FSU basketball: Noles steal win against Wake Forest in overtime

No. 17 FSU basketball (11-3, 7-2 ACC) allowed Wake Forest (6-9, 3-9 ACC) to light them up from beyond-the-arc but found a way to win 92-85 in overtime.

It was a back and forth game for much of the first half until the Noles separated themselves late to lead 41-31 at halftime.

It looked as though the Noles were going to put the Demon Deacons away as they went up 13 points early in the second half.

However, Wake Forest continued to bomb from long-range, ultimately making 13 of 27 three pointers, which is well above their seasonal average. Wake Forest also shot better overall than their season average against the Noles, which isn’t a great sign since FSU has struggled the most on the defensive side of the ball.

FSU basketball shot it well from three-point range, going 12 of 25, which may have been their saving grace since they couldn’t get stops against Wake Forest in regulation.

Anthony Polite returned to action, but Balsa Koprivica wasn’t available for the Noles. FSU’s Raiquan Gray led with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Scotties Barnes, Anthony Polite, and Malik Osborne chipped in with 13, 12, and 12 points.

Thoughts

A lot of FSU fans want to talk about the Noles coming off a two-week layoff, but that’s no excuse since they have been in a similar situation earlier in the season and played lights out against NC State. Not to mention Wake Forest is a worse team than NC State.

FSU continues to play down to their level of competition, and that’s not a sign of a great team. A win is a win, but the expectations for FSU basketball are not the same as they were years ago.

The Noles need to find ways to play better defense while taking better shots on offense. They’ll take on No. 9 Virginia Monday at 7 p.m. in a game that could decide the winner of the ACC regular season.