3 Takeaways as FSU Basketball Nearly Blows 24-Point Lead, Ties Record With Win at Pitt

Florida State had its last road game of ACC play on Wednesday night, hoping to tie a program record for most ACC road wins in a season. They'd be going against a Pitt team that has been decimated by injuries, now down to about a 6-man rotation, but they had been playing better recently.

You would not have known it from the start of this game.

Florida State set the tone early with a tough physical defense while making all of their open looks on offense. When Lajae Jones had a four-point play opportunity in the first minute, I knew it could be a special game offensively for the Seminoles.

Thomas Bassong picked up where he left off from Saturday's game against Georgia Tech, attacking the basket with a purpose. AJ Swinton also had a strong start to the game, getting two shots in the paint before hitting a three to have 7 early points.

One of the plays of the game came when Bassong used his entire wingspan to block a three-point attempt, got the kick-ahead pass, and slammed it home. A few minutes late, Lajae Jones freed himself with a filthy behind-the-back dribble, then attacked the basket for a menacing dunk. It looked like everything would go Florida State's way.

A few minutes later, AJ Swinton blocked a shot off the backboard and came down hard on his left leg, which buckled and gave out. He went down immediately and grabbed his left knee, and would have to be helped off the floor. FSU could've sat there and felt bad about themselves, but they instantly got back to work.

They pushed the lead back up to 10, then continued to build on that lead. Chauncey Wiggins, who was on fire the entire first half, hit his third three on as many attempts with 1:40 remaining to make it a 16-point lead. There was a weird technical foul on Martin Somerville, which led to some easy points for Pitt, but Cam Miles banked in a three with the clock expiring to still have a 16-point lead entering halftime. They shot a wild 60.7% from the floor and went 8/14 from three.

Florida State started the second half on an 8-0 run to push the lead up to 24 immediately. From that point forward, it was going to be tough for Pitt to make a comeback. They certainly tried, though. A 7-0 run fueled by a few buckets and a big block from Cam Corhen made it a 12-point game around the 12:20 mark, forcing FSU's second timeout of the half. That run extended to 10-0 to cut the lead into single digits, and FSU needed to find some offense again.

Lajae Jones stabilized FSU with a much-needed and-one, but Barry Dunning Jr. hit his third three-pointer of the half to get those points right back. By the under-eight timeout, Florida State was still hanging onto an 11-point lead, still in need of some more offense to carry them home. Pitt was playing for their ACC Tournament lives, and they wouldn't go down without a fight.

Barry Dunning Jr. continued to make FSU pay. Another three a few minutes later brought the lead down to 6 with about 6 minutes to play. Then, Cam Corhen got to the free-throw line to cut the lead to 4. Lajae Jones split a pair of free throws to end a 7-0 run, and the next few possessions would be a few turnovers from each team, which led to a 5-point lead at the final media timeout. By that point, FSU had missed 8 straight shots with a couple of turnovers, too.

Robert McCray had a chance for a monster jam with about two and a half minutes left, but missed his second dunk of the night. They got a stop, and Thomas Bassong drew a foul on a rebound for a 1-and-1 opportunity. Not the guy you want at the line, and he missed the front end. FSU got lucky, and Damarco Minor missed a step-back three on the next possession. With under a minute left, Lajae Jones hit a huge three from the right corner, but Pitt came right back with one of its own.

However, FSU was doing its best to fumble the game away. Robert McCray V had the ball go off his leg, and Damarco Minor hit a three to cut the lead to 2. Minor would foul Robert McCray V with a 1-and-1 still in play. He made both with less than six seconds to go. Minor made a three with about a second to go, cutting the lead to one. But FSU hit a deep ball to Bassong, and that would be enough to end the game.

After leading by 24 at the start of the second half, Florida State hung on to win 75-74, tying a program record with 6 ACC road wins on the season. For Luke Loucks' first season as a head coach, and considering how the season started, that's impressive.

The final game of the regular season will be on Saturday at home against SMU. That will have a lot of implications on ACC seeding. Here are three takeaways from this wild game.

FINAL: Florida State survives juuuust barely, beats Pitt on the road 75-74

Luke Loucks has tied the program record for ACC road wins in a season with 6. It's his first season as a head coach

L Jones 18 pts
C Wiggins 18 pts

NEXT: vs SMU Sat to end season #Noles pic.twitter.com/uR8TcDRiYP
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) March 5, 2026

1. No Reason For the Game To Ever Be This Close

From bad inbounds passing, to bad turnovers, to insane shooting from Pitt... This game had just about all of it. But to be up by 24 at the start of the second half and to win by just one is not the way it should go, but a win is a win. They have to work on late-game situations, especially with inbounds passing and free throws. But that game did not need to be that stressful.

2. An Impressive Midseason Turnaround

Florida State started ACC play 0-5. They're now 9-8, and have clinched to at least finish .500 in ACC play, including a 6-3 record on the road, which is wildly impressive, especially for a first-year head coach. They beat some good teams on the road (Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Miami), and exorcised some demons (Notre Dame, Pitt, and Georgia Tech). That's a successful first season, no matter how you cut it.

3. Thomas Bassong HAS To Be Retained This Summer

Anything can happen in college basketball when it comes to the transfer portal, but Thomas Bassong has to be a priority for this staff. He's a 6'7" wing with a long wingspan and is just an elite defender. And that charge he took from Cam Corhen with about five minutes remaining was huge. He's starting to show some strides on offense, and he has legitimate NBA potential if the three-point shot rolls around.

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