Leonard Hamilton gets ACC win No. 200 in upset win over SMU in final game at the Tuck

FSU basketball (17-14, 8-12 ACC) pulled a 76-69 upset win over SMU (22-9, 13-7) to secure ACC win No. 200 for Leonard Hamilton in his final game in the Tucker Center.

Hamilton was denied win No. 200 in his last four games, but the return of Malique Ewin to the lineup was a major difference-maker for the Noles. Ewin got hurt in the North Carolina game with a foot injury and missed the last two. However, he had a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds, and Jamir Watkins chimed in with 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Noles past the Mustangs.

FSU led 33-32 at halftime, shot 48 percent overall, and made 6 of 19 three-pointers. They made 18 of 23 free throws and forced 14 turnovers.

The story of the game was that FSU held SMU to only 69 points, which is 12 points below their season average. SMU only shot 41 percent overall and 7 of 24 from three-point range.

FSU has struggled with high-scoring teams, especially with teams who shoot the three-pointer well. FSU showed a lot of poise down the stretch in the second half.

SMU only trailed 65-63 with 4:04 remaining but scored on back-to-back possessions, including a huge three-pointer from Taylor Bol Bowen to push the lead to 70-63 with 3:01 remaining. SMU never got closer than a five-point deficit as the Noles closed it.

It's such a fitting end for Leonard Hamilton in the Tucker Center. He had a ton of former players and several teammates from his UT-Martin team in attendance.

Hamilton broke the color barrier at UT-Martin over 50 years ago.

FSU will play in the ACC Tournament, but Hamilton finishes with 460 wins, 295 losses (.609 winning percentage) at FSU. That is outstanding for a school that's known as a football school, and the ACC was the premier college basketball conference for most of his tenure.