hopes of quelling concerns about their play on the road. Although they were somewhat sloppy offensively, the Seminoles defensive effort was great, and enough to pull out a late win against the Tigers.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes was magnificent, scoring 15 points, with seven assists and just one turnover. Trent Forrest also played a big role. The freshman point guard was trusted to play minutes late, and did not disappoint. His defense went a long way in giving FSU the win.

Opponent Preview

The Duke Blue Devils are 22-7, 10-6 in the ACC. They are the 15th-overall team in the country according to KenPom, seventh in offense but 38th in defense. They have lost just once at home in conference play, falling 84-82 to North Carolina State.

Their best player this year has been Luke Kennard. The sophomore guard is averaging 19.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor and 45.6 percent from three. He’s arguably the most efficient scorer in the country.

Fan-favorite Grayson Allen is having an okay season thus far, but not up to the expectations many had for him before the year. Further, he missed the Miami game on Saturday with an ankle injury. A call hasn’t been made as far as his availability against Florida State.

The Blue Devils did get Amile Jefferson back after he missed the game in Tallahassee. The senior center is vitally important to their defense, and much improved as a scorer. He’s scoring 11.1 points per game, to go with 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

Point Spread/How to Watch

The point spread has yet to be released (uncertainty about whether Allen is playing), but Duke is expected to be the heavy favorite.

To watch, just tune into ESPN at 7 pm ET.

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