With UNC beating Virginia, the Seminoles needed to knock off the hottest team in the ACC in order to remain tied atop the conference standings. And they did just that, using suffocating defense to defeat the Hurricanes 64-59 in a 65 possession game. FSU (17-7, 8-2) held Miami (15-8, 6-4) to 5-23 (22%) shooting from deep, and forced turnovers on 23% of their possessions. The 0.91 points they scored per possession is the 2nd fewest since the return of center Reggie Johnson 14 games ago. FSU fronted Johnson all game, even out beyond 15', and did a great job preventing him from ever touching the ball. He scored a season low 4 points. Point guard Shane Larkin had arguably the worst game of his career, scoring 5 points on 1-9 shooting. He had one assist and two turnovers.

The game was close in the final minutes because of missed FTs. FSU made 5-9 down the stretch, and missed the front end of a 1-and-1. But the defense was elite, forcing Miami to burn clock and put up contested shots.

FSU's offense was plagued by careless turnovers (24.6%, right about their season average) including 7 from Bernard James. Still, the Noles were able to take advantage of Reggie Johnson's immobility by pounding the ball in to James, as Johnson doesn't have the quickness to play in front of James. Bernard scored 18 points and added six boards and four blocks. Michael Snaer (12) and Ian Miller (11) were also in double figures, and Luke Loucks played an exceptional game on both ends of the floor. He finished with 7 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 0 turnovers.

FSU gets to stay home, where they're 5-0 in the ACC, to take on Virginia Tech on Thursday.

A hot shooting Boston College combined with a poorly focused Florida State ended FSU's longest ever ACC win streak at 7 games. Though FSU (16-7, 7-2) is still tied atop the conference standings. But now the competition gets stiffer. In come the Miami Hurricanes (15-7, 6-3) who are on a winning streak of their own. They've won 5-straight ACC games, a first, and appear on their way to their first ever winning ACC season.

The Canes are led by first year head coach Jim Larranaga. In my evaluation of his hiring, I finished with this statement:

Should Larranaga improve Miami to a top-50 defense they’ll be playing in the NCAA Tournament 11 months from now.

Miami didn't play defense under Frank Haith. Last season they were 99th. This year they're 65th. Which means, according to my prediction, they should be a bubble team. The reality? They're a bubble team.

The important thing to note is that Reggie Johnson - who rivals Tyler Zeller as the best center in the ACC - missed the first nine games due to offseason knee surgery. And DeQuan Jones missed the first ten due to an investigation into whether or not his family got paid during his recruitment. Both of those players are back, and both are key to Miami's continuing improvement on the defensive end. They have a decent chance to finish the season among the nation's top-50 defenses. If you limit their season to just conference games (after the players returned) then Miami is 4th, behind Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina. During Miami's 5-game winning streak the only team to score more than a point per possession against them is Duke (1.01), and the Blue Devils have the best offense in the conference.

In short, this defense presents a big challenge for Florida State.

Continue reading this post »

In preparation for tomorrow's huge game with Miami, we spoke with the guys over at Category 6, an excellent blog covering the Hurricanes. Check the links below this story to find more coverage of the game, including a film breakdown of Miami's offense, and of course our answers to their questions. As always, the preview and game thread will come two hours before tip.

Coach Larranaga has done an excellent job this season. Miami has been shorthanded for a good part of the year due to injuries/suspensions, etc. Other then the NC State game, the 'Canes has played with great effort in every contest. Coach L often says something to the bench that draws big laughs, but also appears to know when to be firm. Turnovers are down this year, execution on both ends is improved (impressive considering a new system) and the team seems to come out of timeouts more focused. With Coach L extended now through 2019 we expect him to continue to bring energy to the program, and hopefully take the 'Canes to the next level. We hope winning at Duke is a sign of things to come.

Continue reading this post »

FSU's 1st ever 7-game conference winning streak ended tonight against one of three teams tied in the conference cellar. Boston College made 10-22 3s and 16-23 FTs to beat FSU 64-60. Jordan Daniels and Lonnie Jackson combined to make 7-12 3s, and dribble penetration by the Eagles pushed FSU's defense into reaction mode all night.

On the offensive end, FSU's shots just didn't drop. The best 3-point shooting team in the ACC made only 5-20 from beyond the arc. Michael Snaer led FSU with 16 points, but made only 6-18 shots. Bernard James and Ian Miller each scored 12.

FSU now falls to 7-2 in conference play, with a huge game at home against the surging Miami Hurricanes on Sunday.