Live Updates: FSU men's basketball hosting Miami
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The No. 16 Florida State men's basketball team has won four straight games, including three by double-digits, as it heads into this evening's home tilt with a short-handed Miami Hurricanes team.
And from Jim Larranaga's perspective, there isn't anybody in the conference playing any better at the moment.
"I think Florida State is the most talented team in the ACC right now, in terms of athletic ability, size and the ability to play both ends of the court,” Larranaga said earlier this week. “Their ability to play full-court defense, half-court defense and rebound [is impressive]. They’re also shooting the ball extremely well right now.”
As for his team, not so much.
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The Hurricanes (6-8, 2-7 in the ACC) are one of the worst shooting teams in America from 3-point range and are coming off a 3-of-22 effort in a loss to Notre Dame on Sunday night. They have shot less than 23 percent overall from 3 in their last six games.
Now, they must face a team that seems to be coming into its own defensively.
Florida State (9-2, 5-1) played probably its best two games of the season on that end of the court in its last two outings, a 13-point win over Louisville and a 19-point win over Clemson.
And as Larranaga said, the Seminoles are also shooting it well. They are currently leading the ACC in 3-point shooting in league games, making almost 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Of course, even though this looks like it could have the makings of another double-digit FSU win, head coach Leonard Hamilton isn't about to let his team take anyone lightly.
Miami is struggling and short-handed -- on Sunday against Notre Dame, the Hurricanes had seven scholarship players available, and dynamic point guard Chris Lykes is still listed as "out," according to Larranaga -- but as Hamilton has said countless times over the years, every team in the ACC is dangerous.
"I've been watching Miami, and they have the kind of team that always seems to give us tremendous challenges," Hamilton said. "Because they always have four guys on the floor that are good ball-handlers, passers, athletic, and they have multiple ball-handlers that can get to places all over the floor on the dribble.
"Now they've had a rash of injuries that have kept them from getting the kind of rhythm you would normally like to have. I don't know where they are now, but we expect it to be another hard-fought game like it always is when we play the University of Miami."
The Seminoles beat the Hurricanes twice a season ago, but neither win was easy, Hamilton pointed out.
Florida State had to make a furious rally in the final minutes down in Coral Gables to force overtime and eventually pull out an 83-79 win. Then, three weeks later, the Seminoles knocked off Miami, 99-81, but the game was still well within reach for the Hurricanes until the final eight minutes.
While Lykes is expected to miss the game, Miami was bolstered by the recent return of senior guard Kam McGusty, who scored 20 points in the loss to Notre Dame. He scored 15 points in the overtime loss to the Seminoles a season ago.
"Well, the first thing is we can’t get into just a run-and-shoot game with them," Larranaga said. "We’ve got to control the tempo and do a good job of limiting our turnovers. Turnovers are part of the major key to their success, where they get a lot of open-court opportunities. Secondly, we just have to shoot the ball better than we have in recent games.”
And hope Florida State doesn't.
The Seminoles have won five straight in the series and four straight at home against the Hurricanes. Tipoff at the Tucker Center is set for 6 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
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