FSU Basketball Dominates UMass, 92-59, Best Start Since 2019-20

Three takeaways as FSU moves to 6-1 on the season

Austin Veazey | 3 Hours Ago

Uncasville, CT- Florida State Basketball Forward Malique Ewin reacts to a play against Massachusetts / Florida State Seminoles Athletics

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Florida State started the season 5-1 and needed a win against the UMass Minutemen to move to 6-1. UMass had already lost games to Hofstra and Temple, two teams that FSU had beaten, so this should've been an easy win on paper.

It was a solid start for FSU. UMass decided to go matchup zone for most of the game, and the Seminoles were doing a great job of getting the ball to the short corner and scoring out of that. By the third media timeout, the 'Noles had taken a nine-point lead.

After that, FSU went ICE cold, not making a field goal for the next seven minutes as UMass got themselves back in the game by getting to the free-throw line and playing good defense, even taking a one-point lead.

But Florida State responded to that run positively, with Jerry Deng and AJ Swinton knocking in three-pointers as they took a 37-27 lead into halftime.

The second half was ALL Florida State, using elite passing and defense to break the game open. That led to some frustration from UMass, including one played head-butting Taylor Bol Bowen after a bucket, leading to his ejection, and another flagrant foul on a fastbreak on UMass a few plays later.

FSU started the second half 10/11 from the floor, with the one miss being cleaned up by Ewin after a missed lob. UMass was 3/13 with three turnovers in that same time frame. That would be enough for them to coast the rest of the game and win 92-59.

As mentioned earlier, FSU's ball movement was great for most of the game, with 25 assists on 32 made baskets before the green team checked in for an assist rate of 78%. That's their best assist rate in a win since a win at Syracuse in 2019. That led to an elite performance from behind the arc on 9/18 shooting.

Malique Ewin was downright dominant in this game, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds on 7/10 shooting. We'll talk more about him later. Jamir Watkins was in double figures with 14 points, Jerry Deng joined him eventually with 10 points, and Justin Thomas had a strong second half with 10 points.

The real story was the defensive effort, especially when they weren't fouling. They held UMass to 31% from the floor, 12.5% from three, and forced 17 turnovers. This defense is the most connected it's been in years, and it shows. That's their best defensive performance since 2021.

Here are three takeaways from this game.

1. Malique Ewin Has A Chance to Be the Best Big in the ACC

Malique Ewin's skill set is just special, and it's hard to explain it if you're not watching every possession from him. His offensive tools are just rare, between his footwork and passing. When the shots are falling, he really is a handful. He still has a way to go defensively and on the glass, and we'd like to see him be this good against stronger competition, but he has a chance to be elite.

2. I Was Wrong About Justin Thomas

When Justin Thomas first committed to Florida State over the summer, I truly didn't understand the take. This is his fifth different stop (Queens University, JUCO, Milwaukee, UTSA), and he never stood out anywhere. But he's been rock solid for this team, bringing good athleticism and length, a strong three-point shot, and consistent hard work.

3. When the Ball is Moving Like This, Good Luck Guarding FSU

Florida State's ball movement was elite for 85% of this game. When FSU is sharing the ball like this and not solely relying on Jamir Watkins, they're a hard team to guard. It's an unselfish group, and that was shown by their 25 assists on 33 made field goals on Sunday. As they get more comfortable playing with each other, it will only get better.

Florida State has a quick turnaround before playing Western Carolina in Tallahassee on Tuesday.

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