Florida State Basketball hits road for major early test against rival Gators

After an impressive start to the 2023-24 season — at least far more impressive than what transpired one year ago — the Florida State men’s basketball team will take a major step up this evening in terms of level of competition.

Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles, who rolled to identical 27-point wins over Central Michigan and Kennesaw State to open the year, will travel to Gainesville to take on the rival Florida Gators today at 7 p.m.

UF is 2-1, with its lone loss coming by three points to Virginia at a neutral site. The Gators lost that game despite claiming a 47-30 advantage in rebounding and dominating the Cavaliers in second-chance points and points in the paint.

“They’re one of the top rebounding teams in the country,” Hamilton said. “This is probably one of the bigger Florida teams that we’ve played against.”

It hasn’t been often during Hamilton’s tenure that an opponent has a size advantage inside, but this will be one of those occasions.

Sophomore center Micah Handlogten, who posted eight double-doubles and averaged 9.8 rebounds per game last season at Marshall, checks in at 7-foot-1. He had 14 points and 14 rebounds against Virginia.

Forward Tyrese Samuel is listed at 6-10, 239 — he had 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. the Cavaliers — and the Gators have solid size coming off the bench in the form of 6-11 freshman Alex Condon and 6-9 freshman Thomas Haugh.

It’s not as if Florida State is devoid of size. Sophomore starters Baba Miller and Cam Corhen are listed at 6-foot-11 and 6-10 respectively, although Miller typically likes to play on the perimeter and Corhen is still developing his inside game.

Where Florida State likely will have a physical advantage is with its size on the perimeter. Starting point guard Jalen Warley is 6-7, and backcourt mates Jamir Watkins and Darin Green Jr. are listed at 6-7 and 6-5 respectively. The Seminoles also will bring a trio of big-bodied guards off the bench — 6-7 veteran Cam’Ron Fletcher, 6-5 point guard Chandler Jackson and 6-5 shooting guard Josh Nickelberry.

Thanks in part to the additions of Watkins and Nickelberry, both of whom are experienced players who transferred in this offseason, the Seminoles are 2-0 after starting off last season with a dismal 1-9 mark in their first 10 games. But this will be Florida State’s first road trip of the year.

“I’ve never been one to worry about whether you’re at home or on the road,” Hamilton said. “We try to let the guys know the court is 94-by-50, and the goals are 10 feet. Nobody’s gonna run out of the stands and block a shot, make a steal.”

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Hamilton did acknowledge that an early season road trip to a daunting environment — UF has announced the game will be played before a sold-out crowd — could be tricky with a team that is still developing its chemistry.

Of the Seminoles’ top four scorers so far, only one (Green) played all of last season at Florida State. Fletcher missed more than half the year with a knee injury, and Nickelberry (La Salle) and Watkins (VCU) were at their previous institutions.

“Honestly, it’s coming faster than I expected,” Warley said of Florida State’s team chemistry. “I feel like we’re already on the same page on a lot of the things we’ve been working on. I feel like we had a really good summer, so it allowed to kind of carry over into the season. I think the world’s kind of seeing that right now.”

What the Seminoles do have is some legitimate college experience. The only freshman expected to play for FSU tonight (7 p.m., SEC Network) is talented forward Taylor Bol Bowen.

“I’ve got a hunch that we’ve got a few guys who have played a little bit,” Hamilton said. “We have some first-year players, but not as many freshmen. This will be a good opportunity for us to be put in a situation where we have to learn to grow up and compete in a hostile environment.”

The Gators also will have the services of senior point guard Zyon Pullin for the first time this season. The celebrated transfer from UC-Riverside had to sit out the first three games of the season. He averaged 18.3 points and 4.2 assists per game one year ago.

Shortly before the Seminoles and Gators square off, the FSU women’s team will battle UF on the same court at 4 p.m.

Release from FSU Sports Information:

No. 12 Florida State women taking on Gators

The 12^th-ranked Florida State women’s basketball team battles rival Florida for the 85^th time on Friday, facing the Gators (3-0) on the road at 4 p.m. at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on SEC Network+.

The Seminoles have won nine of the last 11 matchups dating back to 2012, including last year’s 92-77 win in Tallahassee on Nov. 16, 2022. Friday’s rivalry game tips off an eight-day stretch of Seminoles vs. Gators in women’s basketball, men’s basketball and football.

The Seminoles are looking for consecutive wins over SEC programs after knocking off No. 11 Tennessee in a 92-91 thriller at the Tucker Center on Nov. 9. FSU climbed six spots in the AP Poll, making it the fourth-highest mover of the week while giving the Noles their highest AP rank since being 11th on Jan. 6, 2020.

Florida leads the all-time series against the Seminoles 45-39. After carrying a 16-game losing streak to UF from 1993-2003, FSU owns a 15-5 record against the Gators from 2004 to the present.

The Gators are off to a 3-0 start with wins over UNF (82-65), Bethune-Cookman (83-69) and Florida A&M (92-54).  Senior guard Aliyah Matharu, a transfer from Texas and Mississippi State, leads UF averaging 20.7 points per game.

Following Friday’s game, FSU returns home for a Sunday matchup vs. South Alabama at 2 p.m. It will be FSU’s Seminole Heritage Game, with fans encouraged to wear turquoise to The Tuck.

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