3 Takeaways as FSU Basketball's Hot Streak Ends at Hands of Rival Miami

The Florida State Seminoles were back at home on Tuesday night for a late tip against rival Miami. FSU entered this game red-hot, having won 6 of the last 7 games and having already beaten Miami once this season. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes were trying to prove they're an NCAA Tournament-caliber team.

Florida State only led for about 2:35 in the first half, but they never let Miami get far away, either. Miami was determined not to let Robert McCray V make a big impact in the game, denying him the ball at every opportunity. When he drove, he would see two or three Miami defenders, which made him more of a playmaker.

Officials didn't help the flow of the game early, even stopping a 5-on-4 for Florida State because Miami's Tre Donaldson was down behind the play. But Miami's three-point shooting, which is the biggest weakness of the team, was alive in this game. And when the 'Canes shooting is as hot as it was in the first half, when they went 6/12, they become a difficult team to stop.

Miami's lead was as large as 7 in the first half, but the Seminoles had a chance to tie going into halftime. Instead, Kobe MaGee put up a contested three from the left corner, which led to a breakout for Miami. Tru Washington hit a three with the half winding down, and Miami took a 38-32 lead into halftime. That had the potential to be a big swing.

The 'Canes broke the lead out to 10 in the opening minutes of the second half, as they were making life even more difficult for McCray to get going. FSU also wasn't doing a good enough job of closing possessions with rebounds. They're not a great rebounding team, but they've usually done a good job of not surrendering second-chance points. That wasn't the case in this game.

Florida State finally started to find some momentum as AJ Swinton spearheaded a 9-0 run to get the Seminoles back within one, and a lot of that run came with Robert McCray on the bench, showing that they could create without him.

Dante Allen ended the run with a tough three from the right wing, but Kobe MaGee would respond with a corner three plus the foul at the under-eight timeout, which would tie the game.

Malik Reneau responded with an and-one of his own after that, though, pushing the lead back to three. FSU's interior defense and rebounding had been an issue all game, and it came back to bite them there. Tre Donaldson then got inside for a tough runner, pushing the lead to 5. Soon after, a lob in transition pushed the lead to 7, forcing a timeout. FSU would need another answer.

They got a brief with a three from Chauncey Wiggins, which came after Shelton Henderson for Miami went down with a non-contact left knee injury, and he'd leave soon after. That helped cut the lead to 4. After a Miami basket, a Rob McCray drive was initially called goaltending, but it was challenged and won by Miami's Jai Lucas. That made it a six-point game coming out of the final media timeout, and then Tre Donaldson hit a jumper from the elbow to push the lead to 8. Donaldson then hit a three in transition, and then lead was 11.

That could've and should've been the ballgame. But Florida State got two quick baskets to cut the lead to 6, forcing a Miami timeout with 1:37 to go. Lajae Jones had a chance to cut it to 4, but was denied at the rim by Ernest Udeh, who was dominating down low. FSU got more opportunities because of missed free throws by Miami, and Jones would get it to 4 on the next possession. Donaldson went to the line the next time, where he made the first, missed the second, but Reneau got the board and put it home, pushing the lead back to 7.

From there, Miami would salt the game away, ending FSU's hot streak, with the Seminoles falling 83-73.

Florida State will be on the road to face Georgia Tech on Saturday. Here are three takeaways from this loss.

FINAL: Miami ends Florida State's hot streak, wins 83-73

Miami absolutely dominated the glass, which is something they've been good at all year, and FSU has not

L Jones 21 points
C Wiggins 14

NEXT: At Georgia Tech Saturday at noon #Noles pic.twitter.com/WMRWoEP5LV
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) February 25, 2026

1. Offense Outside of Robert McCray V

Robert McCray V had an incredible week last week, leading FSU to wins over Boston College and Clemson. All of the attention was going to be on him, and it was. Miami was consistently showing him multiple bodies, and FSU didn't have enough offensive creation to make up for it. Lajae Jones tried his best, but it wasn't enough to beat a good Miami team.

2. Miami's Hot Shooting

Miami is the weakest three-point shooting team in the ACC, but you wouldn't have known it by this game. They went 9/21 from deep, hitting a few tough shots to do so. You can live with Miami either being a good shooting team or a good rebounding team. But they were both in this game.

3. Poor Defensive Rebounding

Florida State isn't a great rebounding team, and Miami is. FSU had done a good job recently of not allowing second-chance points. That wasn't the case in this game, as Miami ended up with 16 offensive rebounds, which led to 25 second-chance points. As well as they shot the ball, it came down to their rebounding.

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