Florida State men’s basketball faced the No. 1 Duke University Blue Devils on March 12 in a win-or-go-home matchup with its season on the line. The game followed a thrilling first-round conference win over the University of California, Berkley on March 11 to advance to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
In a close finish, the Seminoles’ season ended in a one-point loss, 80-79. FSU entered the game having scored 87 points in the Jan. 3 matchup against the Blue Devils, the most Duke has given up to an opponent all season. In a nail-biting finish, the ’Noles fell 80-79.
Head coach Luke Loucks reflected on the defeat in the postgame press conference.
“I felt like, obviously, we played well enough to have a shot to win and even the last-second shot to win,” Loucks said. “All those guys in the locker room will look back at this year and have some pride about it, and again, it’s a reflection for life.”
FSU led 44-43 after a back-and-forth first half
The game was competitive from the opening minutes. The teams traded 15 lead changes and eight ties in the first half, as the Garnet and Gold outshot the Blue Devils 52% to 45% from the field. Senior point guard Robert McCray V hit a buzzer-beating jumper in the paint to give Florida State a 44-43 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Seminoles went on a 9-2 scoring run, holding the Blue Devils scoreless for two minutes while Duke missed five consecutive field-goal attempts. The Blue Devils battled back to take their first lead of the half at the 10:24 mark, edging ahead 61-60. Senior guard Chauncey Wiggins reflected on the stretch after the game.
“They were making a lot of shots, and as we can see, they outrebounded us, which was on us. But I just kept telling the guys to stay connected,” Wiggins said in the postgame press conference.
Senior guard Lajae Jones added that the game eventually became a back-and-forth battle.
“It’s a game of runs at the end of the day,” Jones said in the postgame press conference. We went on a run, they went on a run. All you got to do is just stop the bleeding and just get on your own run as well.”
After a 12-0 Duke run, The ‘Noles battled back down the stretch
The Blue Devils pulled away after taking the lead, going on a 12-0 run over four minutes to build a nine-point advantage. McCray V ended the FSU scoring drought with a jumper off a turnover, as the ’Noles made six of their final eight field goals to fight to the final possession.
Duke star freshman forward Cameron Boozer was blocked by senior forward Alex Steen on Duke’s final possession, giving the Garnet and Gold one last chance. McCray V’s 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, sending Duke to the tournament semifinals and ending Florida State’s season.
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