Florida State basketball has been very productive with first-year head coach Luke Loucks, as he has emphasized the importance of playing up-tempo and hitting perimeter shots.
The Seminoles head into Gainesville to play the arch-rival Florida Gators, who won the national championship last season. This was thought to be an uphill battle for Florida State, as they were double-digit underdogs on the road.
However, too much surprise, Florida State leads by a score of 40-37 at halftime. This has been an incredible showing by Coach Loucks and his squad.
FSU BASKETBALL MAKES ITS PRESENCE KNOWN
Even with Florida State winning, they have only connected on 12 of its 32 shots from the field (37.5%) and they are shooting 5-for-15 three-point range. This is where the Seminoles want to be in the ball game, where they are forcing Florida to play defense on an island.
Florida State has had a concerning trend where they are getting out rebounded by a margin of 28-14. However, that was to be expected with the Gators having talented big men. The biggest kryptonite for Florida has been the turnovers where they have 11.
Florida State has attacked the basket with 14 points in the paint and been the bigger aggressor. Forward Chauncey Wiggins is the leading scorer with 11 points and 3-6 from three-point range.
Forward Thomas Haugh is the Gators' leading scorer with 11 points. The Seminoles have to continue being the better defensive team and going for steals to make the Gators uncomfortable in their offensive sets. Overall, head coach Luke Loucks has to be happy with the team's performance.