FSU basketball: Reaction to ‘Noles win against Syracuse
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU basketball needed a win against Syracuse at home to keep pace with the leaders in the ACC. We discuss the ugly but gritty win.
No. 8 FSU basketball (21-4, 11-3 ACC) took an 80-77 win over the Syracuse Orange (14-11, 7-7 ACC) Saturday afternoon.
The win was ugly but impressive at the same time as the Noles played without leading scorer Devin Vassell for reasons unknown as he isn’t injured.
FSU was led by Patrick Williams and M.J. Walker with 17 and 16 points respectively. Walker was 5 of 9 from three-point land.
The Noles dominated the boards, finishing +18 overall and +10 on the offensive side of things. Overall FSU shot it 43 percent while connecting at a 44 percent clip from three-point land.
However, they had 18 turnovers, often Trent Forrest dribbling out of control as he had six turnovers himself.
Defensively, the Noles continue to struggle as they allowed too many easy baskets down the stretch. Syracuse shot 44 percent overall, but were just 7 of 25 from three-point land.
Thoughts
This game was way too close for comfort as the Noles should have blown this Syracuse team out even without Vassell. They lead 41-33 at the half and stretched the lead out to 11 points with about 12 minutes remaining.
FSU relaxed and Syracuse went on a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to tie the game at 59-59. The Orange built a four-point lead on a couple of occasions, but an M.J. Walker three-point and one foul was the turning point with 2:36 remaining.
Some crucial free throws from RaiQuan Gray and Trent Forrest sealed the win for the Noles.
Some fans on social media were critical of Leonard Hamilton’s decision to not play Devin Vassell. I like he stuck to his guns and didn’t play him for whatever the reason was. That’s how you keep the culture of the team intact. No player is bigger than the team, and nothing proves that more than getting a win without him playing.
Next. Projecting FSU Defensive End Depth in 2020. dark
FSU basketball will look to avenge their first loss of the season when they host Pittsburgh Tuesday at 8 p.m. with the game airing on the ACC Network.