GAME NOTES: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off continues Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena when the Florida State Seminoles square off against the Providence Friars in non-conference action.

Florida State has started the 2014-15 season at 1-1, with a lopsided win over Manhattan last Saturday to start the campaign and a tight 76-73 loss against Northeastern being the most recent result for the Seminoles.

Providence has been in action three times this season. The Friars are 3-0 with a one-sided 88-51 victory over Navy on Thursday night representing the team's latest destruction of an opponent.

The all-time series between Florida State and Providence stands at an even 1-1. The Seminoles took the first victory in the series back in 2006, but Providence owns the most recent matchup, which was played in 2007.

The Seminoles and Huskies went back and forth in Florida State's most recent outing to the point where the lead changes four times, and neither team held an advantage greater than nine points. FSU shot 56.7 percent from the floor in the first half, but went into the locker room down by two points. Northeastern was able to fend off the Florida State attack in the second half to hold onto the three-point win. Aaron Thomas led all Seminoles scorers in the game with 24 points, adding six rebounds to his game. Montay Brandon chipped in 16 points with seven boards, and Phil Cofer added 14 points in the loss.

Thomas, who was one of the top scorers last season for Florida State, is leading the team through two games played in the scoring department, contributing 19.0 ppg on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. Brandon is behind Thomas with 14.0 ppg, and Kiel Turpin rounds out the double-digit point averages with 10.5 ppg. Brandon's 6.0 rpg margin is the best on Florida State at the moment, and Devon Bookert has dished out a team-high 11 assists in two contests. The Seminoles are averaging 77.0 ppg.

Providence hasn't just been beating opponents this season, the Friars have been dismantling them. Providence did the same thing on Thursday night to visiting Navy, which could only manage 51 points and 38.8 percent shooting from the floor. Meanwhile the Friars were boosted by four double-digit scorers in the contest, led by LaDontae Henton's 22 points. Ben Bentil came off the bench to contribute 18 points for the Friars, and guard Kris Dunn had a career day with 12 points and a game-high 14 assists. Tyler Harris rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, tossing in six rebounds. The Friars shot 55.4 percent in the victory.

Surprisingly, only two Providence players are averaging point totals in double figures through three games. Henton leads the team with an 18.3 ppg mark, followed by Harris' 15.0 ppg average. The Friars are one of the more physical teams in the Big East, and have proven they can be a force underneath the basket, evidenced by a 40.3 rpg average through the team's first three contests. Harris owns a team-best 6.3 rpg mark, while Bentil is close behind at 6.0 rpg. Dunn appears to be taking over the Bryce Cotton point guard role, having dished out 23 assists in three games.

Providence is on a roll, and the team appears to be adept on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. Florida State has some strong players as well, so this clash should be an intriguing one. But residing in the neighboring state should help make it feel more like a home game for the Friars.