Clemson @ Florida State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 19, 2019 ) Florida State 77, Clemson 64

Florida State and Clemson were each unable to rise to the occasion in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and now will try to bounce back at the expense of one another. The 17th-ranked Seminoles, who vaulted into the Top 25 on the heels of seven-game winning streak before losing at Indiana on Tuesday night, will host Clemson in an ACC matchup on Sunday afternoon.

Aside from rebounding from a defeat, Florida State is putting added emphasis on Sunday's matchup at it attempts to improve to 5-0 at the Tucker Center. "You just want to protect home court and protect everything that you've built up to that point," forward RaiQuan Evans said. "To be able to hold that home court and get those wins there, that really adds up later on in the year." The Tigers have lost two in a row following a five-game winning streak, falling behind by as many as 22 points in Monday's 78-60 loss at Minnesota. "This was our first true road game and, as you can see, we didn't perform to our standards," said sophomore forward Aamir Simms, the team's top rebounder and second-leading scorer.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ACC Network

ABOUT CLEMSON (5-3, 0-1 ACC): Swingman Tevin Mack, a graduate transfer, paces the Tigers in scoring at 13.8 points per game, but he has struggled from the floor in the past two games, scoring a combined 15 points on 4-of-15 after shooting better than 50 percent in five straight games. Among the few bright spots in Monday's loss was the play of reserves Hunter Tyson and Curran Scott, who combined for 22 points. “Our bench guys gave us a big lift," coach Brad Brownell said. "They were eager and excited and got off to great starts.”

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (7-2, 0-1): The Seminoles were limiting opponents to 59.9 points prior to the matchup against Indiana, but they still rank among the top 30 teams nationally in steals per game (9.6) and turnover margin (4.7). Point guard Trent Forrest tops the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game but has collected only six assists versus a dozen turnovers over the past three contests. Sophomore Devin Vassell, the Most Outstanding Performer at the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic, has scored in double figures in all but one game.

TIP-INS

1. Florida State swept the season series in 2018-19 and has won six of the past seven meetings.

2. Tigers G Al-Amir Dawes has a team-high 25 assists and 22 turnovers.

3. Vassell is shooting a team-best 47.8 percent from 3-point range.

PREDICTION: Florida State 70, Clemson 62