FSU 81 UVa 60 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
12-3 overall, 8-2 ACC. 24th straight win at home vs ACC competition. Leonard Hamilton's 76th win over a ranked team as head coach of the Seminoles. Tony Bennett (not the singer) falls to 9-10 as head coach of the Cavaliers vs the Seminoles. The first time FSU has scored more than 70 points in 17 games against Bennett. The Cavs this season were 3-1 when trailing at the half. Make that 3-2. The victory pulls the Seminoles to within 1.5 games of the league leading Cavaliers.
The Cavs are always considered a top defensive team in the country. FSU put up 81 points. That is how well the offense clicked tonight. Who would have thought the Green Vipers would be inserted against the #7 team in the country with 1:17 left?
FSU on fire especially from the arc, 13-24 (54%). The 'Noles shot 50% overall and was efficient from the line, 10-13 (77%)
FSU taking care of the ball. Just five for the game. And maybe I missed it, but I think all of those were in the first half. Meanwhile UVa committed 13. They average just over 9 per game and had 8 by halftime.
Co-players of the game: MJ Walker reaching the 1,000 point plateau in his FSU career after scoring a game high 17 points. He was 5-6 from the arc and added 6 boards. The reigning ACC player of the week, RaiQuan Gray who once again had the all around game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals and was unstoppable rolling down the lane like a tank.
It was not his best offensive game, but Scottie Barnes, the reigning ACC rookie of the week, with 6 assists and NO turnovers.
Special acknowledgement to Balsa Koprivica who scored his first career three point shot to put the 'Noles up 68-43. Balsa was clearly feeling it hitting an 18 foot jumper before that. And then later drove the ball in from the FT line to draw the foul converting both FTs. Obviously he recalled last year when he picked up an early flagrant one foul and had a disastrous game against the Cavs.
What a difference from Saturday's game against WF. Energy (for the most part). Good ball movement. 17 assists on 29 baskets indicates that. Offense clicked (must have used Rust-Oleum).
I think it was better than Coach made it out to be in his comments after the game, but he was not pleased allowing the Cavs to shoot 47% from the floor and 39% from the arc. They are the best three point shooting team in the ACC however. And I thought there was a lot of active hands out there for most of the game that disrupted passing lanes. But Leonard was more pleased with his offense than his defense. Even if there was no specific plan against any particular Cavalier, you have to look at Jay Huff with just 4 points, well under his 13.4 ppg average.
After Virginia cut the margin to just seven points and 14 minutes left in the game, FSU turned it on sparked by Sardaar Calhoun's three. And it was off the the races for the Seminoles after that. Five plus minutes later FSU led by twenty-two, 65-43.
The 16-3 run early in the first half that put FSU in control eventually leading 45-25 at the half. It was the most points UVa had allowed in the first half this season.
You knew it was over when Anthony Polite canned a wide open three from the left corner to make it 75-56 with 2:23 left.
If for nothing else, watching a Virginia game is always good because they nearly always take less than two hours to play. As was the case tonight where the game took just over 1:50 to play.
The Bad
Some real touch fouls called out there on both teams. And then Gray is clobbered to the floor (he did make the basket) and yet no call. Add to that what should have been an intentional on a Cavs' player against Walker with 3:23 left in the first half. Go figure.
Had UVa kept it up, once again a guard that can penetrate is a big problem for the FSU defense as Kehei Clark was as he sliced through the FSU defense in the early minutes of the second half.
Someone at the network hitting the wrong button and playing a jewelry store ad while the game was still going on.
The Ugly
It is never a good thing when your coach has to call a timeout after just 1:03 has expired in the second half. The effort in those first five or so minutes while Clark sliced up the D was atrocious. It was the #7 team in the country. Surely the FSU players had to know Virginia was going to come out of the locker room fired up.
The 16-3 run by the Cavs to close it to 48-41 with 14:25 remaining.
Up Next
Virginia Tech is scheduled for next Saturday at home with tip off set for noon. We say scheduled because the Hokies have paused their program due to the virus causing the postponement of their game tomorrow night. So stay tuned. The game is scheduled to air on the ACCN.
