NOTRE DAME (11-7; 2-5 ACC) vs. No. 5 FLORIDA STATE (16-2; 6-1)
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Fla.
Time/TV/Internet: Tonight (8:00 p.m., EST); Available on the ACC Network, UND.com, Sirius/XM Radio Channel 989
Line: Florida State -9 (142 over/under)
Prediction: Florida State 72, Notre Dame 66
Game Note Links: Florida State … Notre Dame
Series Facts: No time for the Irish to sulk after a tough 84-82 home loss Wednesday to Syracuse. Notre Dame arrived Friday in Tallahassee, Fla., to play No. 5 Florida State — one of the hottest teams in college basketball — in front of what’s expected to be a sellout crowd.
The Seminoles have won nine straight games.
A relatively new series that only dates back to 2011 when Florida State bounced Notre Dame 71-57 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Irish lead 5-4 and have won three out of the last four, but are 0-4 all-time at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The Seminoles beat the Irish 68-61 in Tallahassee last season, the only meeting between these two in 2018-19.
NOTRE DAME OVERVIEW
The Irish have been unable to catch a break, or make their own break, since the ACC season hit full speed.
Each of Notre Dame’s previous six conference games was decided by five points or fewer, and four of those were decided by three points or fewer. The Irish won only two of those six close games.
Notre Dame senior guard T.J. Gibbs has become one of the best shooters in the ACC this season.
He ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage (.563), three-point shooting percentage (.528) and free-throw percentage (.880).
Last year’s 68-61 win by Florida State in Tallahassee was the fourth loss of what became a seven-game Irish losing streak.
FLORIDA STATE OVERVIEW
The Seminoles have won nine straight games and are situated along with Louisville atop the ACC standings, but that doesn’t mean things have always come easily.
Florida State needed overtime its last time out to secure an 83-79 victory over Miami (Fla.) — one of the league’s bottom feeders — in game that featured 17 ties and seven lead changes.
Always swarming defensively, the Seminoles forced 24 turnovers in the game.
Sophomore guard Devin Vassell had 23 points with 11 rebounds against the Hurricanes while junior guard M.J. Walker added 19.
FSU’s only league loss came last November in the season opener at Pittsburgh.
Winners of at least 23 games in each of the last three seasons, Florida State is establishing itself as one of the better and most consistent programs in the country.
The Seminoles posted a school-record 29 wins last season.
GAME OUTLOOK
*Winless in its last 18 games against ranked opponents (0-3 this season), Notre Dame hasn’t beaten a ranked team since it knocked off No. 6 Wichita State in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.
The futility streak against ranked teams at Notre Dame is believed to be 19 games.
*Despite ranking third in the ACC in scoring at 75.5 points per game, Florida State has only one player ranked in the top-25 individually in scoring. Vassell is 20th at 13.2 points per game.
Balance and depth are the cornerstones to 18-year Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton’s program. Senior guard Trent Forrest is the only Florida State player averaging more than 30 minutes a game while seven Seminoles are tallying at least 20.
QUICK HITS:
*FSU has won 16 of 17 games since a December loss at Indiana and it is also a perfect 9-0 at home this season.
*Irish senior forward John Mooney leads all active players in the country with 35 career double doubles.
*The Seminoles are ranked in the top five of the AP Poll for only the second time in school history and the first time since 1972.
QUOTEABLE:
“We’ll head to Tallahassee, I think we’ve got to start the game differently. I think we’ve got to change it up, change our starting lineup. I don’t know who we start, but I think we’ve got to do something different and start the game differently,” — Irish head coach Mike Brey on searching for answers to his team’s tough ACC start.
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