Game Preview

Pitt (15-11, 6-9) hits the road again to face no. 8 Florida State (21-4, 11-3) in Tallahassee, Fla. where they face a hot Seminoles team that has won 20 consecutive home contests. Pitt enters this one coming off of two straight brutal performances, in losses to Clemson at home and Virginia Tech on the road, during both of which, they were burned by scalding hot three-point shooting. The game tips off at 8 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

Players to watch:

Florida State – Devin Vassell. Vassell, a sophomore, scored 14 points on a very efficient 6 of 7 shooting the first time that Pitt played against Florida State in November. Three months later, Vassell is Florida State’s leading scorer with 13.4 points per game, and has hit an excellent 42.0 percent of his three-point attempts, setting the pace for a team that is shooting a very strong 36.2 percent from beyond the arc. Expect Vassell to take his looks tonight from deep, as Pitt tries to rebound from their recent struggles against the three ball.

Pitt – Terrell Brown. Eric Hamilton may play tonight in a return from his ankle injury against Clemson, but Brown will still be Pitt’s most important player tonight against a very big Seminoles team. Against Florida State in November, Brown posted a fine effort, with 13 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Can he repeat that effort shooting the ball against a team that’s seen him already this year? It’s hard to know, and he certainly has well-documented ups and downs. But if Pitt is going to have a shot on the road against a great FSU team, Brown will be a big factor.

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