3 takeaways as FSU Basketball gets obliterated by NC State

Florida State was back at home on Saturday after a week off, hoping to build off its last strong effort in a close to Duke. NC State was their next opponent, who is a talented team, but they were gettable.

But this game was over almost immediately. NC State roared out to a 11-0 and 15-3 start, as FSU didn't score until after the first media timeout. And that would be the theme for the first 10 minutes or so of the game, as NC State found themselves up 33-9 by the third media timeout.

Florida State finally found some offense after that, but it was a little too late. Once the lead ballooned to 20, it felt pretty insurmountable, as NC State couldn't miss from deep. At halftime, they led 56-31, shooting 11/21 from three while FSU was 2/12.

The second half started well for Florida State, as they used an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 17. And then NC State controlled the game from there. They went on a 17-0 run over a span of just about 3:30, and that pushed the lead to 37, and that would be all she wrote, even at the under-12 timeout. Robert McCray V picked up his fifth foul on an offensive foul where he was trying to create separation, and Quadir Copeland very obviously flopped. But it didn't matter.

NC State would eventually lead by as much as 45 on their way to a 113-69 win. It's the first time NC State has scored 100 in an ACC road game since 1991. Florida State will travel to play Syracuse on Tuesday evening.

Final: NC State beats Florida State a lot to a little (113-69)

This was as ugly as it gets, as NC State used a 17-0 run in the second half to make it laughable.

Next: at Syracuse on Tuesday #Noles pic.twitter.com/eHE1z5nWJc
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) January 10, 2026

1. Thomas Bassong One of the Lone Positives

Thomas Bassong has a really high ceiling in basketball, and he's going to be a priority for this program for years to come. He's a defensive menace and made a huge impact in the first half, getting some deflections to get out in transition, which included a nice Euro-step layup. The coaches clearly liked what they saw from him as he started the second half. He ended up leading the team in scoring with 14 points, adding two steals.

2. Slow Starts An Annoying Theme

This is far from the first time this year that Florida State has had some really slow starts. 11-0 in this game, 17-6 against Georgia, 19-3 against Texas A&M, 15-3 against Houston, 8-0 against UMass, 28-12 against Dayton... You can't be putting yourself in that kind of a hole consistently and expect to compete against quality teams.

3. NC State Took FSU's Style and Was a Lot Better

Florida State wants to take and make threes, while forcing turnovers to get out in transition, but it was NC State that did it in this game, shooting 19/35 from three and forcing 13 turnovers, which led to 23 points. Even if the turnovers weren't egregious, shooting that well is going to lead to a lot of wins.