Florida State’s home-court advantage wasn’t even close to enough, as NC State dominated in a 113 –69 blowout over the Noles. This loss set multiple records, all for the wrong reasons, including the most points the Seminoles have ever allowed in Tallahassee. Not to beat a man while he’s down, but the 44-point margin also marked NC State’s largest ACC road win in program history and tied its own program’s single-game record with 19 three-pointers.
FSU Buried Early by Offensive Breakdowns
I would like to say that FSU started strong and simply just fell off, but that would be a lie. The Noles were buried almost immediately, falling behind 11 –0 and trailing 56 –31 at half while shooting just 34.6 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Much of the struggle came from stagnant ball movement and poor spacing, as Florida State finished with only seven assists on 22 made baskets. NC State forced the Noles into contested jumpers and rushed possessions, and FSU didn’t find any real success in the paint until late in the first half.
Defensive Collapse and Lack of Response
Honestly, the Noles just looked completely outmatched on defense, as they allowed the Wolfpack to hit 19 threes and shoot 55% from the floor, never really finding an answer for the Wolfpack’s ball movement and screening action. One of the most glaring issues came on the glass, where FSU was dominated 44 –25 after entering the game as one of the ACC’s best rebounding groups.
I was not shocked to hear Luke Loucks say that he was “extremely surprised” by his team’s lack of urgency and failure to adjust. Florida State was outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game, and the loss only pushes the Seminoles further down in conference play, while increasing the pressure to respond. With Wake Forest coming up next weekend, the Noles need to regroup quickly if they want to regain any momentum.