No. 7 FSU Basketball Comes Back to Win Thriller vs. Notre Dame in South Bend
The Seminoles won a game that keeps them atop the ACC standings, breaks their winless streak at Notre Dame, and kept them from losing consecutive games for the first time this season. They did it like you'd expect, with timely defense, clutch shooting, taking care of the ball, and one player putting the team on his back in the second half to comeback for a 73-71 road win vs. the Irish.
The first half looked like many FSU first halves this season. An early lead (this time at 5-4) followed by the opponent figuring out how to get someone open looks against the defense. The 'Noles were soon down nine, but the grit that this team is so dependent upon showed up and they were soon back within one.
At the half, the Seminoles trailed by 7, but it could have been a lot worse. The Irish were a two-man team early, and for much of the half. Big man John Mooney was all over the court, making 3s, grabbing rebounds, and controlling the paint. At the break, he had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Prentiss Hubb was a nice complement to Mooney as the cat-quick guard gave Notre Dame an effective one-two punch and seemed unable to miss from distance in the first half. He hit 4-5 threes before the half, and hit the locker room with 19 points.
The second half looked a lot like the first for the first 10 minutes. A decent Seminole defense (that still left too many open looks from deep) and a pedestrian FSU offense. With nine minutes left in the game, FSU was down 13 and shooting a miserable 15% from deep, having made only two bombs.
With eight minutes left, something happened.
To be specific, MJ Walker happened.
He scored FSU's next 11 points and 13 of the game's next 15, bringing the Noles to within a pair. Then the (should-be patented) late-game determination by this team kicked in and FSU controlled the last three minutes to steal the win. Trent Forrest's rebound of his own shot and a putback with 3.4 seconds left gave FSU its second lead of the game and the 73-71 win. The 'Noles led for all of 19 seconds in this one-- but that was enough.
The game stats suggest a different outcome. ND was better on threes, better on twos, and better at the line. The Irish blocked more shots, they won the bench-points battle (where FSU rarely comes up short), and led almost throughout. The only significant statistic they lost was the turnover battle (15 to 10). This comes with significant irony, since in their last game the 'Noles dominated most of the stats against Clemson only to lose on the final shot of the game.
What went right
The guard play. Walker lead the team in scoring, with 21. Trent Forrest led in assists (3) and tied for the team-high in rebounding (7). Devin Vassell lead the team in minutes played, with 35.
The second half. FSU once again took charge after halftime to win a game. And once again you didn't know who would step up to lead the offense. The defense was able to shut down Mooney, changing the ND offense and limiting his rebounds.
A cleanly called game. Both teams were committed to getting into the lane, but only 30 total fouls were called. There were no egregious whistles, and 50-50 calls seemed to split about evenly.
What didn't
The first half. Much of the first half left fans wondering if FSU was going to get run out of the gym. The first 10 minutes of the second half looked about the same. This can't be said enough: credit the team's determination and MJ Walker getting hot at the right time. And props to Coach Hamilton for the mental aspect he's instilled in these players. They may not always win, but they play hard and remain composed.
Open shooters. The final result notwithstanding, this matchup is hard on the 'Noles due to the way the Irish run their offense. ND puts 5 guys on the floor who can shoot and schemes to get any of them open. FSU gave up a lot of open looks. The Irish hit those shots in the first half. It looked like fatigue played a factor late as a lot of those shots were near misses in the second half. Notre Dame was 7-15 from distance before the half. After? 4-17.
Minutes. FSU usually splits the playing time over 11 guys. Tonight's game did see the usual guys on the floor, but three guys played more than 30 minutes. Anthony Polite, Balsa Koprivica, and Wyatt Wilkes combined to play only 17. But with what should be an easier game coming up, it shouldn't be an issue.
What's next
Florida State wraps up the regular season Saturday when it hosts Boston College in Tallahassee. Win the game and FSU wins the ACC regular season and gets the top seed in the conference tournament. Lose the game, and they'll still be one of the top-4 seeds with the double-bye, but the seeding won't be known until the other conference games complete.
