Buzzketball Central: #21 Virginia Tech Hokies (12-2,1-1) at #12 Florida State Seminoles (14-1,2-0) 2PM ACC Network/Raycom TV

All of my writeup was based on Sy not playing but I have heard he is participating in all the shootarounds so he will likely be a gametime decision. This doesnt mean he will be able to give them significant minutes even if he plays though so just be prepared for a game without him and if he plays its a bonus.

#Hokies will be without G Seth Allen and F Khadim Sy. Less than ideal situation for Buzz and Co. https://t.co/expvzwrnLO— Ricky LaBlue (@RickyLaBlue) January 7, 2017

IT'S GAMEDAY! #BeatFSU Tallahassee, FL 2 PM ACC Network pic.twitter.com/OUnH8FmH6W— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) January 7, 2017

GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: January 7, 2017 / 2 p.m.
Opponent: No. 12/13 Florida State
Site: Tallahassee, Florida. (Donald L. Tucker Center)
Radio: Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Talent: Jon Laaser & Mike Burnop
TV/Internet: The ACC Network
Talent: Dwayne Ballen & Brian Oliver
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Game Notes: Virginia Tech
XM Radio: XM 194 (Internet 956)

Where can you watch the @VT_MBBall game at FSU? All the affiliates on a new #HokieHuddle. #Hokieshttps://t.co/nmCTrXi2Ra pic.twitter.com/Rh1BVeRQ0J— VT Men's Basketball (@VT_MBBall) January 7, 2017

Getting back to basics

Buzzketball has started the ACC slate on a roller coaster ride. Way up to blowout #5 Duke and then all the way down to lose to NC State by almost 30. Now its time to get their heads back on straight, return to the basic tenets of basketball that got them to 12-2 or face another huge loss at the hands of the Seminoles. Florida State has the athleticism and size of NC State combined with the talent level of Duke with the makeup of their roster. The Hokies cant afford even a five minute layoff, let alone a forty minute one if they hope to compete in this game.

This game is another holiday break game but at least it is a weekend for the Seminoles to try to attract a solid crowd. Florida State enters this game 14-1, with their only defeat coming at the hands of Temple 89-86. They come in winners of their first two ACC contests over Wake Forest and then #12 UVA on a last second three pointer. They have P5 wins over Illinois, Minnesota and Florida outside of conference. The Hokies have to hope that the Seminoles overlook them a bit, with their next contest against #8 Duke on Tuesday night.

This will be the fifty third meeting between the Hokies and Seminoles. Florida State leads the all-time series 30-22, starting all the way back in 1968. The Hokies last victory against the Seminoles came last season, with two wins, one in Blacksburg and the other in the ACC tournament. The last time that the Hokies won in Florida though was 1990.

The Seminoles are coached by Leonard Hamilton, who has coached FSU since 2002, and before that coached Miami starting in 1990. Hamilton has almost three decades of coaching against the Hokies in all their different forms over the years.

Defensively, the Seminoles employ a high pressure man to man defense primarily that varies in its starting point throughout the game. They regularly switch up to full court pressure in order to create turnovers and get easy transition baskets. One thing Hamilton and his staff do better than most is assigning defensive matchups. You may see some unusual pairings but they aim to best utilize their players strengths on the defensive end to cause the most problems for their opponents. Some assignments might be based on strengths to turn the ball over, others might be based on ability to rebound effectively and once in a while they even identify the best chance to score in transition with matchups.

Offensively, Florida State has historically run a motion offense that relied heavily on its bigs to score or distribute but with his current personnel, Hamilton has had to change to a more motion based system that relies on his perimeter players to score for the Seminoles. Regardless of the change, it appears to be working, with the Seminoles off to their best start ever under Hamilton. So far this season, Florida State is averaging almost eight points more per contest than their highest season ever under Hamilton. Tech has to expect to play a shootout if it hopes to win this contest.

What does that mean for the Hokies?

The Hokies are going to need to hit their shots because this is a team that can drain it from three and has the talent to get open regularly against them. They also will have to contend with bigger bigs underneath which could prove the Hokies Achilles heel all season especially with the news that Khadim Sy and Seth Allen will miss the contest today due to injury. This is a big blow to an already depleted roster for the Hokies. I would expect to see Devin Wilson play with Allen out.

This should be one of the highest paced games this season if the Hokies want to have a chance to win. They cannot afford a letdown like they had against NC State either, as the Seminoles will simply run away with this game. The key will be to open quickly, build a lead and continue to run for the rest of the game.

The Seminoles surprisingly dont heavily rely on their starting five, although four of whom play twenty five or more minutes per contest. This is one of the most balanced and widely used rosters Tech will face in the ACC.
Hamilton so far has regularly used 11 players per contest so Tech has to be ready to face fresh legs and not see many opponents in foul trouble. The highest fouls per game for FSU is Terrance Mann at 2.4 per contest. This kind of balanced play could leave the Hokies worn out towards the end of the game unless Buzz finds a way to lengthen his bench a bit for this game.

One last note on the way Florida State uses their roster. So far this season, every player from the Seminoles is averaging at least 3.8 points per game. That is incredible balance and shows how deep a team this is.

