NCAA Tournament: Noles defeat Colorado to advance to Sweet 16

No. 4 FSU basketball got a hard-fought 71-53 win against No. 5 seed Colorado to advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Noles will take on No. 1 seed Michigan in their next outing, and it’s the first time the Noles have reached the Sweet 16 since 2019.

FSU led for the majority of the game, playing tenacious defense and forcing Colorado to turn the ball over 10 times in the first half.

They only average 11 turnovers per game for the season. Anthony Polite led the Noles with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

The Noles led by four points at half after turning the ball over eight times in the first 10 minutes of the game. The turnovers and poor shot selection kept Colorado closer than they should have been.

There was only three free-throws shot in the first half(all by FSU), but the referees made up for it with plenty of whistles in the second half.

RaiQuan Gray and Malik Osborne had solid games, chipping in with seven and 11 points and 10 rebounds between them.

However, it was two Sadaar Calhoun dunks within a couple of minutes of each other that turned the tide in the second half as Colorado was making a game of it.

FSU’s defense held Colorado to 36 percent shooting overall, 25 percent from three-point land, and 19 turnovers.

The FSU offense, which looked lost and stagnant at times, shot 52 percent overall, 35 percent from three-point range, and finished the game with 13 turnovers before starters came out of the game. That means they only turned the ball over five times after the first 10 minutes in the game.

The defensive pressure, better shot selection, and taking care of the ball helped propel the Noles to the next round. I told folks Colorado’s shooting against Georgetown was an outlier, and the Noles would defend them much better.

FSU could be a dangerous team for Michigan, who had to come from behind to beat LSU Monday night.