Florida State Basketball (8-4, 0-2) will have to wait until next year to earn its first ACC victory after losing 90-76 to Louisville SATURDAY.
This is the first time since the 2017-18 season that FSU has lost to Louisville at Donald L. Tucker Center.
The Seminoles struggled to keep up with the Cardinals’ three-point shooting. Louisville shot 53.7 percent from the field and 51.7 percent from behind the arc.
FSU tried to keep the game close throughout in front of a crowd of 4,383, but couldn’t do enough to stop the onslaught from behind the arc.
“I hope we learn a lot from this game about how to prepare, against any ACC opponent,” the FSU coach said. Leonard Hamilton said.
“I think every team is capable of having nights like this. From a defensive standpoint, we have to control that. I thought tonight we didn’t do enough of a job controlling the defensive end of the land.”
Here are the points to remember.
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FSU was in trouble early in the first half
It was a rough start for FSU. As the Seminoles missed shots, the Cardinals continued to attack. Louisville led 16-5 in the first five minutes after an 11-0 run.
Throughout the first half, the Seminoles played catch-up while trying to keep the game within single digits. The Seminoles eventually caught up to the Cardinals before heading to the lockers.
An AJ Swinton steal and Jamir Watkins dunk ended the half with the Seminoles trailing just 36-34.
“We’ve made some adjustments, but that shouldn’t be the case,” Hamilton said. “It’s a bad sign when you dig a hole.”
Louisville was too hot behind the arc
FSU came into this game as the best defender among the 3. However, that didn’t stop the Cardinals from making attempts despite being ranked as one of the worst three-point teams in the standings. ACC.
The Cardinals were aggressive shooters, especially behind the arc. Louisville started the second half going 8 for 11 from three-point range and shooting 51.7 percent the entire game.
“I thought they did a good job playing to their strength than us,” Hamilton said.
“I thought they did a good job of being patient, spreading the floor, knowing that we were the No. 1 three-point defensive team in the league. I thought they did a good job of playing for who they were.”
Most of the three-pointers came from the wing. It also put Louisville back in double figures for the first five minutes as FSU trailed 53-43.
The Seminoles kept the game close and even cut the lead to one. Louisville’s three-point shooting, taking an open shot from behind the arc, continued to hurt FSU’s momentum.
The Cardinals had their biggest lead of the night after the final corner three-pointer, which put them up 70-58. Reyne Smith was the leading scorer with 27 points and finished 6 of 9 from behind the arc.
The Cardinals also took better care of the basketball, recording 18 assists and seven turnovers.
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Jamir Watkins has a strong second half
Watkins turned in a solid shooting performance while trying to carry the Seminoles, hoping to at least get a come-from-behind victory. However, it still wasn’t enough.
Watkins was in offensive rhythm in the second half, leading to a 25-point performance. After scoring just eight points in the first half, he shot 6 of 7 from the field in the second half, including 3 of 4 from 3.
Watkins shot 9 of 15 from behind the arc throughout the game. He also added three rebounds and three assists.
The Cardinals kept the 6-foot-7 forward from committing fouls and getting bonus points at the line. He was 3 for 4 on free throws. Malique Ewin was FSU’s second-leading scorer with 17 points.
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him by email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article was originally published on Tallahassee Democrat: What to remember from FSU basketball’s loss to Lousiville
