Florida State @ South Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 20, 2014 ) South Florida 62, Florida State 75

For the first time in five years, in-state rivals Florida State and South Florida will face off as they meet Saturday afternoon in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla. The Bulls come off a heartbreaking 76-74 overtime loss to Utah State that halted a three-game winning streak, while the 19th-ranked Seminoles have won two in a row after defeating another state foe, North Florida, 98-81 on Tuesday.

The Seminoles' shooters needed to be on target last time out against the Ospreys, who came in as the top 3-point shooting team in the nation. Leonard Hamilton's troops responded with seven Seminoles reaching double digits as the team hit 56.9 percent of its shots from the floor, the third time this season Florida State shot better than 52 percent in a game. USF does not pose nearly the same offensive threat, but the Bulls are strong defensively. They rank first in the American Athletic Conference and 31st in the nation in scoring defense (60.9 ppg) and have limited five opponents below 60 points.

TV: Noon ET, FS2

ABOUT USF (6-5): David Collins continues to lead the Bulls in scoring (15.3 ppg) after recording a team-high 15 points against Utah State and he is hitting 57.9 percent (22-for-38) of his shots from the field over his last four games. Point guard Laquincy Rideau, the team's second-leading scorer with 13.4 per game, also totaled 15 points last time out and added six assists and three steals to remain atop the conference with 2.8 steals per game. The Bulls have held 10 teams under their season scoring average and they have finished with more offensive rebounds than their opponent in every game but one.

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (9-2): With their performance against UNF, the Seminoles are now averaging 100 points in the three games this season when they shot over 50 percent from the field. Devin Vassell (12.3 ppg) and Trent Forrest (12.0) continue to battle for the team scoring lead, with M.J. Walker (10.5) the only other player hitting in double digits although freshman Patrick Williams (9.3) is coming on strong of late, hitting 3-of-6 shots from long distance and averaging 10 points in the last two games. Freshman center Balsa Koprivica is beginning to make an impact, scoring a career-high 15 points against Utah State as he has hit 11 of his last 13 field goal attempts (84.6 percent) in the last five games.

TIP-INS

1. Florida State is 8-2 in 10 Orange Bowl Classic appearances, including a 75-62 win over USF in the teams' last meeting in 2014.

2. The Seminoles own a 21-12 series advantage over the Bulls, including a 3-2 record in neutral site matchups.

3. Collins ranks 18th in USF history in career scoring.

PREDICTION: Florida State 77, USF 67