3 takeaways as FSU Basketball finally gets first ACC win in upset of Miami Hurricanes

Florida State should've entered this game looking to add a second ACC win to their total, but they let one slip through their hands on Saturday against Wake Forest in the worst possible way. So, they entered Tuesday's game against their rival, the Miami Hurricanes, looking for a difficult win on the road. Miami had started the season 15-3, while the 'Noles were just 7-11.

Given how FSU's last game went, I think people would've expected them to roll over and come out flat in this game. But that's exactly the opposite. Miami did lead for most of the first half, but it was never by more than 6 points. FSU even held a brief lead before a 9-0 run gave Miami its 6-point lead early in the first half.

However, the one thing that FSU did in this game that they haven't been doing in ACC play is force live-ball turnovers. They thrived on it early in non-conference play, but it hadn't been as prominent against better opponents. They got those steals in this game. 8 steals in the first half led to 11 points off turnovers for FSU, which is what they needed to stay in this game. It also helps that they weren't getting dominated on the glass, which is something that Miami tends to do to opponents.

Despite Miami leading for most of the first half, Florida State actually went into the break with a 38-37 lead, thanks to a buzzer-beating three by Kobe MaGee. FSU didn't shoot nearly as many threes as we've become accustomed to, as they shot just 9 threes in the first half, but they were able to stay in it with some good looks at the rim.

The lead swapped hands a few times to start the second half, but a 6-0 run helped give FSU its largest lead of the game at 49-44. But the offenses were mostly stagnant for the middle part of the second half. From the under-12 timeout to the under-8, there were a total of four points scored.

With the lead at four and about four minutes remaining, Cam Miles committed a dumb foul 90 feet from the basket, and Miami would make both free throws to get within two. Robert McCray V would split a pair at the line after the media timeout, but it still left the Seminoles in a similar position to Saturday: leading at the final timeout. They didn't respond in the right way in those final four minutes against Wake Forest. Would they do any better here?

McCray cashed in both of his next free throws, pushing the lead to 63-58 with just over two minutes to go. With a chance to push the lead to 7, McCray went a little too fast, missed the shot, and Miami was able to get free throws on the other end to bring the lead to 3 with about 1:45 to go. FSU would get a shot-clock violation on its next possession, and Malik Reneau would get the lead down to 1 with a minute left. McCray then took a questionable three-pointer on the next possession, and Malik Reneau would get to the free-throw line. He'd split, giving FSU a tie game.

Robert McCray V would be fouled on his drive to the basket with 1.7 seconds left. He'd make both free throws, and Florida State would pick off the inbounds pass, giving them their first ACC win of the Luke Loucks era against a previously 15-3 Miami team.

Florida State has now won 15 of the last 16 games over the Hurricanes dating back to the 2017-18 season. FSU has absolutely dominated this rivalry as of late, and Robert McCray V led the way with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in this game.

Here are three takeaways from this upset win.

FINAL(LY): Florida State gets on the board with an ACC win, upsetting Miami 65-63!!!

FSU has now won 15 of the last 16 games against the Canes, and it's the first ACC win of the Luke Loucks era

R McCray V 20 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast

NEXT: at SMU on Saturday #Noles pic.twitter.com/UvcXQhJy6d
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) January 21, 2026

1. Competing in Low-Scoring Games

This is the second game in a row where Florida State was able to compete in a low-scoring game, which is something we didn't think was possible given how non-conference play went. This game was almost the antithesis of what we've come to expect from the Seminoles, as they didn't take (or make) many threes, and they competed well on the glass and inside. Miami is a fantastic rebounding team, but Florida State kept putting a body on a body. It's nice to see they can compete without hitting a million threes or in a high-scoring affair.

2. The Steals Creating Was Alive and Well

In non-conference play, Florida State averaged 9.8 steals per game. In ACC play, they've only averaged 6. That isn't good enough, and not the way they want to play. They were much better in this game, forcing 12 steals, double what they

3. Tremendous Second-Half Defense

Florida State's defense has usually been boom or bust. Either they get the steal, or it's a basket. They did well against Wake Forest, but Wake isn't very good. This was a different challenge, and they responded in a huge way against Miami, especially in the second half.

Miami shot just 8/28 from the floor in the second half, including 1/9 from three. I said in the preview that FSU had to hold Miami at or below 50% from two, and they held Miami to 20/41. Nailed it. Tallahassee native Tre Donaldson, who had 11 points at halftime, went scoreless in the second half for Miami on 0/7 shooting. That's exactly the effort we needed to see out of the Seminoles.

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