FSU basketball, Syracuse getting hot at the same time
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Other teams stumbled to start ACC play, but few -- if any -- could have been more frustrated than Florida State and Syracuse.
FSU was said to be in a renaissance entering this season. Bringing in top talents like freshmen Dwayne Bacon, Malik Beasley and Terance Mann created the thought that the 2015-16 season could be memorable for the Seminoles.
Meanwhile Syracuse, as one of college basketball's premier programs, was in a slightly different state. Orange coach Jim Boeheim was suspended nine games after an NCAA investigation determined he committed violations dating back to 2001.
The Seminoles opened their conference slate with an 0-3 start. The Orange began 0-4.
Yet here they are in mid-February, and two of the ACC's hottest teams will play at 7 p.m. Thursday when FSU travels to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. The Seminoles (16-7, 6-5 ACC) are riding a four-game winning streak and have won six of their last eight games. The Orange (16-8, 6-5) have won three in a row and six of their last seven.
"I think it is going to be a war because they are similar to us," Mann said Tuesday. "We have the same [ACC] record, and we both need this game. We're both trying to get into the [NCAA] Tournament and we have the same goals. So I think it's going to be a difficult game, but it's going to be fun."
* Five-star recruit Jonathan Isaac says he will enroll at FSU; not pursue NBA Draft
FSU's last trip to Syracuse wouldn't have been described as fun. The Seminoles struggled against the Orange's 2-3 zone defense and suffered a 70-57 defeat.
FSU shot less than 40 percent from the field and hit on only 12.5 percent of its 3-pointers in that game.
"Now it's one thing to know it and go out and execute against it," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said of Boeheim's famed zone defense. "It's very well-crafted. You have to have the right balance. You've got to take the highest-percentage shots you can. And you can't take all jumpers. You can't force the ball inside. You've just got to move the ball, make decisions and play within yourself."
Taking and making higher-percentage shots has been a trademark of FSU's current winning streak.
FSU is shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. The Seminoles' 72-62 win on Jan. 26 at Boston College was the only game that they shot less than 40 percent from the floor and made less than 30 percent of their 3-pointers.
Bacon, who is averaging 16.2 points this season, said the coaching staff has told him he'll play in the middle against Syracuse's zone. Bacon said he played in the middle when N.C. State went to a similar zone defense, and he scored 20 points in a 77-73 win on Feb. 1.
"That's going to open things up for me because I pass a lot when I am in the middle," Bacon said. "I shoot ... I drive. It's just going to open up a lot of things. Especially if they play zone the whole game."
Syracuse also is dangerous on offense. Led by senior forward Michael Gbinije, who started his career at Duke, the Orange have used a six- to eight-player rotation. The 6-foot-7 Gbinije leads Syracuse with 17.2 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
He's one of three players averaging more than 10 points, with Tyler Roberson (9.9 ppg) right on the cusp. Roberson also leads the Orange with 9.2 rebounds.
"Part of it was because they had some new players they were working into the system," Hamilton said of Syracuse's early season woes. "I think Boeheim comes back, adds his wisdom and his experience, and I think it's a combination of them playing together and getting some games out of the way.
"Kind of similar to us and what we went through. New teams, new guys, new chemistry ... I think they're a good basketball team that's coming together, and they're playing well as of late."
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