FSU 66 VT 76 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (minus the good)
The Good
I see no reason to list anything what little good this team did tonight. It would be pointless.
The Bad
Big deal this team whittled down a 22 point deficit to just five points. Where was that effort in the first half? That by far was the worst basketball FSU has played this season. The 35-15 half time score was the lowest offensive output for FSU to date. Right from the start it was the Hokies who clearly wanted it more. After the 'Noles loss to Stanford, Leonard Hamilton said his was disappointed with his team's effort. I have no idea what he might have called that abomination behind closed doors at the break. He wanted his team to come out aggressive on offense. That was anything but aggressive. It was simply a horrible effort as FSU, who was favored to win the game, never led. The baby races they had at intermission were more interesting than what fans saw in that first half.
So let's get to the "fun" facts. Coming into the game, FSU led the series 38-25. Make that 38-26. Coming into the game, FSU was 12-1 at home vs VT. Make that 12-2. The previously lone win in Tally by the Hokies occurred in 1990. Coming etc, etc, etc, VT was 5-23 in true road games. Make that 6-23 and was their second true road win this season.
So with the loss, FSU (13-8, 4-6) now has a three game losing streak while VT ended a three game losing streak.
You can kiss the NCAA goodbye (if you hadn't already). Coming into blah, blah, blah Florida State had avoided any bad losses meaning Quad 3 or 4 losses. Tonight was a Quad 4 loss. FSU's NET was 73. VT was 187. That obviously will change, and not for the better, tomorrow. With ten games remaining, does anyone see this team winning at a minimum seven games to have any kind of chance to be invited to The Dance? I sure don't. Especially with the loaded schedule down the stretch.
Give VT a lot of credit with the defense they threw at the Seminoles. Clearly the goal was to stop Watkins and Ewin and make other players beat them. I have mentioned this before that more scoring support from other players is needed. And the Hokies did a masterful job with their defense in how they used double teams trapping Ewin especially along the baseline. The result was Watkins and Ewin's double digit streaks (17 games each) comes to an end. Watkins had 9 points and Ewin just 2. VT disrupted anything FSU tried to do offensively (whatever that was they were trying to do because I have no idea what it was they were actually trying to do).
Talking about effort or the lack thereof, three FSU players are around the basket for the rebound. And yet Lawal worked his way right in there and gets the board. To top it off, he was fouled.
BTW, new baskets were installed yesterday. Could they possibly be traded in for better ones? Baskets where our players actually make FGs. Just searching for anything to help the team be better.
We will give a quick shout out to the refs. How Davis was called for blocking and Lawal not called for charging on that one play is bumfuzzling to me. Is there some rule I am not aware of where the defender has to be a statue for 10 seconds before the offensive player is called for charging?
The Ugly
And speaking of missing FGs. FSU could not make anything. It did not matter what kind of shot it was, lay up, jump shot, floater, three pointer, FT, slam dunk (Christian Nitu will NOT be looking forward to reviewing the game film), the Seminoles missed it. The shooting was so bad, it gave new meaning to the phrase could not hit the broadside of a barn. FSU was 21% from the floor over the first twenty minutes and 0-8 from the arc. But remember ...... they shoot well in practice.
But at least Justin Thomas scored .......... scored his first points in four games.
One .......... as in one, just one, assist in the first period. Pretty good indicator that nobody was scoring.
This should not be a surprise, but when this team is not creating offense from its defense, it is in big trouble. And that is what happened. When FSU made a run that closed it to 49-43, it was defense that created those scoring opportunities. Opponents however seems to have adjusted and have short circuited the Seminole offense. Take care of the ball and FSU can't score. As was the case tonight where VT is dead last in the ACC in turning the ball over 13.8 times per game. FSU leads the ACC forcing 15 miscues per game. Tonight VT coughed it up only 10 times, five each half. It was actually the Hokies who were the ones with active hands creating 9 steals to FSU's 6.
The bench side seats. It was a bad enough visual when the game began and maybe 300 (at best) were in those seats only to have maybe 25 people still in their seats in the final minute.
Up Next
FSU heads for the frozen tundra of Boston on Saturday where the low is predicted to be 10 degrees. Tip off is at 2 PM and to be broadcast on the ACCN. The Eagles (not to be confused with your grandparents favorite band) are currently on a six game losing streak. When we last saw BC (9-11, 1-8), they were snatching defeat from the the jaws of victory last Saturday as they led by four with 26 seconds left, managed to let UNC tie the game, and then give it away in OT to the Tar Heels, 102-96. BC will have had the entire week off since that loss.
