Going into Saturday’s game with Virginia Tech, the Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball team seemed to be on the verge of imploding. Whether that is the case going forward, the Seminoles certainly folded at the end and fell to the Hokies 83-73 in Blacksburg, Virginia.
After three disappointing losses to Syracuse, Miami and Georgia Tech, fans and analysts pointed to the need to come out strong defeat Virginia Tech or risk a total collapse. They accomplished only one of those goals.
The Miami loss stemmed from late game offensive execution while the Georgia Tech debacle stemmed from effort. Saturday’s defeat can be traced to late game defense and the Hokies ability to make shots.
Florida State had a 10-point lead less than six minutes into the game. They maintained their lead and took a45-37 advantage into the locker room.
The Seminoles answered every second half challenge and led 64-58 with 8:51 to play. Virginia Tech increased the pressure, made some shots and closed the game on a 25-9 run.
Dwayne Bacon overcame his lackluster performance in the Georgia Tech game to lead Florida State in scoring with 22 points. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 14 points while Malik Beasley and Boris Bojanovsky had 11 each.
Seth Allen was unstoppable for the Hokies. He had 23 points off the bench on seven of 11 shooting, including several clutch three-pointers in the second half. Four Virginia Tech starters finished in double figures, but Allen stole the show.
This game will certainly have some in Seminole nation calling for Coach Leonard Hamilton’s ouster. With the loss, the Seminoles fell to 16-11 on the season, including 6-9 in the ACC.
More efforts like the Georgia Tech game would make it difficult to beat anyone. Even with a good effort, their confidence down the stretch is low.
It does not get any easier. They travel to No. 20 Duke on Thursday, and then host No. 19 Notre Dame next Saturday.
