GAME NOTES: The Syracuse Orange put a five-game win streak on the line on Sunday evening, as they welcome the Florida State Seminoles to the Carrier Dome for an ACC showdown.

Jim Boeheim's Orange haven't lost since a Dec. 20 overtime affair against now eighth-ranked Villanova (82-77) and has now won six of its last seven games overall. Syracuse has opened ACC play with a pair of thrilling, victories, outlasting both Virginia Tech (68-66) and Georgia Tech (46-45) on the road.

Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles have also been solid of late, with wins in five of their last six outings. The lone loss during that span is a 62-55 setback at Mississippi State. The team is 1-1 in ACC play however, most recently topping Virginia Tech in Tallahassee last Tuesday, 86-75.

Syracuse has won four of the five all-time meetings in this series. The Orange won the last matchup, a 74-58 decision last March at Florida State.

Hamilton has had to make some changes on the fly this year, as leading scorer Aaron Thomas (14.8 ppg) has been lost for the year (eligibility) pretty early on. However, the team has responded as several players have stepped up and filled the void. Montay Brandon is one of those players, as he is netting 13.5 ppg to go along with a team-best 5.5 rpg. Xavier Rathan-Mayes has been both a potent scorer (12.4 ppg) and deft distributor (4.7 apg). Devon Bookert (10.3 ppg) rounds out the top scoring threats on the FSU roster.

Rathan-Mayes got off to a scorching start, scoring 18 of his 22 points in the first half, as FSU got out early and never looked back against Virginia Tech. The Seminoles shot a sizzling .519 from the floor against the Hokies, thanks in large part to Rathan-Mayes' 8-of-14 effort. Bookert added 16 points and seven rebounds to the cause, while Robbie Berwick and Brandon checked in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Like in years past, Syracuse's zone defense is the primary reason the team piles up the wins. The Orange rank 25th nationally in scoring defense (57.5 ppg) and that number is coming down, with the team allowing just 53.0 ppg during its current win streak. Big man Rakeem Christmas has emerged as one of the ACC's top interior players. The 6-foot-9 senior is converting 60 percent of his shots and is averaging team-highs of 17.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg, both of which rank in the top five in the ACC. Guard Trevor Cooney provides the perfect complement with his perimeter game, netting 13.2 ppg with a team-high 35 3-pointers thus far. Michael Gbinije (9.9 ppg) and Chris McCullough (9.7 ppg) provide some scoring depth.

Christmas knocked down a pair of free throws with just 12 seconds remaining in the game and the defense held strong, as Syracuse survived for the second straight game in a tight contest. Christmas just missed a double-double in the game, posting 18 points and nine rebounds. Gbinije was able to complete the feat however, recording his first double-double with 14 points and a career- high 10 boards.

Winning in the Carrier Dome is never easy for the visiting team and with Syracuse on a roll right now, it may be even harder for FSU in this one.