Five years ago, Florida State shocked No. 1 Duke in a thrilling one point game at the Donald L. Tucker Center. With five consecutive wins against the Seminoles under their belt, the Blue Devils hope to avoid a similarly shocking upset when they return as the nation’s top team to play the Seminoles at 9 p.m. tonight.
Although Florida State (11-5, 1-1 in the ACC) has struggled in early-season play and lost three of its last four, the Seminoles remain dangerous because of their tenacity on the defensive end, particularly down low. They rank first in the ACC in both rebounds and blocks per game, which poses a threat to a Duke squad that has lately benefited from its small lineups.
“It’s going to be a very tough game,” senior guard Nolan Smith said. “Florida State, defensively, is one of the best teams in the league. They get steals and block shots.”
Leading the Seminoles down low is 6-foot-9 forward Chis Singleton, who is first on the team with over 15 points and eight rebounds per game. Unlike Maryland forward Jordan Williams, who owned the paint to the tune of 23 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday’s game against the Blue Devils, Singleton is an inside and outside threat.
“Chris Singleton is a big man, but he likes to play outside,” Smith said. “We’re just going to try and hold him down.”
Much of the onus for fighting Singleton below the hoop will fall on the Plumlee brothers. Both have struggled in ACC play, however, with Mason Plumlee’s 10 rebound effort against Miami being the only time either player reached double digits in points or rebounds against Miami or Maryland. In the Maryland contest, however, Mason Plumlee fouled out with zero points and five turnovers.
Defensively, senior forward Kyle Singler may also be forced to match up against Singleton, especially if he continues to play center as he did against Maryland, when he played in a lineup with Smith, Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and Tyler Thornton. Whether or not head coach Mike Krzyzewski will implement that lineup to combat Singleton’s size, the way he did with Jordan Williams, remains to be seen.
For the Seminoles, the game not only has conference implications but postseason ones as well. As a “bubble” team, a win against Duke (15-0, 2-0) could have a major impact on their chance at an NCAA tournament bid.
“When you think about your NCAA bid that we possibly could have, I mean this would be a big win on our resume,” Singleton said. “We need everyone we can get right now.”
Similarly, Duke will need everybody they can get as head coach Mike Krzyzewski looks to potentially expand a rotation that has occasionally included only seven players. Tyler Thornton benefited from this expansion against Maryland, snatching four steals in his 12 minutes of play.
“We have guys that are ready to step up,” Smith said. “Tyler was huge [versus Maryland] and he brings energy. He plays hard.”
For now, this game serves as the first conference road game of the season for the Blue Devils. They will look to prove they can grind out games even without the support of the home crowd.
“Going down there is going to be a huge test for us,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a good win if we can take care of business.”
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