FSU Basketball Recap: Noles Down NC State to Keep Home Streak Alive

FSU basketball demolished the NC State Wolfpack, winning their 19th home game in a row in the process.

I was just off. I said that FSU basketball would be able to score over 100 points for the second game in a row against the NC State Wolfpack. Turns out, they could only get to 95. Fire Ham? In all seriousness, the Seminoles dominated from start to finish. The final score read 95 – 71 Florida State, and the game never remotely felt that close.

Credit FSU for stifling future top five NBA draft pick Dennis Smith Jr. They held Smith to 8 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds, on 4-of-8 shooting. Considering that he averages over 21 per game, it was quite the feat by the home team.

As a whole, the Wolfpack shot 47 percent from the floor. They turned the ball over 11 times, missed 7 of their 17 free-throws, and made just 5 three-pointers. It appeared like they didn’t want to be there. And by the way they defended, that might actually be the case.

The Seminoles shot 49 percent from the floor, made 7 threes, and only turned the ball over 7 times. There’s not much to take out of this game. The better team swiftly dismantled a greatly inferior foe. Barring an explosion from Smith, NC State didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately for them, it never came.

Time for some hardware.

Player of the Game

Jonathan Isaac set the tone early for FSU basketball. His 17 points in the first half gave his team a lead that would prove insurmountable. He finished the game with 21 points on just 10 shot attempts (his efficiency is straight up eerie), 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. Isaac also went 8-for-11 from the foul line. Just a great night all around from the freshman superstar. In a game that featured two highly-touted NBA Draft prospects, it was Isaac who shone brighter.

Honorable mention goes to Terrance Mann. The sophomore forward finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Michael Ojo also deserves credit. Ojo had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. (How porous is NC State’s defense if even Ojo was dishing dimes?) Finally, Dwayne Bacon gets a shout too. Bake finished with 19 points and 9 boards, with a couple of threes and a couple of steals. Solid nights from so many different guys.

Ryan Reid Unsung Hero Award

Xavier Rathan-Mayes. He had a quiet night in the statistical sense, finishing with just 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. However, his defense was at the forefront of Smith Jr’s slow night. Mayes did a great job of moving his feet and not letting Smith get into gaps, something he is so adept at doing.

Mayes is a fourth-year player. Though he is just a junior, I have a feeling this is the last we see of him in a FSU basketball jersey. If that is the case, I just want to say that it’s been great to watch him progress as a player. Despite the fact that he never became the three-point shooter we all expected, he’s been great in so many other areas.

Mayes was the team’s best scorer as a redshirt-freshman. (Probably more of an indictment of how bad that team was.) Since then, he’s had to adjust to being more of a floor general and distributor and is now quite the point guard. He deserves all the credit in the world. Good on you, X.

Highlights

Here’s Isaac being a freak.

Here’s Bake being a man.

And here’s Christ Koumadje trying to tear a rim down.

Up Next

FSU basketball travels to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish have lost four of their last five games, but this is still a tough matchup for the Seminoles. ACC road game against a team you barely beat at home, looking for some payback? Not feeling great about it.

Check back with us on Saturday for our preview and Go ‘Noles!