Florida State basketball (10-12, 3-6 ACC) won its second straight ACC game with an 88-80 victory over the Stanford Cardinals (14-8, 3-6 ACC) on Saturday night.
We wrote how FSU was the better team in nearly every statistical category in the preview, aside from free throw and three-point shooting. Ironically, FSU, a team that usually fouls a lot on defense, only allowed Stanford to shoot nine free throws for the entire game. Stanford went 12 of 34 from three-point range, and its leading scorer got his, but everyone else was held in check.
Four Major Takeaways From The Win
FSU continues to shoot fewer three-pointers to maximize more offensive possessions. FSU only shot 23 three-pointers out of 53 total shots (43 percent). This adjustment coincides with what Luke Loucks said in his press conference after the California win. FSU has taken fewer than 50 percent of its shots from three-point range in all three ACC wins.
FSU had 38 points in the paint, while shooting 55 percent from the floor overall. We wrote about FSU taking the ball to the rim more(and making their free throws when they do it). FSU made 23 of 29 free throw attempts.
FSU only had nine turnovers on offense, but forced 11 turnovers with its defense, which resulted in 18 points. They had seven points in transition.
FSU lost the rebounding battle, especially on the offensive end. Stanford had 14 offensive rebounds and took 14 more offensive shots than FSU.
Parting Thoughts
FSU took another big lead into halftime, but didn’t play quite as well in the second half. Aside from the rebounding, FSU couldn’t ask for much more, except better three-point shooting. They took good shots, made free throws, didn’t turn the ball over much, and created offensive opportunities with their defense.
The team is playing with confidence and has another winnable game on the schedule when they travel to play Notre Dame next Saturday at 4 p.m. on the ACC Network.