RECAP: FSU Basketball Comes Up Short To Virginia In Tallahassee
Virginia extends their winning streak to eight as Florida State just couldn't get stops for the second time in the last eight days.
Any time you go up against Virginia, you'll have your hands full with a patient offense and a tough defense. Florida State's defense was impatient and not communicating and it allowed Virginia to get any shot they wanted.
The Cavaliers started hot, going up 18-8 in the first few minutes, and holding a lead of about 8 points for the majority of the first half. Isaac McKneely and Andrew Rohde were hitting timely 3s and Reece Beekman was on fire. Florida State was able to battle back to get within 2 before the half ended, but Virginia's offense was too methodical, taking advantage of the Seminoles' aggressive defense and getting wide open looks. By the end of the first half, Virginia took a 34-30 lead.
The second half was more of the same. Virginia would get the lead up to 10 or 12, Florida State would fight back to get it within a couple of possessions. Chandler Jackson and Jamir Watkins made huge plays down the stretch to make it a game again. Despite Virginia leading by 12 at the final media timeout, FSU chipped away to make it a 4-point game with 1:11 left. McKneely responded with a huge 3 to essentially push the game out of reach. But a minute later, Darin Green Jr. hit an and-one to bring it to 2 with 11 seconds left. If the Seminoles could get a lucky break on free throws, who knows what could happen?
Except Virginia got the job done at the line on their next two trips and Florida State fell 80-76.
In a strange space, the offense was borderline elite this game, outside of 3-point shooting. 51.% shooting overall, 71% on 2s, and 1.288 points per possession on one of the best defenses in the country is phenomenal. But the defense was so lackluster, forcing just 8 turnovers and allowing Virginia to shoot 10/18 from behind the line and 50% overall from the floor. Communication was constantly breaking down and guys over-helping late in the shot clock wasn't doing them any favors. If you had told me FSU would score 76 points on good efficiency and make 26 of 33 free throws, I would've thought they'd blown UVA out. But to allow UVA to score 80 points on 1.356 points per possession is a tough pill to swallow.
Jamir Watkins was great with his scoring: 21 points, including 11/12 from the line, and 2 steals. I thought he needed to do a little more as a passer, but I'm not going to argue with 21 points.
Chandler Jackson returned to the lineup after missing the last two games to score a career-high 17 points on 7/9 shooting from the floor and 5 rebounds. He was also a team-high +8 when no one else on the team was better than +2. On a night when every other Florida State shooting guard was playing horribly (more on this later), he came through in a big way and almost took FSU over the top.
No one else really stood out in a big way for FSU, at least positively. Cam Corhen and Baba Miller each had 8 points, but they also had a combined 4 rebounds. The off-guards were just a mess tonight. Between Darin Green Jr, Josh Nickelberry, and Primo Spears, they were a combined 3-13 for 7 points and 1 assist. Each of them was a -5 or worse in the plus/minus as they just couldn't get it done on the defensive end. If one of them steps up and plays solid, FSU wins this game.
For Virginia, Isaac McKneely was on a heater: 29 points on the back of a 5/7 3-point display and an 8/9 free throw performance. He was left wide open way too often and he made FSU pay, credit to him. Reece Beekman hit some incredibly tough shots on his way to 21 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Jacob Groves hit two 3s as a stretch big on his way to 10 points, but it was really the McKneely and Beekman show.
Next up, FSU travels to the Commonwealth State to play Virginia Tech on Tuesday at 9 pm.
READ MORE: FAMU Football Officially Adds Two More Former FSU Football Players
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