Game facts
No. 25 Florida State (19-8 overall, 8-7 ACC) at NC State (19-9 overall, 9-6 ACC)
Game time: Sunday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m. — PNC Arena in Raleigh
Television: ESPNU
Probable starters
NC State
PG — 11 Markell Johnson (6-1, 165, Soph., 8.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 7.8 apg, 1.8 spg)
PG — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Fr., 10.0, 2.5 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.1 spg)
SG — 12 Allerik Freeman (6-3, 210, 5th-Sr, 14.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg)
SF — 2 Torin Dorn (6-5, 210, R-Jr, 13.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg)
C — 14 Omer Yurtseven (7-0, 245, Soph., 13.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 0.4 apg, 1.8 bpg)
Florida State
PG — 2 CJ Walker (6-1, 195, Soph., 9.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg)
SG — 5 PJ Savoy (6-4, 200, Jr., 6.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.7 apg) or 11 Braian Angola (6-6, 195, Sr., 12.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.4 spg)
SF — 23 M.J. Walker (6-5, 205, Fr., 8.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.2 apg)
PF — 0 Phil Cofer (6-8, 218, Sr., 13.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.8 apg)
C — 21 Christ Koumadje (7-4, 233, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.2 apg, 1.7 bpg)
Florida State
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Nickname: Seminoles
2016-17 record: 26-9 overall, 12-6 ACC
2017 postseason: Lost 91-66 to Xavier in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
Coach: Leonard Hamilton 29th overall (501-414) and 16th year at FSU (301-204)
Notes
Florida State season overview: The Seminoles went 11-1 against a relatively average non-conference schedule, but has been inconsistent in the ACC.
Florida State enters Sunday’s game with wins over Clemson and Pittsburgh, both at home. FSU has road wins at Virginia Tech and Louisville.
The Seminoles were expected to take a step back after power forward Jonathan Isaac, Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes to the NBA Draft with eligibility remaining. FSU has a 10-11-man rotation with three freshmen joining the squad this year.
Florida State tendencies: A deep bench and unselfish style have Florida State ranking second behind Duke in the ACC with 83.9 points per game. FSU is right behind NC State with 15.6 assists per game to rank fifth in the league.
The Seminoles have always been good at blocking shots, and play at least four players who are 6-foot-8 or taller. FSU ranks sixth in the ACC with 4.55 blocks per game this season.
Florida State ranks sixth in the league in allowing 42.1 percent from the field. However, the defense is 14th in the league in allowing 74.2 points per contest.
The Seminoles are shooting just 69.2 percent from the free-throw line. Wings M.J. Walker and Braian Angola are quality free throw shooters, but the rest of the roster is shooting less than 72 percent.
Perimeter: Sophomore point guard CJ Walker has replaced Rathan-Mayes this season, and he’s been steady.
Walker is averaging 9.2 points and 3.0 assists per game, and he is shooting 36.1 percent from three-point land. He had a season-high 24 points at Rutgers on Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Walker has been uneven in ACC action, cracking double figures in just six games, with an ACC-best 19 points and six assists in a 81-75 loss at Boston College on Jan. 15.
A pair of former college transfers have been much more productive in their second year at Florida State.
Senior Braian Angola of Colombia has jumped from 4.6 points per game to 12.7 this season, and he’s shooting 37.2 percent from the field. Angola was disciplined in the 88-75 win over Pittsburgh, along with junior Terance Mann. The benching has been on the heels of struggling the last six games, shooting 11 of 51 from the field and 4 of 25 on three-pointers. He has scored in double figures in 17 games.
Angola had 24 points and four three-pointers in the 101-90 double overtime win vs. Syracuse on Jan. 13, and he also dropped five three-pointers en route to 23 points in a 100-93 loss at Duke on Dec. 30. He drained 7 of 11 from three-point range in the 113-78 win over The Citadel on Nov. 24.
Junior shooting guard PJ Savoy arrived from junior college last year, and he’s been filling the void during Angola’s mini-slump. He is fresh off of going 5 of 7 on three-pointers en route to a season-high 18 points vs. Pittsburgh. He has 27 points and has gone 9 of 20 on three-pointers the last three games, which had followed Savoy missing seven consecutive games due to injury.
Savoy is shooting 36.5 percent on three-pointers and averaging 6.1 points in 10.8 minutes per game.
Junior Terance Mann has started 25 out of 26 games and leads the team with 14.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The physical forward has helped fill some of the void from Isaac and Bacon leaving.
Mann has been smart in his scoring chances all three years at FSU, and he’s shooting 57.9 percent from the field. He’s not a big three-point threat, going just 11 of 40 from beyond the arc.
Mann went off for a season-high 30 points in a 88-77 win vs. Georgia Tech, and he has scored at least 20 points in seven games. He has reached double figures in all but six games this season.
Freshman M.J. Walker can play both wing spots and sophomore Trent Forrest provides depth at a number of positions.
Walker was ranked No. 27 overall nationally by Rivals.com in the class of 2017. Walker has been up and down as a freshman, averaging 8.5 points per game and shooting 38.7 percent on three-pointers. He erupted for a career-high 24 points and four three-pointers in the 91-82 win at Virginia Tech. He’s cracked double figures in just five games.
The 6-5, 215-pound Forrest is averaging 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game. The slasher is shooting 47.5 percent from the field. He has combined for 28 points and eight assists the last two games against Pittsburgh and Clemson.
Forrest had seven points, 12 assists and six rebounds in a 98-45 win vs. Southern Miss on Dec. 21. He also had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the 80-76 win at Louisville on Feb. 3.
Frontcourt: Senior power forward Phil Cofer has never lacked athleticism and talent, but it has taken him four years to get his game together.
Cofer has jumped from 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last year, to 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds a contest this season. He’s shooting an impressive 50.4 percent from the field and 38.3 percent on three-pointers.
Cofer went bonkers against Duke on Dec. 30, going for 28 points, six rebounds and he went 6 of 10 on three-pointers. He has proven that wasn’t a fluke, by combining for 44 points and 12 rebounds in back-to-back games vs. Miami and at Wake Forest to close out January.
Cover has scored in double figures in 18 games, including 10 in ACC action.
At a listed 7-foot-4, junior center Christ Koumadje is the tallest player in the ACC. He has improved each year in college and is shooting 64.4 percent from the field en route to 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Koumadje missed 11 games due to injury between Nov. 22-Jan. 3. He exploded for 23 points, eight rebounds and four blocks in his best college game ever against Syracuse and its 2-3 defense. He has blocked at least three shots in five games this season, including a season-high five in the season opener against George Washington.
The youth movement provides depth with freshmen Ike Obiagu, a former NC State recruiting target, and Mfiondu Kabengele, who play center and power forward respectively.
Kabengele was under the radar a bit in high school, but has come in and averaged 7.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. He had 13 points and six boards against Pittsburgh to snap out of a mini-slump. That was the third time he has reached double figures in ACC action. He had 16 points and 12 rebounds against The Citadel and 15 points and nine boards in a 67-43 win vs. Fordham on Nov. 17.
Obiagu, who is 7-0 and 240 pounds, was one of the best prep shot-blockers in the class of 2017. He has 45 blocks in 271 minutes this season, including when he had five points, 10 boards and five blocks at Rutgers. That set career highs for rebounds and blocks this season.
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Florida State schedule/results
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