Indiana Basketball vs Florida State: Know your opponent, preview, prediction

Florida State enters as the next opponent for the Indiana basketball program, a team looking to move to 8-0 on the season and pick up a power-five win.

December is here and that also means the first real competition for the Indiana basketball program has arrived. After starting 7-0, the Hoosiers received votes for the AP top 25, but failed to sneak into the rankings, due to the soft schedule.

Florida State enters after winning the Emerald Coast Classic, knocking off Tennessee and Purdue en route to the title. Now ranked No. 17 in the top 25, the Seminoles look to add another quality win on Tuesday night.

Leonard Hamilton enters his 18th season as the head coach for the Seminoles and once again, has another talented and deep team. With 12 players playing 10+ minutes and seven over 20+ minutes, Hamilton loves to wear opponents down with his depth and defense.

Led by a trio of guards and wings, Devin Vassell, Trent Forrest, and M.J. Walker, Florida State has just as much, if not more, length than usual. Vassell is a 6-foot-6 wing who is leading the team in scoring this year (12.5 ppg) in a variety of ways. With the second highest usage rate on the team (20.4 percent), Vassell is easily the most efficient player, averaging less than a turnover per game despite playing nearly 27 minutes a game.

The extension of Leonard Hamilton on the floor is by far Trent Forrest though. The senior point guard has had a shaky start to the season, averaging 3.6 turnovers per game, but is a huge factor on almost every possession. Averaging 3.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game, Forrest is an extremely versatile guard who, at 6-foot-4, is a point guard killer on the defensive end.

M.J. Walker, the other member of the backcourt for the Seminoles, has missed a couple of games this year due to injury but bounced back with a nice showing over the holiday weekend. Third on the team in scoring (10.2 ppg), Walker is a bit of an inconsistent piece to the offense. Shooting just 30 percent from the field, he still takes nine shots a game, with 50 percent of his attempts coming from three.

Despite the front court for Florida State not being as talented as recent years, it is headlined by freshman big Patrick Williams. An uber talented forward, Williams has slid into a small-ball four in Hamilton’s lineups this year and with his shot making ability from deep, he opens up the floor for some of the lackluster shooters in the backcourt. Averaging just 20 minutes a game, look for that number to be up closer to 30 on Tuesday night as he goes up against Justin Smith and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Key storylines

Indiana:

With Rob Phinisee exptected to miss another game, how will the pressure of FSU impact the IU guards? Averaging 18.5 turnovers in the last two games, the Seminoles are 24th in the nation forcing 18.4 turnovers. This will be the Hoosiers first power-5 opponent, how will they respond? Justin Smith will be the x-factor if the Hoosiers win.

Florida State

The Seminoles come in battled tested with three big wins already this season, including one true road victory. Indiana is the best three-point shooting team they have faced; can the length of the guards lock down Devonte Green and Al Durham? The frontcourt isn’t as talented from top-to-bottom as usual, but will it be enough to slow down Trayce Jackson-Davis?

Key Players

Indiana:

Trayce Jackson-Davis (15.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.3 bpg), Justin Smith (14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Al Durham (13.7 ppg, 42.3% 3pt), Devonte Green (12.3 ppg, 3.3 apg, 45% 3pt)

Florida State

Devin Vassell (12.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 40% 3pt), Trent Forrest (12.4 ppg, 4.0 apg), M.J. Walker (10.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Patrick Williams (9.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg)

Prediction: Indiana 70, Florida State 66