Originally Posted by
77devil
Ok folks, it's Tuesday and no one has started discussing Duke's first conference contest away from the friendly confines of CIS. I haven't seen Florida State this year, but Leonard Hamilton's teams historically play physical, if not dirty, against Duke, particularly in Tallahassee.
FS beat Clemson at home and recently lost to VT in Blacksburg. It's played a very respectable OOC schedule beating Baylor with competitive loses against Butler and Florida, and, to a lesser extent, OSU. Ken Pom rates FS in the low 50's and the middle of the ACC with BC, Clemson, and Miami, and has Duke as a 12 point favorite.
I'm always a little anxious when we play at FS. What do you all think?
Outside of the UNC game at Cameron, I am always a little more excited about away ACC games. I can't explain it - maybe it's watching how our team deals with pressure. Considering this is our first, I am extremely jittery about this one.
I think this will be an interesting test. According to KenPom, FSU is one of the top two defensive teams in the ACC (the other being UMD). With a player like Chris Singleton, who should again run away with the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, this team will limit Duke's chances as much as possible. Because of CS, I envision Singler playing a lot more 3 than usual. While I'm sure Singler can play Singleton just fine, Coach K loves those mismatches!
The good news is that FSU couldn't make a basket to save their lives. According to KenPom, they are the worst rated offensive team in the ACC (ranked 164 nationally. Ouch). That's worse than Wake Forest.
Despite Duke always playing it close in Tallahassee, I foresee Duke comfortably winning but having a low scoring game (Duke in the low 70s, FSU in the high 50s).
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club