Following an uncompelling loss at the hands of conference rival Georgia Tech, the Florida State men’s basketball team will duke it out with the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday. The Seminoles (13-6, 6-3 ACC) had their six-game winning streak snapped after a road trip to last year’s ACC Tournament Champion, which thoroughly dominated in the second half to capture a 75-61 victory
FSU turned the ball over 12 times (10 steals) before halftime, accounting for a dozen Georgia Tech points. Anthony Polite led the way for the team scoring 11 points, but it wasn’t enough — the team combined to shoot .410% from the field as GT shot .440%. The lead scorers in the game were Georgia Tech’s Jordan Usher (19 points) and Michael Devoe (15 points).
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, hasn’t had it much better with a 2-7 record in conference play. They most recently lost 78-75 to the University of Miami, who currently sits atop the conference in overall record.
Series History
Florida State leads the overall series history at a tally of 36-22. The ‘Noles have won the last six, though the two schools did not play last year and only once in the 2019-20 season. A win by FSU tonight would tie the longest winning streak in the series, set by the team in seven straight matchups from 1991-2006.
Last Time They Played
Florida State won the most recent matchup on February 1st, 2020, by a score of 74-63. That game saw G Devin Vassell lead the way in the match for the Noles with a team-high 27 points. At the time, VT was 14-8 and fighting for one of the ACC’s NCAA Tournament births, while FSU was 18-3.
Virginia Tech Team and Season Overview
Fading away from the reality of an NCAA Tournament berth, Virginia Tech dropped to double digit losses on Wednesday following its buzzer-beater loss against Miami. The Hokies’ only conference wins have come against NC State and Notre Dame, with a slew of single-digit defeats — Memphis, Xavier, Dayton, NC State, Virginia, Boston College and Miami — percolating to derail the team’s season.
“We’ve got a really good basketball team,” Hokies head coach Mike Young said about the continuous disappointment. “We have deserved better outcomes, but that’s the game, man. Doesn’t owe you a damn thing. You’ve got to suck it up and play better.”
Tech’s results qualify as a grave difference from last year, which saw the Hokies compile a 15-7 record before going out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Florida. They managed to be ranked as high as 15th during that campaign.
Virginia Tech Player to the Watch: F Keve Aluma
Senior Keve Aluma is the clear No. 1 scorer on the team with an average of 15.8 points per game. He also leads the teams in blocks (0.9 per game) and has served as the all-around backbone leader for VT, putting up similar numbers compared to last year, when he averaged 15.2 PPG. His accolades include an All-ACC second team selection in the 2020-21 season and garnering a mention in this year’s preseason Karl Malone watchlist.
How to Watch
- Tipoff: 12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 29th, 2022
- Location: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida
- Television/Stream: ABC
- Online: ESPN
- Radio: Seminole IMG Sports Network / WXSR-FM (101.5)
- Radio Announcing Crew: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play) and Adrian Crawford (analyst)
(Featured image by Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports)