FSU Basketball: 3 reasons Noles can beat Duke in ACC Tournament
By Kelvin Hunt
Multi-Faceted Offense
I know this sounds ridiculous to say but FSU really does have an offense that can beat teams in a lot of different ways.
The Noles shoot the three ball well enough you have to respect it, but they also have players that can take it to the rack which opens things up too.
One thing that’s most improved for the Noles compared to previous years is their ability to convert at the free throw line.
The Noles are converting nearly 75 percent of their free throws compared to just 68 percent a year ago.
The key to the FSU offense is merely not settling for jump shots. Their shot selection has been questionable at times this season, but they are tough to defend when they show patience and take good shots.
That wasn’t the case in their first matchup with Duke. In fact, the Noles played poorly in the first half of that game and still led 39-38 at halftime prior to Zion Williamson leaving the game with an eye injury.
FSU pounded Duke inside with lob dunks, but simply had too many turnovers (17) overcome with Duke shooting 11 of 24 from beyond the arc.
FSU basketball only shot 40 percent from the floor and Duke shot the ball well above their three-point average for the season similar to how Virginia did in their first matchup. I don’t expect that to happen Friday night.