Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: State vs. Florida State
The NC State basketball team got the signature win it desparately needed on Wednesday with its 88-66 rout of No. 6 Duke.
Now, with a second straight top-10 ACC opponent coming in to PNC Arena, the Wolfpack can solidify its spot in the NCAA tournament field by beating No. 8 Florida State today.
It's not going to be easy, especially coming off the high coach Kevin Keatts' team experienced in the aftermatch of its emotional victory against the Blue Devils.
It's going to take every bit as much energy to have a chance against the Seminoles, along with same level of execution. That means attacking the rim instead of settling for three-pointers, knocking down open shots and hitting the glass -- especially on the defensive end -- while avoiding extended offensive lapses.
The Wolfpack showed it's capable of doing all those things against Duke. The question now, is can it do it again?
While we wait to find out the answer, here's a look at our coverage leading up to the game to keep you busy until tipoff:
When Markell Is 'Good,' So Is The Wolfpack
Wolfpack Looks to Build on Momentum of Duke Win
Wolfpack Tipoff: Game 27, Florida State
Make sure to check back throughout the game for live updates and analysis ...
PREGAME
There's noticably less energy in PNC Arena today compared to Wednesday for the Duke game. And there are a lot of empty seats. That's not a good sign. The Wolfpack can't afford to come out with a post-Blue Devil hangover against a team as good as FSU. It looks like the players are going to have to generate their own energy, because the crowd might not be there to help them this time ...
It's the usual suspects in the starting lineup for the Wolfpack: Markell Johnson, Devon Daniels, C.J. Bryce, D.J. Funderburk and Manny Bates ...
Trent Forrest, M.J. Walker, Devin Vassell, RaiQuan Gray and Malik Osborne start for the Seminoles. Freshman Patrick Williams, who's from Charlotte and has been their best player of late, will come off the bench. ...
Roger Ayers, Lee Cassell and Jerry Heater are in stripes ...
We just had the longest national anthem of the season. Well over 2 minutes. ...
House money game today for the Wolfpack. Win and you're almost certainly in the field of 68. Lose and no harm done against a top 10, Quad 1 opponent. And here we go ...
FIRST HALF
FSU already has two offensive rebounds, but can't score. And Daniels takes it hard to the rim and gets fouled ... just as he did against Duke. That's a good sign ...
Three quick fouls on the Seminoles. They are incredibly aggressive defensively ... Make that four ...
First TV timeout: FSU 9, State 6
Daniels to the hoop again. Fouled again. FSU has six already. Next one and State is in the bonus. Wolfpack has yet to be called for a foul.
And there's No. 7 ... Hellems to the line for the one-and-one ... Bonus for the final 13:24 of the half. State leads 10-9 ...
Looks like the 'Good Markell' is here today. Scoring, dishing, defending ...
It's uncanny. FSU always seems to have at least one 7-foot plus, 280-pound plus Eastern European behmoth on its roster. This year it has two -- Dominik Olejniczak from Poland and Balsa Koprivica from Serbia ...
Dominik Olejnicizak scores for FSU over D.J. Funderburk
Jeremy Brevard/USAToday sports
Under 12 TV timeout: State 15, FSU 11
Not sure if he figured it out himself or somebody told him to stop shooting perimeter jumpers and start attacking the basket, but Devon Daniels is at it again. He's got seven of the Wolfpack's 15 points so far and all of them have been on drives or free throws off drives. He's been State's best player over the last month ...
And State forces a shot clock violation out of the TV timeout. So far so good. The Wolfpack looks engaged and in sync ...
Daniels should have had two more, but Funderburk was impatient and tipped it after he bounced off the rim ...
Beverly hits a trey and Keatts responds with a fist pump ....
State now in the double bonus for the last nine minutes of the half ...
Under 8 TV timeout: State 20, FSU 17
Wolfpack gets a break. Ball was clearly off Daniels (happened right in front of me) and Ayers calls it out off FSU. Someone in the crowd yells "Thanks, Roger." Don't hear that often around here ...
Things were going well for State, but a live ball turnover, compounded by a silly foul by Hellems puts FSU at the line for an and-one when play resumes ...
Under-4 TV timeout: State 27, FSU 24
7-0 FSU run over the past 2 1/2 minutes ties the score at 27 ...
Nice work on the offensive boards for State ... Funderburk scores on the third shot of the possession to put the Wolfpack back on top ... And now Bryce with a trey and just like that it's a five-point lead again ...
Jericole Hellems is having himself a nice game thus far. Eight points and a team-leading four rebounds to go with a steal in 11 minutes ...
Not a good final possession for State, but a good first half overall. Wolfpack leads by five after 20 ...
HALFTIME: State 32, FSU 27
SECOND HALF
Two bad possessions and two easy baskets for FSU has quickly cut the Wolfpack lead to 1 ...
Funderburk picks up his third foul less than 2 minutes into the second half ...
Bryce gets tackled going in for a layup with no call ... and he's slow to get up. Now they call a touch foul on Daniels at the other end. This is the problem with ACC officiating this year. Incredibly inconsistent.
And now they miss a travel and call Funderburk for his fourth foul ...
And FSU takes the lead 36-35 ...
It's an 11-3 Seminoles run to start the second half. FSU leads by three ...
And now four.
Keatts doesn't like the body language of his team and calls timeout ... FSU 41, State 37
FSU switching to a zone has really thrown the Wolfpack off. ...
But Daniels hits a 3 off a drive from Johnson. That's how you beat the zone ...
And now the TV timeout: Under 16: FSU 41, State 39
Hellems from in close and the Wolfpack has evened things up at 41 ...
Jericole Hellems scores between two FSU defenders
Jeremy Brevard/USAToday sports
Three fouls on Bates now ... FSU up by four ...
State has five fouls, FSU none. Complete opposite of the first half. Think Hamilton reminded the refs of the early disparity at halftime?
It's now 6-0 on the fouls ...
Beverly feeling it all of a sudden. Hits a two from the baseline and now a trey as he's fouled. He'll go to the line with play resumes to complete the four-point play ...
Under 12: FSU 49, State 46
Johnson gets hammered with no call and Keatts gets T-ed up ... he's got a legit beef ...
Williams makes both free throws and FSU gets the ball back. This one is getting away from the Wolfpack in a hurry ...
Now Bryce and FSU's MJ Walker go crashing to the floor with no call on either of them. Again, touch foul called at the other end ...
Keatts wants timeout ... FSU 57, State 48 with 8:08 left ... Keatts letting Lee Cassell have it during the timeout ...
Needless to say Cassell is not a popular guy in this building right now
Funderburk gets no arc whatsoever on his free throws. And yet, he makes 60 percent for the season. Not sure how, but they seem to go in ...
Ten team fouls on the Wolfpack now ...
Under 4 TV timeout: FSU 62, State 52
Funderburk fouls out, again on an incredibly soft call opposed to some of the stuff they've let go under the basket ...
State had it's chance. Daniels hit a 3 to cut it to seven. Then Hellems gets a steal, but State can't convert. The deficit is seven with 54 seconds left ...
And again, Johnson is hammered going to the basket with no call ... Johnson then called for the foul on the rebound ... his fifth.
But on the bright side. Fans at PNC get free chicken, since FSU has missed four straight free throws.
Daniels scores to make it 65-49 ... too little, too late. ...
Bad second half by everyone involved ...
Final: FSU 67, State 61
