Game Preview: FSU Basketball vs. Virginia Tech Hokies

Will Florida State bounce back after a disappointing West Coast trip?
Jan 25, 2025; Stanford, California, USA;  Florida State Seminoles guard Daquan Davis (5) controls the ball during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Jan 25, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Daquan Davis (5) controls the ball during the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Florida State fell flat in a two-game trip to the West Coast, falling to Cal and Stanford. A 1-1 split would've been understandable, but going 0-2 is nothing short of disappointing. They'll hope to rebound this week against two inferior teams, starting with Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

It hasn't been an outstanding season for the Hokies, and it wouldn't surprise to see them move on from Mike Young after the season. But they've still been able to do two things this season that Florida State hasn't by beating Cal and NC State. Will that make a difference in this game?

FSU and Virginia Tech will tip off at 7 p.m. EST on the ACC Network, live from the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

READ MORE: BREAKING: FSU Football's full 2025 schedule announced

Virginia Tech Hokies Breakdown (8-12 Overall, 3-6 ACC)

For once, I'll keep this section a little shorter. It's not out of a time crunch or losing faith in the season; there just isn't much to talk about with Virginia Tech. They're below average nationally in almost every single statistical category, including being among the worst in the country in turnover rate, interior defense, and steal rate.

The two things to know about Virginia Tech: they can rebound (somewhat), and they can shoot. While the shooters of yesteryear are gone, such as Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla, they're still firing away from deep. They have five different players attempting at least 2.5 three-pointers per game in ACC play, four players shooting better than 40% from three, and another one shooting 37.5%. Florida State will have to be much better defending the three-point line than they were on Saturday against Stanford.

Virginia Tech hasn't been rebounding the ball as well in ACC play, sitting about middle of the pack in the conference, but they've been better than FSU on both ends of the floor on the glass. Mylyjael Poteat, Tobi Lawal, Patrick Wessler, and Tyler Johnson all have offensive rebound rates above 9.5%, something FSU will have to make note of.

Lawal leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 12.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG. He's a fun, bouncy athlete who has made strides on offense since transferring in from VCU, especially with his shooting. Poteat is the only other Hokie averaging double figures, and he barely qualifies at 10.1 PPG and 3.5 RPG.

Duke transfer Jaden Schutt is the main shooter to watch out for. He's taking nearly twice as many three-pointers as anyone else on the team in ACC play, with 80% of his shots coming from behind the arc. Brandon Rechsteiner and Rodney Brown Jr. get about 50% of their shots from deep, everyone else is in the 20-25% range.

Expect a ton of pressure from FSU, especially on Virginia Tech's young backcourt. Freshman Ben Hammond is only 5'11", but he's done a decent job taking care of the basketball. That'll be put to the test against this FSU defense, but he's one of six players averaging at least 1.3 turnovers per game in ACC play.

Ben Burnham is the other shooter to watch out for, as he's sinking them at a nearly 47% rate from deep this season on a fair amount of attempts. Tyler Johnson has emerged as a key rebounder for the team, as mentioned with his offensive rebounding earlier.

Florida State Seminoles Breakdown (13-7 Overall, 4-5 ACC)

Florida State essentially killed its chances of securing an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament with this 0-2 stretch in California last week. Even if those were Q1 and Q2 losses, the ACC is just so bad that there aren't a lot of chances to pick up quality wins. FSU would likely have to go 10-1 or 9-2 the rest of the way, going at least 2-2 at Louisville, at Wake Forest, home vs. Clemson, and home vs. Duke. But they haven't played well on the road this season, and they still have five road games remaining (BC, WF, Louisville, Duke, Virginia).

Among many other things, the offense could not get going last week. Jamir Watkins, Malique Ewin, and Daquan Davis accounted for 66% of the 139 points they scored this weekend, Ewin had a weirdly inefficient week despite his scoring output. But some of the other guys need to step up.

Getting Chandler Jackson back would help, as he missed both games last week with a groin injury. He dressed for Saturday's game against Stanford but didn't end up playing, which could be a sign that he's close to returning. He mainly provides quality defense, but his mid-range pop shot has been money all season.

READ MORE: FSU Basketball goes winless in West Coast road trip, falls to Stanford, 78-71

Projected Starters

Florida State

G: Daquan Davis
G: Chandler Jackson
F: Jamir Watkins
F: Taylor Bol Bowen
F: Malique Ewin

Virginia Tech

G: Ben Hammond
G: Jaden Schutt
G: Tyler Johnson
F: Tobi Lawal
F: Mylyjael Poteat

Keys to the Game

Defensive Rebounding

There are only two things Virginia does well; offensive rebounding is one of them. They're bringing down about 33.5% of their misses, allowing them to stay competitive in games where their offense isn't doing much. It's specifically Mylyjael Poteat, Tyler Johnson, and Tobi Lawal that FSU will need to focus on boxing out, as those three are all in the top 300 in national offensive rebounding rate.

Offense? You There?

Florida State's offense was... lackluster on the road, which isn't much of a surprise. They don't have a lot of players who can create their own offense, but it still shouldn't be to the point where they're struggling to score 70 points against middling defenses. Virginia Tech's defense isn't great, so this could be the perfect opportunity to bounce back, especially inside the arc. The Hokies are one of the worst interior defenses in the country, so look for Malique Ewin and Jamir Watkins to have big games.

Three-Point Defense

The other thing that Virginia Tech does well is shoot the three. While players like Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla are no longer there, they still have some snipers. Tobi Lawal, Ben Burnham, Ben Hammond, and Rodney Brown Jr. are all shooting above 40% from three (on mostly minor volume), and Jaden Schutt is above 35% from deep on high volume. Even the players around 30% from deep are still firing away, so FSU has to be sound in their switching on defense, expecting everybody to be able to shoot.

This will be big after FSU just allowed Stanford to shoot 11/24 from deep on Saturday; they can't allow another team to light them up from three.

Game Prediction

Florida State is opened as the favorite by 9.5 points, with an over/under of 142.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

I expect Florida State to bounce back in a big way Wednesday night, mostly because I don't think Virginia Tech is a good team. They've been able to keep some of their recent games close in the first half before the opposition takes off in the second, so don't be surprised if this game follows a similar script. I'll still take the Seminoles by 15+.

Florida State 79, Virginia Tech 62

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Lead basketball writer; Former FSU Men's Basketball Manager from 2016-2019