NCAA Tournament First Round Recap - Florida State vs Gonzaga

 (8) Gonzaga 67, (9) Florida State 60

 
Gonzaga (26-6. 12-2 WCC) was not the first mid-major team to capture the nation’s attention during its 1999 NCAA Tournament run.  Nor was that season the Bulldogs’ first Big Dance.  However, that tourney run may well have changed the face of college basketball forever, at least in terms of the respect that is given to mid-major programs.  In fact, some now bristle at the notion of Gonazga as a mid-major.  The Zags became a high-major-type mid-major team in prior and subsequent years by demonstrating that they were not a flash in the pan, as other teams have been (looking at you, UNLV, UMass, Kent State, and George Mason).
 
Gonzaga has turned a small Jesuit college in Spokane, Washington, into a basketball powerhouse, despite its mid-major conference status.  The Zags have done it by aggressively scheduling big-time non-conference games and by winning games in the NCAA Tournament.  However, their Elite Eight run as a 10 seed in the 1999 tourney has been the high point.  The following year, the Zags made the Sweet 16 as a 10 seed.  In 2001, they made the field as a 12 seed and managed another trip to the Sweet 16.  As Gonzaga has gained respect, its seeding has generally improved, yet the results have diminished since the 2001 tournament.  Since then, Gonzaga has been knocked out four times in the first round.  Three other years, the Bulldogs did not make it past the first weekend, despite being seeded as a 2 or a 3 for two of those tournaments.  Gonzaga is no longer the hunter, but the hunted.   
 
Florida State (22-9, 10-6 ACC), on the other hand, has been a mid-major caliber program in a high-major conference.  Once almost assured of playing in the ACC tourney’s play-in game (as either the last-place or second-to-last team prior to ACC expansion), the Seminoles have become somewhat relevant under coach Leonard Hamilton.  Last year, FSU’s best team in a generation earned a 5 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, but lost to Wisconsin in a heartbreaker on a last-second shot.  Offensive playmaker Toney Douglass took his considerable skill to the NBA, and FSU has struggled to replace his offensive production.  Douglass was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well in 2009, but the ‘Noles have continued to play defense at a high level, leading the nation in opponents’ field goal percentage.
 
True to form, FSU struggled on offense against Gonzaga.  The Seminoles’ outside shooting never got going, and Gonzaga’s considerable inside size prevented FSU from working the ball inside.  The fact that FSU struggled offensively was not unexpected.  FSU has had difficulty scoring all year long against good competition, but FSU has won games by playing tenacious defense, especially by creating turnovers and blocking shots.

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Gonzaga turned the storyline on its head by attacking the vaunted FSU defense head-on.  Florida State had one poor defensive game all year, giving up 88 points to North Carolina State in January.  The Wolfpack scored big by going crazy from the outside.  Scott Wood had the game of his career and hit 7 of 11 3-point attempts, putting up 31 points overall.  The Wolfpack also scored 29 points from the free throw line.  Florida State, in other words, was not dominated athletically. 

During the first half of today’s game, though, Gonzaga dominated Florida State’s defense, showing superior inside footwork and outside shooting.  Gonzaga’s backup center Robert Sacre consistently got the better of his FSU counterpart, Solomon Alabi, who finished second in voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year behind his teammate, Chris Singleton.  In the first half, FSU was only 21.4 % from the floor in the first half while Gonzaga shot 52.2 %, and the Zags led 35-19 at the break.
 
In the second half, FSU finally began to get it together on offense.  The defense also created more turnovers and forced some bad shots, allowing FSU to creep back into contention.  A Deividus Dulkys three-pointer with 2:21 to go in the game brought the ‘Noles within four at 59-55.  However, after an FSU rebound, Michael Snaer missed two free throws that could have brought the Noles within two.  FSU has had issues from the free throw line all year, with its best free throw shooter being their 7’1” defensive-minded center, Solomon Alabi.  While FSU was able to make it a game, Gonzaga held on to win despite a lackluster second half.

 
WHAT’S NEXT

On Sunday, No. 8 seed Gonzaga will play the winner of the game between No. 1 seed Syracuse and No. 16 seed Vermont.





By: John Cary
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer