Florida State will look to start 2-0 for just the second time in four years on Tuesday as the Seminoles play host to Jacksonville.
FSU is coming off a 109-62 victory in its season-opener against Nicholls State. The Seminoles were propelled by the performances of three talented freshmen. Dwayne Bacon led Florida State with 23 points and 8 rebounds while Malik Beasley and Terance Mann added 21 and 15 points respectively while shooting a combined 14-for-17 from the field. The 109 points was the most scored by a FSU team since the 1993-94 season-opener against Florida Atlantic.
Key Players for Jacksonville
- Kori Babineaux (Sr.-G): 8.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG
- Marcel White (Jr.-F): 21.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 50% FG
- Antwon Clayton (S0.-F): 7.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.0 SPG
Key Players for Florida State
- Xavier Rathan-Mayes (So.-G): 11.0 PPG, 11.0 APG, 63% FG
- Dwayne Bacon (Fr.-G/F): 23.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.0 SPG
- Malik Beasley (Fr.-G): 21.0 PPG, 2.0 SPG, 78% FG
Florida State will also play a plethora of upperclassmen. Senior guard Devon Bookert scored 11 points in FSU’s season-opener. Redshirt sophomore and last year’s leading scorer Xavier Rathan-Mayes also scored 11 in the opener to go along with a game-high 11 assists.
Jacksonville will come in 0-1 after dropping its season-opener at Appalachian State, 76-68. Junior forward Marcel White led the Dolphins with 21 points in the opener. Senior guard Kori Babineaux returns after leading the team in scoring a season ago. 6’6″ sophomore forward Antwon Clayton impressed in his 2015-16 debut with 7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 steals.
The Dolphins finished just 10-22 a season ago and only 4-12 in Atlantic Sun play, but returns its leader in every major statistical category. The Dolphins and Seminoles last met in the season-opener two years ago with FSU winning 91-67 in Tallahassee. Okaro White led five Seminoles in double-figures scoring with game-highs of 18 points and 11 rebounds in that one. Tuesday’s game is scheduled for 9:00 P.M. eastern time and will air on the Raycom Sports Network.
