A month ago, Duke was on the verge of tying its school-record with 46 consecutive home wins. Florida State, however, shocked the Blue Devils on Michael Snaer’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win at Cameron Indoor Stadium in January. Tonight No. 5 Duke (23-4, 10-2 in the ACC) hopes to avenge that loss to the No. 15 Seminoles (19-7, 10-2) at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fl. at 7 p.m.
“That was a loss on our home court that we’re not proud of,” Duke forward Ryan Kelly said. “As a player you have to learn from your mistakes, but you can’t forget what happened. I know our team hasn’t forgotten what it felt like when they hit that shot against us this year.”
The game is critical in the ACC title race, as the winner of this game will keep pace with North Carolina atop the conference standings with only three regular-season games left. The Blue Devils are also seeking their first win over Florida State since 2010 after losing last year’s matchup in Tallahassee.
Thursday’s game will pit the team with the best field goal percentage in the conference against the team with the best field goal percentage defense. Duke makes 46.9 percent of its shots while Florida State holds its opponents to a conference-best 37-percent shooting, the fourth straight season the Seminoles have led this category. Florida State also leads the conference in blocks and steals per game, with 6.2 and 8.4, respectively.
“They have the great combination that you can’t teach of length and quickness,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You can’t simulate that in practice.”
The Seminoles have surprised many with their performance in the ACC this season, and it was the win over the Blue Devils after blowing out the Tar Heels that cemented their place at the top of the ACC standings.
“We’re finding ways to win when maybe we’re not as skilled, or as talented,” Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton said. “We’re just using what we have and finding ways to win with who we are.”
In the previous meeting in Durham, Duke was bothered by the length of Xavier Gibson and Bernard James, who both scored in double figures in the second half alone. The Blue Devils were outscored in the paint 24-16.
Although Duke came out strong in the team’s last meeting and took a lead in the first half, its performance dropped in the second period. Sophomore guard Tyler Thornton believes the team let up late and took the game for granted, recognizing that the team needs to tighten up on defense to challenge Florida State.
“They attack the boards very well,” Thornton said. “They thrive on the defensive end and in transition. So our focal point is that we need to take away their transition and keep them from getting a lot of points in the paint.”
While the Seminole threats lie near the basket, the Blue Devils can stretch the floor with their perimeter play. Seth Curry and Austin Rivers, Duke’s two leading scorers with 13.6 and 15 points per game, respectively, both have higher scoring averages than that of Snaer, Florida State’s leading scorer. Kelly, the Blue Devils’ third-leading scorer with 11.9 a game, also has the ability to pull the Seminoles’ big men away from the basket with his shooting.
For the Seminoles, this marks one of the first times in their history that they are challenging for the ACC regular season title. Hamilton, however, deflected any pressure on his squad and believes that the attention is firmly on the “flagship” teams in the conference, Duke and North Carolina.
“At this particular time during the season, we have not earned the right to look past anything other than one game at a time in our approach,” Hamilton said. “This is uncharted territory for us…. It would mean an awful lot to us if we can keep pace with the teams we’re competing with for the ACC title.”
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