Seminoles Backcourt

Dwayne Bacon (#4) 6'7, 221 Lbs Sophomore Guard has averaged 18.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 APG and 1.1 SPG. He is shooting 38% from behind the arc and 49% overall. He is also shooting 75% from the free throw line.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes, (#22) 6'4, 208 Lbs Junior Guard comes in averaging 10.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1 SPG. Rathan-Mayes operates as their point guard. He is the best of this group off the dribble though so this is who we need to watch for in terms of driving the ball or kicking out to open teammates.

Terrance Mann, (#14), 6'6, 204 Lbs Sophomore Guard is averaging 8.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2 APG, and 1.1 SPG. Mann essentially has taken over the spot on the wing held by Malik Beasely last season, a freshman that went one and done.

Seminoles Frontcourt

Jonathan Isaac, (#1), 6'10, 210 Lbs Freshman Center has been a key find for the Seminoles this season. So far he is averaging 12.2 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.3 BPG.

Senior Center Michael Ojo, (#50) 7'1,304 Lbs is averaging 5.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. He is still not 100% returned from injury last season so he has only been playing about 13 MPG.

Names the Announcers will Butcher
Braian Angola-Rodas is obviously first on this list. Christ Koumadje and Xavier Rathan-Mayes get honorable mentions.

What to expect from Florida State?
The Seminoles will have several options in this game. I believe they will come out playing their normal game, working for open perimeter shots and getting good looks while creating transition basket opportunities. The Seminoles have seven players that average at least 0.8 Steals per game. They regularly turn their opponents over.

If their normal style of play doesn't work for them, then I expect them to transition into dominating the paint against us similar to how NC State and Texas A&M did because we simply don't have the players available to reliably deny them the lane with Sy out.

One scary number to keep in mind is that Florida State is shooting 51% from the field as a team this year. They can simply put the ball in the basket and with that, the biggest change has been their steady play on defense this season. That has probably been the most crucial change in the Seminoles and why they are where they are so far. They are 33rd in the nation in Blocks, 46th in Steals, and 83rd in Defensive Rebounding. All of these are significant improvements over last season.

The biggest way to counteract this is turning Florida State over. The Seminoles average 12 turnovers per game, most of that with the starters, so if the Hokies can up that total a bit it will take scoring possessions away quickly. That becomes even more important because this is an opponent that just doesn't foul that much which the Hokies have used time and time again this year to distance themselves.

The Seminoles are averaging 86.2 PPG (15th in the Nation) and only allowing opponents 68.1 PPG. That's a 18 point average margin of victory so far this season. They haven't had to deal with many close games so if the Hokies are able to pressure the Seminoles to make mistakes it could lead to them collapsing late.

The Hokies
Tech needs to be ready to keep a high paced tempo the entire game without letting up if they want to win this matchup. They have to be able to get a high number of transition baskets like they did against Duke to get Florida state out of its comfort zone in methodically attacking the ball. Essentially force the Seminoles to deal with a sort of mirror as they try to go up and down the court.

Tech will have a tough time winning the lane, especially with Sy out for this game, so it has to be able to hit its jumpers, especially critical is hitting its perimeter shots. Tech likely needs to shoot better than 50% from outside to be a factor in this game.

Tech has to still make an attempt at getting to the basket with Leday Robinson and Clarke. If they forego working the ball inside than the Seminoles will be able to ignore the inside and focus solely on the perimeter. The Hokies dearly need clean looks today to stay in this game.

One critical area the Hokies must improve as it could have made a major difference in the NC State game. They have to not turn a great defensive play immediately into a poor offensive play. They cant go from getting a stop or creating a turnover to throwing the ball away. Tech did that at least seven times during the NC State contest and it has happened more this season than in others under Buzz. Scoring in transition is nice but scoring period is most important.

Highlight of the NC State Game

In Closing

Expect to see a fast paced game on both sides in the first half and then watch Tech aim to slow that down in the second half to really clamp down on a lead by not letting the Seminoles get out in transition much. The deeper into the shot clocks Tech can take Florida State, the better as they just aren't geared to play half court ball as well as our Hokies. Ideally the Hokies would just keep running but I think with how well Florida State uses their bench and how limited Tech's bench is, it will require them to strategically slow the game at points.

Less talented and completely outsized. We faced those same words when many were comparing Tech to Duke. I would argue that they are of a differing talent but the size aspect will play a factor. Tech has to use its speed and athleticism. They have to find open looks and they have to be able to hit those shots. Defensively they have to be able to limit the number of attempts Florida State gets either by forcing turnovers or bad shots.

I expect to see Buzz stretch the floor, especially on defense with Allen out. Buzz will likely have to use some full court pressure in this game as well as some zone defense to counter the Seminoles offense.

I really wanted to be able to say that Tech would win this game but with the injuries and the size and talent of their opponent combined with being on the road, Tech takes another on the chin, hopefully in less embarrassing fashion as last time out. Tech loses 76-68.

pic.twitter.com/Ip6Iw3gRs6— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) January 6, 2017