Tale of the Tape: Virginia vs. Florida State

Two of the conference’s hottest teams square off tonight in the ACC Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. in Charlotte, as Virginia faces 12th-ranked and fourth-seeded Florida State, a team the Cavaliers knocked off by 13 back in early January in the conference opener.

The Seminoles (26-6) struggled out of the gate, starting the ACC slate with four losses in their first five league contests, but turned things around in a hurry by winning the next eight straight and have prevailed in 13 of their last 14 contests.

The second-ranked and top-seeded Cavaliers (29-2) have won nine in a row and 13 of their last 14 as well, and are fresh off a 76-56 comeback win over NC State in Thursday’s quarterfinal round after trailing at the half. Kyle Guy was en fuego, finishing the game with 29 points and seven 3-pointers, while senior big man Jack Salt had a career day with 18 points, and made some crucial plays throughout the second half on a day when Ty Jerome scored just 2 points and missed 10 shots.

FSU held on in overtime to defeat fifth-seeded Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals, 65-63, on a tough, running Terance Mann jumper in the closing seconds of the extra session. The ‘Noles got a boost off the bench from Devin Vassell, who hit a clutch 3 to send the game to OT and ended up leading the team with 14 points.

FSU is loaded with depth, with Mfiondu Kabengele leading the team in scoring this season as a non-starter. Leonard Hamilton will likely use a 10- or even an 11-man rotation to keep fresh legs in the game at all times.

Mann, Vassell, point guard Trent Forrest and forward Phil Cofer, along with reserves PJ Savoy and David Nichols, are all scoring threats, while Christ Koumadje is a towering, 7-foot-4, 268 presence down low for Salt, Mamadi Diakite, Jay Huff and Braxton Key to contend with for boards.

Key had one of his best games as a Wahoo against the Seminoles on Jan. 5, with 20 points and 6 rebounds. UVA built a 19-point halftime lead and was in control for the duration, despite Hamilton using the press against the Cavalier reserves to cut a 25-point lead with just under two minutes down to 13 by game’s end. That day, Kabengele, Mann and Forrest were held to a combined 6 points on 2-of-12 shooting, and a similar defensive performance today could be the key to victory.

With a win, Virginia would compete for the ACC Championship for the fourth time in six seasons and 10th appearance overall in the title game.