Go Cards.
Louisville Cardinals (11-4, 1-1) At No. 23 Florida State Seminoles (12-3, 1-2)
Game Time: 9:06 p.m.
Location: Donald L. Tucker Center: Tallahassee, Fla.
Television: Regional Sports Networks/FOX Sports South in Louisville
Announcers: Tom Werme (play-by-play) and Jason Capel (analyst)
Officials: Bert Smith, John Higgins, Doug Sirmons
About Florida State:
Off to a surprising 12-3 start, Florida State is 11th in three-point field goal percentage defense (.295), 18th in blocked shots (5.7), 21st in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.387) and 27th in scoring offense (84.5). The Seminoles have a current 28-game home win streak, which is the third longest in the country.
The Seminoles lost their three stars and three leading scorers from last season — Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac and Xavier Rathan-Mayes -- to the NBA Draft, and didn’t seem to bring a whole lot back to be fearful of. They have exceeded preseason expectations thanks to seniors getting increased playing time like Terrance Mann (14.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.1 apg), Braian Angola (13.3 ppg) and Phil Cofer (13.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg).
Notable:
—Since joining the ACC in 2014-15, Louisville is 0-7 in road games against top 25 opponents.
—Louisville is second in the nation in blocked shots (7.7 bpg) and ranks 12th in field goal percentage defense (.381) and 65th in scoring defense (66.0).
—Anas Mahmoud is fourth in the nation in blocked shots (3.93) and Ray Spalding is 12th in offensive rebounds (3.6).
—Florida State’s 28-game home winning streak is the third-longest in the country.
—Louisville is 12-7 all-time against Florida State in games played in Tallahassee.
—Louisville has a 40-18 record during the month of January over the last eight years, including a 24-9 record in the last five years.
—Louisville is one of five teams in Division-I with zero losses to teams ranked outside the top 25.
—Ray Spalding is fifth in the ACC and 29th in the nation in rebounding, averaging 9.5 per game -- nearly double his average from last season (5.5).
—Louisville and Florida State will meet again at the KFC Yum Center on Feb. 3.
Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Florida State 78, Louisville 72