The Good
I see no reason to list anything what little good this team did tonight. It would be pointless.
The Bad
Big deal this team whittled down a 22 point deficit to just five points. Where was that effort in the first half? That by far was the worst basketball FSU has played this season. The 35-15 half time score was the lowest offensive output for FSU to date. Right from the start it was the Hokies who clearly wanted it more. After the 'Noles loss to Stanford, Leonard Hamilton said his was disappointed with his team's effort. I have no idea what he might have called that abomination behind closed doors at the break. He wanted his team to come out aggressive on offense. That was anything but aggressive. It was simply a horrible effort as FSU, who was favored to win the game, never led. The baby races they had at intermission were more interesting than what fans saw in that first half.
So let's get to the "fun" facts. Coming into the game, FSU led the series 38-25. Make that 38-26. Coming into the game, FSU was 12-1 at home vs VT. Make that 12-2. The previously lone win in Tally by the Hokies occurred in 1990. Coming etc, etc, etc, VT was 5-23 in true road games. Make that 6-23 and was their second true road win this season.
So with the loss, FSU (13-8, 4-6) now has a three game losing streak while VT ended a three game losing streak.
You can kiss the NCAA goodbye (if you hadn't already). Coming into blah, blah, blah Florida State had avoided any bad losses meaning Quad 3 or 4 losses. Tonight was a Quad 4 loss. FSU's NET was 73. VT was 187. That obviously will change, and not for the better, tomorrow. With ten games remaining, does anyone see this team winning at a minimum seven games to have any kind of chance to be invited to The Dance? I sure don't. Especially with the loaded schedule down the stretch.
Give VT a lot of credit with the defense they threw at the Seminoles. Clearly the goal was to stop Watkins and Ewin and make other players beat them. I have mentioned this before that more scoring support from other players is needed. And the Hokies did a masterful job with their defense in how they used double teams trapping Ewin especially along the baseline. The result was Watkins and Ewin's double digit streaks (17 games each) comes to an end. Watkins had 9 points and Ewin just 2. VT disrupted anything FSU tried to do offensively (whatever that was they were trying to do because I have no idea what it was they were actually trying to do).
Talking about effort or the lack thereof, three FSU players are around the basket for the rebound. And yet Lawal worked his way right in there and gets the board. To top it off, he was fouled.
BTW, new baskets were installed yesterday. Could they possibly be traded in for better ones? Baskets where our players actually make FGs. Just searching for anything to help the team be better.
We will give a quick shout out to the refs. How Davis was called for blocking and Lawal not called for charging on that one play is bumfuzzling to me. Is there some rule I am not aware of where the defender has to be a statue for 10 seconds before the offensive player is called for charging?
The Ugly
And speaking of missing FGs. FSU could not make anything. It did not matter what kind of shot it was, lay up, jump shot, floater, three pointer, FT, slam dunk (Christian Nitu will NOT be looking forward to reviewing the game film), the Seminoles missed it. The shooting was so bad, it gave new meaning to the phrase could not hit the broadside of a barn. FSU was 21% from the floor over the first twenty minutes and 0-8 from the arc. But remember ...... they shoot well in practice.
But at least Justin Thomas scored .......... scored his first points in four games.
One .......... as in one, just one, assist in the first period. Pretty good indicator that nobody was scoring.
This should not be a surprise, but when this team is not creating offense from its defense, it is in big trouble. And that is what happened. When FSU made a run that closed it to 49-43, it was defense that created those scoring opportunities. Opponents however seems to have adjusted and have short circuited the Seminole offense. Take care of the ball and FSU can't score. As was the case tonight where VT is dead last in the ACC in turning the ball over 13.8 times per game. FSU leads the ACC forcing 15 miscues per game. Tonight VT coughed it up only 10 times, five each half. It was actually the Hokies who were the ones with active hands creating 9 steals to FSU's 6.
The bench side seats. It was a bad enough visual when the game began and maybe 300 (at best) were in those seats only to have maybe 25 people still in their seats in the final minute.
Up Next
FSU heads for the frozen tundra of Boston on Saturday where the low is predicted to be 10 degrees. Tip off is at 2 PM and to be broadcast on the ACCN. The Eagles (not to be confused with your grandparents favorite band) are currently on a six game losing streak. When we last saw BC (9-11, 1-8), they were snatching defeat from the the jaws of victory last Saturday as they led by four with 26 seconds left, managed to let UNC tie the game, and then give it away in OT to the Tar Heels, 102-96. BC will have had the entire week off since that loss.
