Tallahassee, FL (My Sportsbook) - The second-ranked Duke Blue Devils hit the road for an intriguing ACC showdown, as they invade the Tucker Center this afternoon to take on the Florida State Seminoles.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils have jumped up in the polls to the number two spot thanks in large part to their current five-game win streak. The team has made light work of the competition since suffering its only loss of the season at Michigan (81-73) and comes into this game following a 79-67 victory over a tough Davidson squad on Wednesday.
The Seminoles will be opening up their ACC slate with Duke this weekend and come into the game with plenty of momentum, having won two straight games and six of their last seven overall. Last weekend, FSU closed out its non- conference schedule with a 69-48 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Duke has a substantial 26-6 edge in the all-time series and has won six of the last eight meetings.
The Blue Devils are definitely worthy of their lofty ranking, as they have excelled at both ends of the floor this year. The team is shooting a solid .478 from the floor, leading to 82.6 ppg, while limiting the opposition to just 60.6 ppg (second in the ACC), on under 40 percent shooting from foes. The team has also dominated the boards, boasting a +10.0 rebounding margin and is forcing 17.9 turnover per game. The scoring pool is deep, with four of the five starters averaging double figures. Kyle Singler is the top performer, pacing the team in scoring (16.9 ppg), rebounding (7.7 rpg), assists (51) and steals (30). Jon Scheyer is next in line in terms of scoring (14.4 ppg), followed by Gerald Henderson (12.2 ppg) and Nolan Smith (10.6 ppg). Scheyer reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career, as he led the Blue Devils with 22 points in the win over Davidson last time out. Singler matched Scheyer's output with 22 points of his own, while Henderson pitched in with 11 points. The Blue Devils did a good job against the nation's leading scorer early on, holding Stephen Curry scoreless for the first 14 minutes of the game. However, Curry did find the time to pour in 29 points when all was said and done, making things interesting in the second half.
The Seminoles lack the offensive firepower to win a shootout with the Blue Devils, but then again, that isn't the way FSU wins games anyway. The team takes a more defensive-minded approach to things and it has worked well, with opponents shooting a dreadful .369 overall (second in the ACC), leading to a mere 60.6 ppg (tops in the ACC). The Seminoles aren't void of offensive talent and on the contrary, possess one of the ACC's most explosive playmakers in Toney Douglas. The senior guard does a little bit of everything for FSU, but first and foremost, he is a scorer, averaging 18.4 ppg. He is the only player currently averaging double figures, although Chris Singleton is inching closer and closer to the mark with 9.8 ppg. It didn't come easy, but Florida State used a 29-14 run over the final 11 minutes to distance themselves from Texas A&M-CC and earn its 13th win of the season. Douglas was once again the top scorer for FSU, netting 17 points. Derwin Kitchen came off the bench to tally 13 points. The Seminoles turned up the heat defensively, forcing Texas A&M-CC into 21 turnovers.
