RECAP: FSU Basketball Upsets Wake Forest, Wins Third Straight Game
Well, well. Would you look at that?
The first ten minutes of the game were the most entertaining ten minutes of basketball Florida State has played all year. They were creating turnovers, making shots, showing incredible effort all over the floor. It was emphasized when Darin Green Jr got into the passing lane to force the ball into the backcourt, hustled after it to get the steal, and then pulled up soon after picking up the ball to hit a tough 3—the 'Noles led by as many as 12 points early on.
Everything that goes up must come down with this team though, and Wake roared back to take a lead with about two minutes remaining in the half. They have such a huge scoring punch with their guards that they can never be counted out. Florida State did a good job of making a couple of shots to take a 41-40 lead into the half, giving them some positive momentum heading into the locker room.
The second half started just like the first, just with even more ball pressure from FSU, forcing five Wake Forest turnovers in the first four minutes of the game. They used those turnovers to open up a 14-0 run and lead by as much as 13 in the second half. Once again, Wake Forest came back, using some incredible shots from Cameron Hildreth and Kevin "Boopie" Miller, to have the game tied up 67-67, and even taking a 69-67 lead on the heels of a 9-0 run with 6:19 remaining. So how would Florida State respond to losing their second double-digit lead of the game?
With a 15-3 run, to make the lead 82-72 with 2:14 left, that's how. The Demon Deacons made some shots and played the foul game to get the lead down to 4 eventually, but Florida State held on to win 87-82, snapping a nine-game winning streak from Wake Forest, and the 'Noles now sit 3-1 in ACC play and 3-0 in 2024.
Don't let the score fool you, Florida State's defensive pressure was immense in this game. Wake Forest came into the game averaging 10.3 turnovers per game, only having one game with more than 12 turnovers, which was an 18-turnover overtime outing against LSU. Florida State forced them into a season-high 20 turnovers and a turnover rate of 26.3%. There were times when Wake was so sped up that they were just throwing the ball out of bounds, fearing someone coming behind them and forcing the ball out.
Jamir Watkins did Jamir Watkins things: 19 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, one steal and one block, and going a perfect 11/11 from the free throw line. He simply continues to do whatever FSU needs him to do.
Darin Green Jr played his best all-around game as a Seminole, scoring 17 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and tying a career-high with 5 steals. He had a big dunk in the waning minutes to push the lead to 10, but his energy and intensity were not something he'd shown so far in Tallahassee and was a very welcome sight.
Baba Miller scored a career-high 14 points while grabbing 3 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. I can't explain how locked in defensively he's been to start 2024. There are not many near 7-footers that can lock down a 6'0" Kevin Miller as he did in a few possessions. Florida State is at its best when he's locked in.
All of the starters were dynamic in this game, all finishing with a plus/minus of +9 or better. This was the rare game where the starters made all of the difference for Florida State, as guys like Primo Spears really struggled (he really just needs to slow down).
Kevin "Boopie" Miller and Cameron Hildreth were electric for Wake Forest, scoring 21 and 25 points, respectively. What Florida State was able to do was limit Andrew Carr (4 points, 1/4 shooting) and Hunter Sallis (10 points, 4 turnovers, 4/8 shooting). Those two came into the game averaging a combined 32.3 PPG and were held to 43% of their usual production. If not for Parker Friedrichsen scoring an out-of-body 13 points, FSU likely would have run away with this game, but this is a very good win nonetheless.
Florida State will finally leave the Tucker Center for their next game, traveling to South Bend to play Notre Dame on Saturday, who isn't very good, but has been tough at home in conference play.
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