Coming off their first road victory over North Carolina since 1981, the well-rested Virginia men's basketball team looks to continue its current scorching status as the squad takes on the Seminoles of Florida State Saturday in Tallahassee.
The Cavaliers have been on a roll ever since returning home from a difficult four-game road trip.Since returning to the friendly confines of University Hall, the Cavs (18-8, 8-5 ACC) have played themselves back into a third-place spot in the ACC standings after last Sunday's Carolina victory.
Florida State (10-14, 5-8) also has been playing well lately, but the Seminoles hit a bump in the road Wednesday night when the Tar Heels stole a heartbreaker in front of the FSU home crowd. Heel Jason Capel's three-point play with 51 seconds remaining sealed Carolina's 70-67 victory.
"Florida State is a talented team, and we are looking forward to that." Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said.
The Cavs should be looking forward to a repeat performance of the Jan. 26 meeting between the two teams. In that contest, Virginia guard Donald Hand poured in a game-high 28 points while forward Stephane Dondon had a break-out game with 14 points of his own in the 86-81 Cavalier victory.
The Cavs once again will look to find an answer for Ron Hale, Florida State's leading scorer. Hale, a 6-foot-9 forward, led the way for the Seminoles with 26 points and eight rebounds in the first meeting while forward Damous Anderson added 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
These last three games will be a very important stretch for the Cavaliers. Saturday will be another great chance for the Cavs to impress the NCAA tournament voters and to continue their push for the field of 64.
For the Seminoles, though, the remainder of the schedule holds little ramifications on tournament possibilities but will be challenging nonetheless. With games against Virginia, Maryland and N.C. State, the 'Noles face a daunting task.
"It was all because of scheduling with arenas," Florida State Coach Steve Robinson said. "It's not the best scenario because you'd want more time to prepare. I told my guys we're playing an NBA schedule this week."
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