Clemson vs Florida State Basketball Recap

Clemson 77, Florida State 67

Mid-February conference basketball is a lot like professional men's tennis: You have to hold serve at home. Clemson served up four aces, then, in a critical win over Florida State.

The Tigers - playing in the cozy confines of Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. - grabbed an absolutely essential victory to climb back to .500 in the ACC. This 10-point triumph over the visiting Seminoles creates a three-way logjam in the middle of the ACC standings. Clemson and FSU, along with Georgia Tech, amazingly share 17-7 overall records and 5-5 conference marks.

These three squads - tied for sixth place - are so tightly bunched at this point of the season that they won't eliminate an opponent or be eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration anytime soon. The razor-close quality of this competition for a March Madness guest pass does mean, however, that any slip-up will stand out like a sore thumb. Home-court losses are much more conspicuous than road defeats, and for that simple reason, it was far more important for Clemson to find the winner's circle in the Palmetto State.

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As mentioned earlier, Coach Oliver Purnell's Tigers found four aces in this service hold against Leonard Hamilton's FSU crew. Four Clemson players - David Potter (19 points), Andre Young (19), Devin Booker (14) and Trevor Booker (13) - scored in double figures for a team whose offense had been struggling in previous weeks. Clemson had been averaging just 60 points per game in its past five contests, and as a result, the Tigers lost four out of those five games. Wednesday against Florida State, the Tigers found more of a shooting touch. Potter hit 6 of 9 field goals while the two Bookers were 7 for 11 from the field. Add in the fact that the Tigers were much more effective in getting to the foul line (attempting 38 charity pitches to just 23 for the Seminoles), and the home team had a clearly-defined recipe for success.

Florida State displayed brief flashes of excellence, but this team from Tallahassee, Fla., could never sustain any momentum whatsoever. With poor shot selection and an alarming lack of shooting touch up and down the lineup, the Seminoles couldn't get a foothold on the floor. Their center, 7-foot-1 Nigerian bruiser Solomon Alabi, towered over anyone Clemson threw at him, but FSU's unintelligent guards did not make it a point to feed their post player on the low block or make lob passes when the Tigers were not in a position to offer weakside help.

Clemson had four aces, while Florida State's guards didn't know how to deal a winning hand. The patterns of tennis and the principles of poker both played a role in making the middle of the ACC even more muddled and uncertain. For this night, it's Clemson - not Florida State - who won't mind such a reality.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer