A defensive battle on Monday night in Tallahassee went in favor of the No. 8 Florida State Seminoles, who used a critical stretch midway through the second half to defeat the UNC men’s basketball team by a score of 65-59.
The Tar Heels (10-12, 3-8 ACC) led by as many as eight points late in the first half, and overcame a one-point halftime deficit to take the lead back for the early portion of the second half. Florida State (19-3, 9-2 ACC) then took off on a 19-5 run over a span of 11 minutes on the game clock, taking control of the game for good.
The Seminoles grew that lead to as many as 10 points down the stretch, before holding off a spirited comeback attempt by UNC in the final minutes.
One big reason Florida State was able to pull away in the second half was suffocating defense, which forced UNC freshman point guard Cole Anthony into missing his final 12 shots of the night and held the Tar Heels without a made shot from the field during that 11-minute game-changing run.
Cole Anthony struggled mightily in UNC’s loss to No. 8 Florida State on Monday, scoring 16 points but making only five of his 22 shot attempts. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)
Anthony finished with a team-high 16 points, but converted on just five of his 22 total shots, while UNC shot an abysmal 31 percent from the floor—its second-worst percentage of the season.
Despite all that, head coach Roy Williams’ team still had a chance to steal a win at the end but could ultimately never pull closer than four points.
“Their defense was stronger than our offense,” Williams said. “They’re extremely athletic.
“We’re not the kind of club right now that can say my guy can whip your guy in the low post,” the coach added later. “We’ve had a lot of those guys in the past. We don’t have anybody like that now. Our shot selection was not as good as we wanted it to be. Had some good ones, but we missed three dunks in the first half.”
Graduate transfer Christian Keeling gave the Tar Heels an important 14 points off the bench on Monday, including six consecutive points in the final two minutes to keep UNC alive. Leaky Black also had 10 points to join Anthony and Keeling in double figures.
Perhaps the most shocking development of the night, however, was the ineffectiveness of UNC big men Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot–who had played huge roles during the 11-game stretch while Anthony was injured.
Against the Seminoles, Bacot had six points and Brooks had only five. They also combined for only 10 rebounds, as Florida State became just the fifth team to win the rebounding battle against UNC this season.
With the Tar Heels out of the NCAA Tournament picture at this point, they’re essentially playing for pride the rest of the way. Monday provided an opportunity to get a big-time road win against a top-10 opponent, but the bid fell short—sending UNC right back to the drawing board with the Duke game in Chapel Hill looming on Saturday.
“Yes, you get something out of every game—some good, some bad,” Williams told reporters afterwards. “And I think we got some good things out of this game. But also in the game of basketball there’s a winner and a loser.
“You’ve got to be able to have your kids feel like they’re gaining some,” he went on. “And I don’t know if our kids feel like we’re making any strides right now.”
Up Next:
UNC returns home for its next game, the first of two regular season clashes against the rival Duke Blue Devils–who are currently ranked No. 7 in the nation.
Game Notes:
- Florida State was led by 14 points apiece from senior guard Trent Forrest and freshman forward Patrick Williams.
- The Tar Heels are now 0-2 since Cole Anthony returned from a torn meniscus.
- UNC falls into a tie with Miami and Wake Forest for last place in the ACC standings with the loss.
- Senior guard Brandon Robinson did not play for the Tar Heels after suffering a sprained ankle in Saturday’s loss to Boston College.
Cover photo via Associated Press
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