Florida State University Athletics
M. Basketball Plays Host To No. 12/13 Virginia On Saturday At 4:00 p.m.
1/13/2023 11:19:49 AM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State, which has won each of its three ACC home games this season, plays host to No. 12/13 Virginia on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Saturday’s game is the second between the two teams this season, following a 62-57 win by the Cavaliers on December 3 in Charlottesville. The Seminoles rallied from a 12-point deficit and were within three at 60-57 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Caleb Mills with seven seconds remaining to play in the second half of the first meeting of the year between the Seminoles and the Cavaliers. Florida State enters Saturday’s game against Virginia with a 3-3 record in ACC play, and with four wins in its last seven games. The Seminoles have won four of their last six games against Virginia, including a two-game winning streak in games played at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Following Saturday’s game against Virginia, the Seminoles travel to play at Notre Dame (January 17, 7:00 p.m.) and at Pittsburgh (January 21, 3:00 p.m.) before returning to the ultra-friendly confines of The Tuck against Clemson (January 24, 7:00 p.m.).
IT’S BEEN A MOMENTOUS WEEK FOR THE SEMINOLES
As the Seminoles return to The Tuck for Saturday’s game against Virginia, it’s been a wonderful seven days for the Florida State Men’s Basketball Team. Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, the winningest coach in Florida State history, won his 600th career game, while at the same time winning his 400th career game as the Seminoles’ head coach on January 7 when he guided his team to a 75-64 win over Georgia Tech. On Wednesday night at Wake Forest, junior Caleb Mills scored 19 points and surpassed the 1,000 career point mark for his career. Mills enters Saturday’s game against Virginia with 1,003 career points during his career at both the University of Houston and Florida State. Also in the Seminoles’ game at Wake Forest, sophomore Matthew Cleveland totaled 19 points and 12 rebounds to earn his sixth consecutive double double. He has earned double doubles against Notre Dame on December 21, Duke on December 31, Georgia Tech on January 7 and Wake Forest on January 11 and is the first player in school history with double doubles in four consecutive ACC games.
CLEVELAND PLAYING FOR HIS SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE AGAINST VIRGINIA
Sophomore Matthew Cleveland enters Saturday’s game against Virginia having earned six consecutive double doubles in points and rebounds. He’s the first Seminole since Greg Grady during the 1974-75 season to earn six consecutive double doubles. As he begins play against the Cavaliers, Cleveland is looking to become the first Seminole since Reggie Royals during the 1971-72 season against Jacksonville, Florida Southern, Pan American, Houston, South Alabama, Tulane and Georgia Tech (January 26 through February 19, 1972) to earn seven consecutive double doubles.
FLORIDA STATE’S RECENT ACC SUCCESS AT THE TUCKER CENTER
Florida State is 52-6 in ACC play at the Donald L. Tucker Center in the last seven seasons. The Seminoles’ winning percentage of nearly 90 percent in conference play since the start of the 2016-17 season has made the Tucker Center one of the toughest places to play for ACC opponents. Florida State has lost only two ACC home games (73-69 to Louisville on January 10, 2018, and 80-78 to Duke on January 12, 2019) from the start of the 2016-17 ACC schedule through the Seminoles’ victory over Georgia Tech on January 7, 2023. To extrapolate Florida State’s winning ways even further, the Seminoles won their final two ACC home games of the 2015-16 season against Notre Dame (77-56 on February 27, 2016) and Syracuse (78-73 on March 5, 2016) to raise their recent conference record at home to 54-6 for a winning percentage to .900.