FSU basketball: 3 takeaways from ‘Noles gritty OT win over Indiana

No. 20 FSU basketball maintains its dominance in the Tucker Center.

FSU basketball didn’t make it easy on themselves against Indiana Wednesday night, but winning when the games get ugly is a great trait to possess.

The Indiana game was expected to be close as the Noles were -3.5 betting favorites going into the contest. It was a close game throughout, with neither team building a lead larger than six or so with the Noles winning 69-67 in overtime.

MJ Walker led the Noles in scoring with 19 points in 41 minutes of action.

Balsa Koprivica and Raiquan Gray checked in with 12 points, and standout freshman Scottie Barnes had nine points, including the game-winner with under two seconds left.

The game went to overtime, but it should have been over in regulation as the Noles struggled on both ends of the court.

One thing that stood out was Indiana’s game experience on the season. It was their fifth game, compared to the second of the year for FSU basketball. They seemed to have better rhythm offensively, not to mention FSU lost a lot of their offensive production from last year’s team.

FSU struggled on defense defending the pick and roll and allowed Indiana to penetrate way too much. However, for all the things that didn’t go their way, the Noles found a way to win despite hurting themselves and a few costly calls from the referees.

3 Takeaways from the Game

• • Free Throws-The game would have never gone to overtime if FSU could make free throws as they missed 11 on the night. Raiquan Gray and Anthony Polite had six of the misses, and Scottie Barnes missed two more.
  • Limited Turnovers-This is an area that likely saved FSU from getting rolled. Indiana was playing physical defense, yet the Noles only had 10 turnovers in a game that went into overtime. They forced 14 turnovers but struggled to convert those into points, which is something they need to improve on.
  • Offensively-It’s obvious the players on the team are still trying to find their roles. There was some uncertainty at times, and other times players were taking shots they had no business taking. This offense should get better with more experience playing together.

Final Thoughts

It was a game they easily could have lost, and quite frankly, I’m surprised they pulled it out after Indiana went up three points early in overtime. A lot of fans were critical of Scottie Barnes before he made a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 65-65, and obviously, he made the game-winner.

I understand FSU basketball fans are not used to having such a high-profile freshman, but it was only his second college game ever. He’s adjusting to the speed and size difference from high school while trying to discover his role on the team.

He’s playing excellent on-the-ball defense and finished with four steals. He’s a player than can impact much more than scoring, and I suspect he’ll find his niche and excel fairly quickly after hitting those big shots in overtime.