Florida State will look to continue one of its better starts in recent years while Temple will try to bounce back from its first loss when the teams meet Friday night in Uncasville, Conn., as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off.
The Owls (3-1) won their first three games over Sacred Heart, Monmouth and Drexel before dropping a 72-69 decision last Friday at Boston College.
Jamal Mashburn Jr., who is averaging a team-high 23.5 points per game, finished with 23 points and four assists. However, he missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the end of the game. Steve Settle III, who is second with a 13.3 scoring average, tallied 10 of his 15 points in the first half.
Mashburn, a fifth-year guard who transferred from New Mexico, has scored 20 or more points in each of the four games to open the season, which is the second time he has accomplished that feat in his career.
“He’s made big shots and is a great player,” Temple coach Adam Fisher said. “I’d trust him with any shot in the game.”
Forward Jamir Watkins has been one of the key cogs behind the strong start for the Seminoles (4-1), whose only loss came against rival Florida last Friday. Watkins had a game-high 17 points in a 79-61 win over Hofstra on Tuesday. He is averaging 18.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, including a 30-point effort the last time Florida State was on a neutral court in a 73-65 win over Rice on Nov. 9.
Florida State seems to be rediscovering the recipe for success under Leonard Hamilton, in his 23rd season in Tallahassee with eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament to his credit. The Seminoles’ defensive play continues to frustrate opponents into numerous turnovers (Hofstra made 20). They are sharing the ball well as 10 Florida State players scored in that game — nine with five or more points. The Seminoles also were sharp at the free-throw line, making 18 of 23 shots.
“I thought we played aggressively and somewhat disruptively,” Hamilton said. “I thought we would always be a free-throw-shooting team and always thought we would be a 3-point-shooting team. It shows that a lot of this is mental.”
