For the second straight year, Florida State is THE game for Carolina.
Last February, the unranked Tar Heels started their late-season push for an NCAA tournament bid by upsetting the 11th-ranked Seminoles at the Smith Center, which opened its doors to about 3,000 fans in the pandemic.
Carolina trailed 41-29 at the break before outscoring FSU by 20 points in the second half to claim the 78-70 win. It was important to the NCAA selection committee, which eventually gave the Heels a No. 8 seed after they barely lost to the Noles in the ACC tourney semifinals.
Florida State was 14-4 coming into the game and UNC 15-8, and the afternoon is best remembered for freshman Walker Kessler’s breakout performance with 20 points and 8 rebounds, sparking his former team’s second-half surge. Kessler now plays for top-ranked Auburn and is a projected NBA first-round draft pick.
The victory plus their second consequential win in the ACC tournament, beating No. 22 Virginia Tech, made them an NCAA lock. The Tar Heels defeated unranked Duke twice but had no victories over ranked teams until beating Florida State. That put them on the track they need to get back on this season.
The circumstances are slightly different for Saturday’s meeting at what should be a pretty packed Dean Dome. It is again a must-win for Carolina, which basically “must win” every game except an expected loss at Duke on March 6 to get an at-large bid. Right now, UNC is among the “last four in” grouping on the ESPN projections.
With the current ACC so mediocre, the 17-7 Heels cannot afford any more “bad losses,” and this would be one if the injury-wracked Seminoles won sans three of their top players, all out with season-ending surgeries.
FSU has lost five straight and is down to 6-7 in the ACC, 13-10 overall, and has been falling out of NCAA tourney contention since beating Duke on January 18 in Tallahassee for its biggest win of the season.
So, while Carolina is the favorite this time, the 2 pm game is nevertheless just as important as a year ago because of post-season ramifications. The Seminoles are currently 96th in the NET Rankings, which means winning on the road would drag UNC (No. 41) way down.
As much as a “must win,” it is just as much a “can’t lose” affair for the Tar Heels. . . as close to a do-or-die game as it gets.
Photo via ACC Media.
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