FSU basketball must address sub-par play away from Tucker Center

No. 11 FSU basketball (15-5, 11-4 ACC) lost a chance to win their second consecutive outright ACC Regular Season Title with Saturday’s loss against Notre Dame.

The Noles went into the game as seven-point favorites, and that was an immediate red flag for me as I wrote in the preview.

However, oddsmakers knew FSU basketball is a different team when not playing on their home court.

The Noles are almost unbeatable inside the Tucker Center, only losing something like four games over the past few years.

A prime example is this season, as four of their five losses have been road losses against inferior competition.

The Noles have road losses against Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame. None of those teams are close to being elite and are teams FSU shouldn’t lose against nowadays.

The Noles beat three of the four at home, but the road losses were games where FSU appeared to be a different team.

The difference is nearly immediate, and FSU basketball fans can tell which team has shown up in the first five minutes of the game.

If fans have to guess which team is going to show up? How good is that team? FSU basketball will not have the benefit of playing in the Tucker Center anymore this season.

All of the ACC Tournament games will be in North Carolina, and the NCAA Tournament games will take place away from the Tucker Center. away from the Tucker Center as well. Is FSU basketball talented enough to compete for a National Title?

Absolutely. However, FSU does not play with consistent energy, and it has cost them several times this season. Energy and effort are two things they can control, and it’s frustrating they have not been able to play with the same intensity and effort as they have against ranked teams.

FSU better find a way to address this issue, and quickly, or they may not win the ACC Tournament or get past the Sweet 16.