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Men’s basketball takes on Florida State in a midweek tussle

Pitt men’s basketball will travel to Tallahassee on Wednesday night to take on Florida State and try to break a losing bout that began against Duke and continued with a home loss to Louisville

Florida State offers another NET Quadrant 1 opportunity away from home, pivotal games for landing an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. 

Florida State enters the game with an 11-5 overall record and a 2-3 record in the ACC. With losses to Louisville, Clemson and N.C. State, FSU projects as an average to below-average team in the conference. With wins against Syracuse and Miami, though, the team has proven that it is capable of taking care of business against opponents who have had weaker starts this year.

Florida State’s best player by a significant margin is redshirt senior guard Jamir Watkins, who averages 18.2 points per game with 75% from the line. 

While ranking 131st in offense efficiency, Florida State is quite a bit better on the defensive side of the ball, holding their opponents to 40.5% shooting from the field, putting them at 53rd in the country. Ball security is also a positive for Florida State, as they have allowed their opponents only 94 steals on the season — 45th in the country.

This game should make for an interesting matchup between Watkins and Pitt sophomore guard Jaland Lowe. Lowe has averaged 17.2 points, 5.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, leading the Panthers to a 12-4 overall and 3-2 conference record to begin the season. Florida State allows their opponents to take an average of 25.8 three-pointers per game, and Lowe and senior guard Ishmael Leggett will most likely look to exploit that.

On three-pointers, Pitt’s forwards will look to shoot the ball on the perimeter often, as graduate forward Zack Austin and junior forward Guillermo Diaz Graham both attempt over 3.5 3-point shots per game. 

The Panthers struggled to rebound the ball against Lousiville and will look to rewrite the script against the Seminoles’ 267th-ranked rebounding metrics, which includes their 240th position in offensive rebounding. 

Both teams come into this game off of losses, with Florida State falling 77-57 to Clemson in its last game. 

With Pitt looking to bolster its tournament resume, a win away against a Florida State team that is better than in previous years is tantamount.

Pitt should win this game, but momentum is not in its favor. Away games have proven tough for Pitt all season, but if the team relies on its offensive prowess and advantage in rebounding, I believe Pitt will win this game, and I think that the final score will probably sit within 5 to 8 points when the clock strikes zero. A loss here is not a season-ender but would make the remainder of the season all the more important. 

Catch the game on ESPNU at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

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