3 Takeaways From FSU Basketball's Defensive Suffocation of Rice, 73-65

Florida State's defense shined in the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24 against Rice

Austin Veazey | Nov 9, 2024

Nov 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Rice Owls guard Jacob Dar (5) controls the ball as Florida State Seminoles guard Daquan Davis (5) defends during the first half at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Florida State's second game of the season came in Houston against Rice in the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24. It was a chance to continue the defensive momentum they established against Northern Kentucky while hopefully finding a little more offense.

To say the offense was lackluster in the first half would be an understatement. Both teams had a stretch of at least six minutes with a made field goal, including the period between the under-eight and under-four media timeouts where not a single point was scored by either team.

Jamir Watkins had 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the game and FSU started the game 10/13 from the field, but the offense would die off for them after that, hitting just one of their final 11 shots of the half. Watkins was also weirdly shaky from the free throw line, going 4/9 in the opening half. Luckily, FSU's defense was on something special in the first 20 minutes.

Florida State held Rice to 23 points on 8/23 shooting from the floor (34.8%), 2/7 from three (28.6%), and forced 13 turnovers in the first half. Despite some fouling issues, Rice wasn't able to take advantage of it, going just 5/11 from the free-throw line. FSU led 33-23 at halftime, but it could've been a much bigger lead had the offense not died off.

Rice came out firing to start the second half with three straight three-pointers, two by Alem Huseinovic, to cut FSU's lead to one in the opening minutes of the second half.

Florida State responded by getting Malique Ewin more touches in the post, leading to mixed results. He made his first basket of the season and got to the free-throw line, but he also turned it over. FSU's defense just kept leaving Huseinovic open, and he knocked down his third triple of the half to keep Rice in the game.

The fouling issues that plagued FSU in the first half continued into the second half, as Rice was in the bonus before the under-12 timeout. Rice's defense was also doing a better job of keeping the ball out of Jamir Watkins' hands, who didn't attempt a shot until he went to the free-throw line at about the 11-minute mark.

Watkins started getting involved more after that, hitting a three and converting an and-one to open the lead back up to nine for the Seminoles. But Rice kept hanging around as FSU really struggled to get consistent offense and got the lead back down to four with six minutes to go.

Three straight points by Daquan Davis with a free throw and a made tip-in got the lead back up to seven, then Jamir Watkins hit two free throws to get the lead back up to nine with 5:06 remaining.

Florida State would control the rest of the game, keeping Rice's offense from getting easy looks and getting to the basket on the other end, either getting to the line or finishing at the rim. The Seminoles would go on to win 73-65.

Jamir Watkins led all scorers with 30 points, but had a strangely shaky game at the free-throw line, going 14/22. Malique Ewin was held scoreless in the first half, but ended up with 11 points, seven rebounds, and showed off his passing more than his two assists would indicate.

FSU's defense was the real story, outside of the fouling, as they forced 17 turnovers and held Rice to 35.8% shooting from the floor. Here are three takeaways from this win.

1. Jamir Watkins Needs a Consistent Second Scorer

Outside of a spotty night from the free-throw line, Jamir Watkins was Jamir Watkins, carrying the offense with 30 points. If they could've had someone else step up earlier, this could've been a much bigger margin than it was. They'll need a second scorer to step up every night to help Watkins out.

2. FSU's Defense Is Fun

Florida State forced 13 first-half Rice turnovers (17 for the game) and held the Owls to 35.8% shooting from the floor for the game. There's one big issue they need to work out, which we'll talk about next, but they just fly around the court.

3. Florida State has to Get the Fouling Under Control

Part of Coach Hamilton's system involves having depth in case of fouls but also having an aggressive defense that can lead to such fouls. They really need to quit with the silly ones, though. Rice was in the bonus early on in both halves, and that kept the pace down while Rice hung around. Forcing so many turnovers is great, but if they keep the foul rate up, they're going to drop games they aren't supposed to. They got lucky that Rice only made 19 of their 31 attempts. Otherwise, this could've been the game they dropped.

Florida State's next game will be on Tuesday night against Tarleton State in the Tucker Center.

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