The No. 15 Florida State men's basketball team will look to continue its strong start to the 2020-21 season with a home game tonight against visiting Central Florida.
The Seminoles are looking for their third win since last Saturday, while the Golden Knights are only playing their third game of the season due to COVID-related issues. UCF won its season opener on Nov. 30 against Auburn, 63-55, and then fell at Michigan, 80-58, on Dec. 6.
Florida State is coming off of double-digit home victories against Florida and Georgia Tech.
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Florida State (4-0, 1-0 ACC) vs. UCF (1-1, 0-0 AAC)
Saturday, Dec. 19, 9 p.m., Tucker Center (2,600), Tallahassee
After a very challenging start to the 2020-21 season, the Seminoles now get two games against teams that should give Leonard Hamilton an opportunity to experiment with lineups and better evaluate his bench players.
That's not to say tonight's contest with UCF is a laugher. The Knights did knock off Auburn to start the season, but they also haven't played in almost two weeks. And they did not look good at all during their one game away from home.
Discuss the game with fans on Warchant's Seminole Hoops message board
Last meeting: FSU 96, UCF 73 (Dec. 6, 2014)
All-time series: Florida State leads 11-0
TV: ACC Network | Radio: Seminole Radio Network
Head Coaches: Leonard Hamilton (Florida State), Johnny Dawkins (UCF)
What to Watch For: Leonard Hamilton had to shorten his bench in an early season battle with Indiana, but impressive victories over UF and Georgia Tech allowed him to give some role players important minutes. Look for that trend to continue against UCF and then on Monday against Gardner-Webb.
As well as veterans M.J. Walker, RaiQuan Gray, Anthony Polite, Wyatt Wilkes and youngsters Scottie Barnes and Balsa Koprivica have played, the Seminoles are still looking for some backups to find their groove. At the top of that list are junior Malik Osborne and senior RayQuan Evans. Osborne is expected to handle the vital sixth-man role filled the last two years by Patrick Williams and Mfiondu Kabengelke, and Evans needs to be the top backup point guard.
The Seminoles also are looking to get transfers Sardaar Calhoun and Tanor Ngom and freshman Quincy Ballard to get more comfortable in this system as well. If FSU can make some strides in that area and then continue polishing things up during the holiday break, they could be well-prepared when ACC play resumes with a trip to Clemson and home games against Duke and Syracuse.
Opening Line: Florida State minus-13
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Discuss the game with fans on Warchant's Seminole Hoops message board.