3 Takeaways as FSU Basketball Falls Just Short of No. 1 Duke in ACC Tournament

The Florida State Seminoles played their second ACC Tournament game of the Luke Loucks era on Thursday night. They dominated Cal on Wednesday, despite what the final score said. Their matchup on Thursday was a lot tougher, as they faced the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils. However, Duke was missing two starters, and with the way FSU has been playing, this would be no gimme for either team.

Duke had a hot start, going up 9-3 with a strong start from Isaiah Evans. But just like the Cal game, FSU wouldn't be too distraught. They responded with a 10-0 run with a couple of jumpers from Robert McCray V to get them started. FSU was cold from three early, but that quickly turned once Chauncey Wiggins knocked in a three.

The rest of the half would be as back-and-forth as you can get. Duke was dominating on the glass and in the fouls department, but FSU found ways to stay in it, especially with some tough shot-making. Martin Somerville hit one of the all-time "NO NO NO OKAY!" threes you'll ever see from the top of the key.

What also helped was Duke's inability to make free throws. The Blue Devils went to the line 20 times in the first half, but they only made 11. Because of that, a basket by Robert McCray as the first-half buzzer sounded sent them into the locker room with a 44-43 lead. Lajae Jones also deserves a lot of credit. He scored 16 points in 16 minutes in the first half, and a lot of those came after he picked up his second foul.

The second half was going Florida State's way. After four points by Duke in the first minute and a half, FSU outscored Duke 12-4, giving them an 8-point lead after a transition three from Robert McCray V. Cameron Boozer stabilized them on offense with a putback and a three. Isaiah Evans would get to the basket to cut the lead to 1, and just when you thought FSU could be taking a hold of the game, Duke was right back in it.

And after a turnover from Rob McCray, Maliq Brown would convert on the other end to put Duke back in front. Another turnover on an inbounds pass put Duke up by three. Two missed free throws by Alex Steen led to a three by Isaiah Evans, and they were up by 6. And an and-one from Cayden Boozer pushed the lead to 9 on a 19-2 run by the second-to-last media break.

The missed free throws that have haunted FSU all season were starting to pile up, just as they had for Duke in the first half. Just when FSU started to make some shots to cut the lead to 5, Cameron Boozer hit a contested three. Lajae Jones would answer right back, and it was a 5-point game at the final media timeout.

Robert McCray came out of the media timeout with a tough layup to cut the lead to three, but Isaiah Evans answered with a three to push the lead back to 6. Lajae Jones answered with a stepback corner three, and the lead was down to three again. He'd get to the free-throw line on the next trip and make both to cut the lead to 1.

Isaiah Evans bricked a three, but Cayden Boozer collected the rebound and laid it in with a minute to go. Chauncey Wiggins hit a midrange jumper, and the lead was 1. Florida State got a stop on the other end, with Alex Steen getting a block, setting up a final possession for Florida State. Luke Loucks decided to let the play go, and Robert McCray missed a three from the right wing. Florida State would fall, 80-79.

It was an incredibly hard-fought game, and FSU's turnaround midseason was impressive. They should get a chance to keep that going in the NIT, but it hurts to fall just short. Here are three takeaways from this tight loss.

Final. FSU gave Duke all they could handle, but Duke wins 80-79

Great game, interesting shot at the end. We'll see what the postseason holds for FSU. Have to imagine they take an NIT bid #Noles pic.twitter.com/uk4IlrDvOn
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) March 13, 2026

1. Rebounding Killed Florida State

Florida State hasn't been a good rebounding team all season. Duke was one of the best. That went exactly how everyone thought it would, as Duke came down with 22 offensive rebounds, leading to 24 second-chance points. For most of the season, FSU at least did a decent job of not letting those extra opportunities lead to extra points. That was not the case in this game.

2. Missed Free Throws Haunted Florida State Once Again

Florida State missed too many free throws in the second half, including some missed front ends of 1-and-1s, and it turned out to be the difference. They ended up shooting 12/18 from the line, but they were 7/12 in the second half, and it was really more like 7/14 if you include the missed bonus free throws.

3. The Future is Very Bright in Tallahassee

The season started ugly, but Luke Loucks found things that worked as ACC play progressed. To be able to adjust like that on the fly is a great sign of things to come. They have a great recruiting class coming in, they have an amazing culture for a first-year coach, and all signs are pointing up for this program as long as he continues to get funding.

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