Florida State vs Virginia Basketball Recap

Florida State 69, Virginia 50

This is the time of year when certain teams make their move, and other teams watch their NCAA Tournament hopes die. Florida State decided on Wednesday night that it wants a ticket in the field of 65, while Virginia - though an overachiever this season - will have to settle for the NIT.

That's the plain two-pronged reality in the Atlantic Coast Conference after Leonard Hamilton's souped-up Seminoles battered Tony Bennett's cratering Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. The 19-point knockout ended any at-large aspirations for a Virginia team that will have to somehow win the ACC Tournament in order to hear its name called on Selection Sunday. In the meantime, a Florida State squad that had been markedly inconsistent for most of this ACC season suddenly found a fabulous formula for success.

One of the key metrics by which to evaluate Florida State is its turnover count. The Noles entered this contest with the worst turnovers per game average in the ACC, at 16.6 per game. (Georgia Tech was second at 16.5.) A young team with only one senior and one junior has been slowly - and not always successfully - learning how to execute in halfcourt sets while displaying good ball security and wise shot selection. FSU owns a considerable amount of size in the paint with 7-foot-1 center Solomon Alabi, banger Ryan Reid, and agile wing Chris Singleton, but that frontline power has often been wasted because of an inability to make good decisions on the perimeter and feed the ball to proper spots on the low block. Hamilton and the rest of the Seminole coaching staff were waiting for a game in which everyone in Garnet and Gold would make better, more prudent decisions with the basketball, and sure enough, this was the night when things seemed to click for Florida State.

The Seminoles had a seminal night at the office... well, at least in terms of the tormenting topic of turnovers. FSU committed just 10 giveaways, as point guard Derwin Kitchen played a turnover-free 31 minutes. Because FSU didn't give up the rock, its taller and longer assortment of athletes were able to play this game over the top of Virginia's undersized defenders. As a result, the Noles shot 50 percent (28 of 56) from the field. As a result, FSU established its inside game, as Reid, Singleton, and reserve center Xavier Gibson all scored at least 10 points.

> Check out a great selection of Florida State Apparel & Merchandise!

Because Florida State proved to be so formidable inside, Virginia - which looked body-snatched all night long and never seemed to get into the flow of this contest - had to collapse on defense. This, in turn, allowed FSU to selectively (not randomly) pick its spots on the perimeter and hit 50 percent of its 3-point shots (7 of 14 for the evening). Everything came together for the visitors from the Sunshine State, who went into the Commonwealth of Virginia and snagged what could well be the most significant win of their season.

FSU now gets a week off to prepare for a trip to North Carolina. If the Noles can win that road game, they'll go to 8-5 in the ACC with just one road game left on their schedule, at Miami on March 6.

Things are looking up for a Seminole squad that finally solved the turnover bug. Virginia - still far better than anyone expected in November - must nevertheless accept the reality of an NIT bid and the death of its at-large NCAA dreams.

This was not just another night in the ACC. Postseason destinations are emerging before our eyes.



By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer