Southern Miss @ Florida State preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 6, 2016 ) Southern Miss 49, Florida State 98

Florida State rebounded from its first loss of the season to defeat Charleston Southern 69-58 on Monday, two days after falling to Oklahoma State in the Orange Bowl Classic. The 25th-ranked Seminoles have won 26 straight at home and welcome Southern Miss to Tallahassee for a Thursday afternoon game, the Golden Eagles' first against a Top 25 team since Nov. 29, 2013.

"We're still trying to find that magic level of consistency on how to execute offensively and defensively," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton told reporters after the win. The Seminoles were sluggish at the outset of the Charleston Southern game, perhaps a hangover from their lone defeat, and they only held a two-point edge at halftime, but Phil Cofer and Terance Mann engineered a second-half surge to keep their home winning streak alive. A lack of turnovers played a key role as the Seminoles didn't lose the ball in the first 13 minutes of the second half and totaled only 11 for the game, a far cry from their season-high 22 turnovers in the loss to Oklahoma State. Southern Miss is well aware of the importance of taking care of the ball as the Golden Eagles rank third in the nation through Tuesday with just 8.8 turnovers per game, including a total of only 25 during their current four-game winning streak, the longest under fourth-year coach Doc Stadler.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra, ESPN3

ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS (7-4): Like the Seminoles, the Golden Eagles needed a strong second half their last time out to emerge with the victory, as Southern Miss scored 47 points after the intermission en route to a 75-58 win over William Carey. Juniors Cortez Edwards (28 points, 12 rebounds) and Dominic Magee (19 points, 11 rebounds) led the way, becoming the school's first double-double tandem since December 2011 (Jonathan Mills and Darnell Dodson). Kevin Holland only hit 1-of-5 3-pointers against William Carey but he is the team's best from beyond the arc, hitting 23-of-47 for the year.

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (10-1): A switch to zone defense and moving the ball around contributed to the strong second half against Charleston Southern, as the Seminoles recorded eight assists on their first 10 shots after the break. Cofer went on to lead the team with 19 points and Mann chipped in with 17, and they tied for the team lead with six boards apiece although the Seminoles were outrebounded 39-26. Center Ike Obiagu played huge in the middle with eight points and three blocks as the Seminoles outscored an undersized Charleston Southern team 40-18 in the paint.

TIP-INS

1. Last year's meeting - a 98-49 victory by the Seminoles - was the first since Florida State left the Metro Conference after the 1990-91 season.

2. The Seminoles finished with 21 assists on 27 field goals against Charleston Southern.

3. Florida State only had four offensive rebounds against Charleston Southern.

PREDICTION: Florida State 89, Southern Miss 50