Some folks may have thought the win over Virginia Tech last week was a fluke. FSU basketball (14-13, 7-7 ACC) went to Clemson (20-8, 10-5 ACC) as +8.5 betting underdogs and won outright, continuing to gain momentum and turning heads over the past 10 games. The Noles are 7-3 over that span with a loss by one point, and two by three points.
We wrote about some of the changes that FSU had made over that time span earlier this week, and they continued much of that. One big difference was they shot the ball well from three-point land, making 42 percent (10 of 24), they only had 10 turnovers, and made 14 of 16 free throws (88 percent).
They shot 50 percent from the floor overall and held Clemson to only 38 percent shooting. FSU also won the points off turnovers battle, points in the paint, and fast break points battle. The only area Clemson had the advantage was on the offensive boards, but were only +1 rebound overall. FSU had six steals and five blocks.
Robert McCray led the way with 29 points and six rebounds. Lajae Jones has 13 points, two rebounds, and three blocks. FSU had eight guys to score overall.
FSU will need to win the ACC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, but can make some noise over the next four games. If FSU can win out over go 3-1 or better to end the regular-season, there’s a chance they could receive a first round bye. This team is playing with a lot of confidence and will be a tough out for anyone in the conference if they keep playing at this level.