HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame Vs. Florida State

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NOTRE DAME (14-10, 4-7 ACC) VS. FLORIDA STATE (17-7, 6-6 ACC)

Where: Purcell Pavilion (Notre Dame, Ind.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked.

Time/TV: 4 p.m. ET/ESPN2

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 77, Florida State 73. March 10, 2017 (ACC Tournament).

Series Info: Florida State leads the all-time series 4-3.

Notre Dame got back on track Tuesday with a win over Boston College while the Irish host a Florida State team that has lost two of its last three.

Can Notre Dame repeat its performance from Tuesday? Or will Florida State leave with a win?

Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's preview of both teams along with a prediction of the outcome.

After a month of struggling on offense, Notre Dame finally put together a complete game offensively in a 96-85 win over Boston College on Tuesday.

The Irish shot 52.5 percent from the field and 55.2 percent behind the arc which were both team-highs since Jan. 3 against NC State. It was also the highest point total since that matchup with the Wolfpack.

Sophomore guard TJ Gibbs put up 22 points in the first half on his way to a career-high 28 points to lead the team in scoring. Senior point guard Matt Farrell put up 19 points in his second game back from a bone bruise in his ankle.

Both senior big man Martinas Geben and sophomore forward John Mooney recorded 16 points while Geben notched 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Mooney’s total was a career-high.

Junior guard Rex Pflueger added 13 points to round out the top scorers for Mike Brey in the game.

Tuesday was a perfect night for the Irish in terms of getting back on track with a win, but also offensively. The team had not shot over 40 percent in a game since the NC State.

Defense is still somewhat of an issue for the team with Boston College almost hitting 50 percent of its field goal attempts which would have been the fourth-straight game Notre Dame has allowed an opponent to hit that mark.

Which Irish team will show up offensively? The one that showed up Tuesday night? Or the one that couldn’t score for a month? It may not matter if the Irish don’t defend better on the other end.

The Seminoles enter this afternoon’s matchup aiming to bounce back after losing two of three games in league play.

Length will be one aspect of Florida State most will recognize right away. The team’s starting lineup averages over 6-foot-7 in height with four players over 6-foot-6 headlined by 7-foot-4 center Christ Koumadje (8.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG).

The smallest player among the group is 6-foot-1 guard CJ Walker (9.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG). Leonard Hamilton’s perimeter is also filled with two 6-foot-6 guards in leading scorer Terance Mann (14.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.7 APG) and second-leading scorer Braian Angola (13.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG).

Senior forward Phil Cofer, who stands 6-foot-8, complements Koumadje in the frontcourt averaging 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds.

The length doesn’t stop when looking at the bench with 6-foot-5 guards M.J. Walker and Trent Forest along with 6-foot-9 forward Mfiondu Kabengele and 7-foot center Ike Obiagu.

Walker is the top scoring option off the bench at 8.4 points while Kabengele has put together a solid line of 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Forest is the do-it-all player off the bench averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Obiagu puts up 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds during his limited action as a reserve.

Overall, Florida State is averaging 83.5 points per game, which ranks No. 23 nationally, while allowing 72.7 points to opponents (No. 190). The Seminoles hot 47.4 percent of their shots from the field including 36.3 percent behind the arc.

Defensively, Florida State allows opponents to hit 40.8 percent of their shots overall and 33.5 percent of their three-point shots.

The Seminoles rank No. 19 in offensive efficiency and No. 60 in defensive efficiency per KenPom.com.

One area to keep an eye on is the offensive glass. Florida State is No. 19 in offensive rebounding percentage (35.2 percent), but No. 261 in offensive rebounding percentage (30.9 percent) allowed.

It will be interesting to see how Notre Dame deals with Florida State’s length given the Seminoles have two 7-footers and Geben is the tallest player for the Irish.

That length allows the Seminoles to control the boards and also make it difficult to score in the paint and can impact perimeter shots on close outs.

Both teams need a win with the Irish trying to push back towards a potential NCAA Tournament berth and Florida State sitting as an eight seed in the latest Bracketology. A loss to the Irish would push the Seminoles closer to the bubble.

Prediction

Notre Dame 82, Florida State 78

The Irish typically play better at home and the Boston College game should have instilled some confidence in the group after a long losing streak.

Notre Dame finds a way to combat Florida State’s length and gets another important win.

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