FSU vs. Clemson: Game thread, how to watch, notes, odds

Jan 28, 2023 - 9:05 PM

Florida State basketball is set to host the No. 24 Clemson Tigers in the two squad’s first matchup of the year.

The Seminoles currently stand at 7-14 on the season, with a 5-5 conference record in the ACC. Despite heading into the new year as a seemingly improved team, the Noles have lost three of their last five games.

Another tough matchup lies ahead, with the No. 1 team in the ACC visiting the Tucker Center. The Tigers (17-4, 9-1) are led by veteran forward Hunter Tyson, averaging 15.5 points and 10 rebounds.

They have three players with at least 14 points per game, with Tyson’s sidekick being PJ Hall who previously torched the Seminoles for a career-high 28 points last year.

The Tigers have an edge over the Noles in nearly every statistical category this season, including points, rebounds, and assists per game. They’re having one of the best seasons in program history, winning nine of their last ten games, with back-to-back victories prior to this matchup.

FSU’s season has been an up-and-down rollercoaster, with most of the ride heading on a downward spiral. The Noles are 0-5 against ranked teams, so this matchup certainly doesn’t favor them.

According to DraftKings, Florida State heads into the contest as a 2.5-point underdog, with the over/under set at 141.5.

Some notes, via FSU Sports Info:

CLEVELAND HAS SCORED IN DOUBLE-FIGURES IN 14 CONSECUTIVE GAMES

Al-ACC candidate Matthew Cleveland, who is averaging a career-high 14.0 points scored per games, enters Saturday’s game against Clemson having scored in double figures in a career-best 14 consecutive games. He has scored 221 points and is averaging 15.8 points scored per game since totaling 17 points against Nebraska on November 27 in the final game of the ESPN Events Invitational at Disney.

MILLS ENTERS SATURDAY’S GAME WITH AN 11-GAME DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK

Junior Caleb Mills, the Seminoles’ third-leading scorer, enters Saturday’s game against Clemson with a career-best 11 game double figure scoring streak which began with a 16-point performance in Florida State’s victory over Louisville on December 10. He has scored 146 points and is averaging 13.3 points scored per game during the streak, with 19 points coming in the Seminoles’ game at Wake Forest (January 11).

FLORIDA STATE’S RECENT ACC SUCCESS AT THE TUCKER CENTER

Florida State has won 52 of its last 60 ACC home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee. With a 3-2 record at home in ACC play this season, the Seminoles have won nearly 87 percent of their conference home games since the start of the 2016-17 season. Florida State has lost only eight ACC home games since the start of the 2016-17 ACC schedule through the Seminoles’ game against nationally ranked Miami on January 24. To extrapolate Florida State’s winning ways even further, the Seminoles won their final two ACC home games of the 2015-16 season against Notre Dame (77-56 on February 27, 2016) and Syracuse (78-73 on March 5, 2016) to raise their recent conference record at home to 54-8 for a winning percentage of .871 percent.