The NCAA Tournament is finally upon us and Friday’s Florida State vs. Missouri game could be one of the more intriguing matchups of round one.
When Michael Porter Jr. went down with an injury at the beginning of the season, Missouri’s NCAA Tournament hopes to a major hit. The No. 1 overall recruit in the 2017 class would miss extended time, but there was a chance he could return by the end of the year.
And return he has. The freshman forward came back for the SEC Tournament, breathing new life into the 8-seeded Tigers. This team has an entirely different feel with a healthy Porter Jr. and he could help lead Missouri to an improbable run, especially with a chance to take down Xavier in the second round.
Florida State isn’t exactly a top-tier team from the ACC, but the Seminoles have had a decent season, going 20-11 and beating some decent teams. However, they have been inconsistent throughout the season and that could come back and bite them in March.
While the Seminoles don’t have one clear go-to player, they do average 82 points per game, showing their balance with the leading scorer, Terance Mann, averaging just 13 points. The Seminoles have a strong offensive attack, shooting 47 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range. Florida State will give Missouri all it can handle, and vice versa.
Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s Florida State vs. Missouri game:
Date: Friday, March 16
Time: 9:50 p.m. ET
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Bridgestone Arena
TV: TBS
Live Stream: March Madness Live
Next: NCAA Tournament 2018: First round tip times, TV schedule
Will Missouri live up to the hype that it had in the preseason when Porter Jr. was still healthy or will Florida State be able to do the ACC proud and knock off an SEC foe in round one?