The second round of the ACC conference tournament is in full swing as several teams are vying for a solid run to boost their tournament resume. Both Florida State and Maryland finished the regular season strong and need big wins if they are going to make the big dance. After splitting the regular-season series, they meet up again on Wednesday.
Maryland is fresh off an overtime win against Virginia as they head into the game against Florida State. They finished conference play 9-9 after beating all of the losing teams in the ACC, but falling to the ranked teams like Duke and Syracuse. In their last game against one another, Maryland went on a 26-8 run while getting the win. Sophomore Seth Allen with 7-10 from beyond the arc while scoring a career-high 32 points. Allen will need to put those numbers up again after averaging 31 percent shooting from the 3-point line throughout the season.
Maryland will rely heavily on defense since their offense ranks 11th in the ACC. However, their defense has held six straight opponents to their worst offensive games of the season. They ranked second in the ACC in rebounds. They will test the Seminoles on Thursday as Florida is known to excel in offensive rebounding.
Florida State got the first win over Maryland in the season. They went a record 16-24 from beyond the arc to beat the Terps 85-61. They also finished conference play 9-9, losing to the ranked opponents. The second matchup with Maryland was highlighted by the absence of Ian Miller who was sidelined with an injury. Since his return, Miller has balanced back out the offense, averaging 16.6 points per game. Okaro White is also helping, putting up 21.0 points in his last four games.
Florida State will play big against Maryland and use rebounding to their advantage. White is the team's tallest player and will be expected to play more minutes than normal. His efficiency will be needed. He shooting 52 percent from the field while averaging 6.6 rebounds per game to lead the team.