Well, they gave them a scare in the first half.
Florida State (2-1, 0-0 ACC) played the No. 1 team in the nation, the Florida Gators (3-0, 0-0 SEC), and ultimately could not muster enough juice to take down their rivals. The Seminoles ultimately fell by 10 in a game that saw eight lead changes.
First Half
The three-point department was miserable in the first half, 0-for-9 beyond the arc. Florida hit five out of eighteen. However, the Seminoles never let it go beyond a six-point Florida lead. FSU had six turnovers
in the first half compared to Florida’s seven.
With 0:39 left in the first half, Sebastian Rancik would hit a 12-footer to take the lead, 29-28, but Florida would hit a three thanks to Thomas Haugh to go into the locker room up 31-29.
Second Half
Kam Taylor hit a nasty dunk after a loose ball was tipped by Alex Steen to put FSU within one point with 16 minutes to go, and he ended up finishing with 10 points and three assists.
Florida would take this down the stretch, with a lead of 10 and just four minutes to go, to which FSU responded essentially with a chess match, fouling. Unfortunately, Florida’s free-throw shooters couldn’t be stopped. They finished with 30/41 made shots, good for 73%, lower than FSU’s 14/18, or 78%.
It was a game that saw limited action from the bench, with Steen, Schweiger, and Assui all scoring just two points. Steen and Assui were on the court for more than 15 minutes, with the former getting four rebounds and two steals. Assui managed two offensive and two defensive rebounds as well.
The Seminoles finished with an offensive rating of 105.9 and a defensive efficiency rating of 119.1. In a losing effort against the No. 1 team in the nation, it’s admirable. FSU has now lost close twice in a row against the Gators. Finishing with fewer total turnovers than the Gators is also noteworthy, and several of them happened when they were in desperation mode, so I think this says more about Florida being more mortal than one thought.
Players of the Game
Sebastian Rancik was responsible for 1/3 of the Seminoles’ points with 23 in 32 minutes. He’s averaging 22 points per game.
What’s Next?
Florida State stays home and begins the easy part of their non-conference schedule with a match against Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Fans can catch that game on the ACC Network Extra. Then they welcome the Ball State Cardinals to town, followed by another home game against Green Bay.
