FSU falls at Syracuse, 70-57

Two of the worst outside shooting teams in the nation faced off in Syracuse, setting the stage for a first-to-50 grinder. So when Syracuse made four of their first five 3-point shots, it seemed a safe bet that they would cool off. But it didn't happen. The Orange made 10-17 3-pointers and won comfortably, 70-57.

Florida State, for their part, shot worse than normal, making just 2-16 3s. Still, with a little 2nd half defense and some solid play from point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes, the Noles were able to cut the lead into single digits multiple times down the stretch, but they couldn't get over the hump. Whether it was a missed jumper or a good interior stop by Syracuse, the Noles just couldn't ever cut the game down to five where they'd have a shot. And whenever Syracuse needed an answer, they went to junior Trevor Cooney, who made 7-11 3s.

Much like NC State's upset of Duke earlier in the day, this was a "tip your cap" game. The 303rd ranked 3-point shooting team in the nation made 10-17 3s. Congratulate them and move on.

XRM led the Noles with 14 points. Most encouraging, he only turned the ball over twice against an elite defense. Boris Bojanovsky had 10 points and four blocks. Montay Brandon had nine points and a team best seven boards.

The trip to Syracuse was the first game of a brutal five game stretch for FSU. Up next is a road trip to Pittsburgh.