The Good
12-3 overall, 8-2 ACC. 24th straight win at home vs ACC competition. Leonard Hamilton's 76th win over a ranked team as head coach of the Seminoles. Tony Bennett (not the singer) falls to 9-10 as head coach of the Cavaliers vs the Seminoles. The first time FSU has scored more than 70 points in 17 games against Bennett. The Cavs this season were 3-1 when trailing at the half. Make that 3-2. The victory pulls the Seminoles to within 1.5 games of the league leading Cavaliers.
The Cavs are always considered a top defensive team in the country. FSU put up 81 points. That is how well the offense clicked tonight. Who would have thought the Green Vipers would be inserted against the #7 team in the country with 1:17 left?
FSU on fire especially from the arc, 13-24 (54%). The 'Noles shot 50% overall and was efficient from the line, 10-13 (77%)
FSU taking care of the ball. Just five for the game. And maybe I missed it, but I think all of those were in the first half. Meanwhile UVa committed 13. They average just over 9 per game and had 8 by halftime.
Co-players of the game: MJ Walker reaching the 1,000 point plateau in his FSU career after scoring a game high 17 points. He was 5-6 from the arc and added 6 boards. The reigning ACC player of the week, RaiQuan Gray who once again had the all around game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals and was unstoppable rolling down the lane like a tank.
It was not his best offensive game, but Scottie Barnes, the reigning ACC rookie of the week, with 6 assists and NO turnovers.
Special acknowledgement to Balsa Koprivica who scored his first career three point shot to put the 'Noles up 68-43. Balsa was clearly feeling it hitting an 18 foot jumper before that. And then later drove the ball in from the FT line to draw the foul converting both FTs. Obviously he recalled last year when he picked up an early flagrant one foul and had a disastrous game against the Cavs.
What a difference from Saturday's game against WF. Energy (for the most part). Good ball movement. 17 assists on 29 baskets indicates that. Offense clicked (must have used Rust-Oleum).
I think it was better than Coach made it out to be in his comments after the game, but he was not pleased allowing the Cavs to shoot 47% from the floor and 39% from the arc. They are the best three point shooting team in the ACC however. And I thought there was a lot of active hands out there for most of the game that disrupted passing lanes. But Leonard was more pleased with his offense than his defense. Even if there was no specific plan against any particular Cavalier, you have to look at Jay Huff with just 4 points, well under his 13.4 ppg average.
After Virginia cut the margin to just seven points and 14 minutes left in the game, FSU turned it on sparked by Sardaar Calhoun's three. And it was off the the races for the Seminoles after that. Five plus minutes later FSU led by twenty-two, 65-43.
The 16-3 run early in the first half that put FSU in control eventually leading 45-25 at the half. It was the most points UVa had allowed in the first half this season.
You knew it was over when Anthony Polite canned a wide open three from the left corner to make it 75-56 with 2:23 left.
If for nothing else, watching a Virginia game is always good because they nearly always take less than two hours to play. As was the case tonight where the game took just over 1:50 to play.
The Bad
Some real touch fouls called out there on both teams. And then Gray is clobbered to the floor (he did make the basket) and yet no call. Add to that what should have been an intentional on a Cavs' player against Walker with 3:23 left in the first half. Go figure.
Had UVa kept it up, once again a guard that can penetrate is a big problem for the FSU defense as Kehei Clark was as he sliced through the FSU defense in the early minutes of the second half.
Someone at the network hitting the wrong button and playing a jewelry store ad while the game was still going on.
The Ugly
It is never a good thing when your coach has to call a timeout after just 1:03 has expired in the second half. The effort in those first five or so minutes while Clark sliced up the D was atrocious. It was the #7 team in the country. Surely the FSU players had to know Virginia was going to come out of the locker room fired up.
The 16-3 run by the Cavs to close it to 48-41 with 14:25 remaining.
Up Next
Virginia Tech is scheduled for next Saturday at home with tip off set for noon. We say scheduled because the Hokies have paused their program due to the virus causing the postponement of their game tomorrow night. So stay tuned. The game is scheduled to air on the ACCN.
