After dropping a winnable game vs. the Georgia Bulldogs in the ACC-SEC Challange, the Florida State Seminoles (4-2) are set to take on the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels (6-1) in Chapel Hill to kick off ACC play.
From Matt Minnick:
Tonight was a good lesson in the fact that not all takeaways are created equal. Florida State is not going to impress you with its half-court offense this season. The Seminoles thrive in transition, running off of live ball turnovers and missed shots. Dead ball turnovers, while better than a made basket, don’t allow you to push the pace at all. If FSU isn’t pushing pace, it’s going to be a struggle.
FSU lost a game in which it led for 35 minutes and 54 seconds, including being up by 17 with less than 8 minutes to play. Ouch. That is a complete collapse. FSU didn’t have great NCAA Tourney chances as it is, but losing games at home in this fashion is a way to ensure that your season ends in early March. Rogner and I agreed there would be one more loss in the out-of-conference portion of the season, but this sure is a brutal way to accomplish it.
North Carolina, who is on a two-game win streak in the series after dropping three straight to the Seminoles during the 2021 season, won last year’s matchup 77-66.
The Tar Heels lone loss this season came in an 83-81 loss to Villanova in overtime.
According to DraftKings, Florida State is a 12.5 road underdog to the Tar Heels, with the over/under set at 157.5.
FSU vs. North Carolina: How to stream
Date
Saturday, December 2
Time
2 p.m.
Watch
ACC Network
Listen
Seminoles Radio Network, SiriusXM RADIO FSU Broadcast: CH. 119 or 193
Game notes, via FSU Sports Info
FLORIDA STATE OPENS ACC PLAY AT NORTH CAROLINA ON SATURDAY IN CHAPEL HILL
Florida State, which defeated No. 18/21 ranked Colorado on November 21, 2023 to win the championship of the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla., opens its ACC schedule for the 2023-24 season as it travels to play at No. 16/17 North Carolina on Saturday, December 2, 2023 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Seminoles begin their 33rd year of ACC play on the road at North Carolina – the same way they opened ACC play when they joined the league for the 1991-92 season. Florida State defeated No. 15/18 North Carolina, 86-74, at the Smith Center on December 15, 1991. Following the Seminoles’ game at North Carolina, they travel to play USF in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla., on December 9, 2023 at 1:30 p.m.
SEMINOLES’ WATKINS NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (CO)
Jamir Watkins, who averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in leading the Seminoles to the championship of the Sunshine Slam, was named the ACC Co-Player of the Week in a vote by a Blue Ribbon panel and announced by the ACC Office. Watkins was named the MVP of the Sunshine Slam as the Seminoles defeated UNLV and No. 18 Colorado to win the championship of the tournament.
SEMINOLES’ WATKINS NAMED TO OSCAR ROBERTSON NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Florida State’s Jamir Watkins, who was named the MVP as he led the Seminoles to the championship of the Sunshine Slam, is one of five players named as an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association. The USBWA has expanded its national player of the week program which is affiliated with the Oscar Robertson Trophy to include five players each week. The USBWA has selected only one player each week since the start of the 2009-10 season and has expanded the program for the 2023-24 season to include five players. Each Tuesday during the regular season, the USBWA will select five standouts from the 32 Division I conference players of the week to be recognized.
FLORIDA STATE WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE SUNSHINE SLAM
Florida State defeated Central Michigan (November 13, 94-67), UNLV (November 20, 83-75) and No. 18 Colorado (November 21, 77-71 in overtime) to claim the championship of the Sunshine Slam at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. Redshirt junior Jamir Watkins was named as the tournament MVP as he averaged 18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and shot .700 from the field. Junior Jalen Warley, who averaged 8.0 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.3 steals was named to the Sunshine Slam All-Tournament team along with Watkins.
FLORIDA STATE’S HAMILTON HOLDS NATIONAL RECORD AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS Florida State’s 77-71 overtime victory over No. 18/21 Colorado marked Leonard Hamilton’s NCAA record 57th win over a ranked team as the coach of an unranked team. Hamilton set the ongoing record with a 79-78 overtime win over Duke on January 18, 2022.
HAMILTON IS THE FIFTH WINNINGEST COACH IN ACC HISTORY
Seminole Head Coach Leonard Hamilton is the fifth winningest coach in ACC history with 408 career wins and ranked fifth in ACC history with 185 career ACC wins at Florida State.
FLORIDA STATE AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
Including its 77-71 win over No. 18.21 Colorado in the championship game of the 2023 Sunshine Slam, Florida State enters Saturday’s game against No. 16/17 North Carolina with 17 victories over nationally ranked opponents since the start of the 2018-19 season. The Seminoles won a school-record seven games against nationally ranked opponents during the 2016-17 season and have defeated a school-record of 60 nationally ranked opponents under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Included in the list of victories over nationally ranked teams since the beginning of the 2018-19 season is an 81-80 win over No. 10/14 North Carolina on January 13, 2018 in Tallahassee.
LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO…
…Defeat North Carolina and win its ACC season opener for the for the 14th time and for the third time in the last five seasons. The Seminoles defeated Georgia Tech to open their 2019-20 and 2020-21 conference schedules;
…Defeat North Carolina and gain its 12th all-time win over a ranked Tar Heel team. The Seminoles most recently defeated a nationally ranked North Carolina team, 81-80, on January 3, 2018;
…Defeat North Carolina and gain a win over a nationally ranked North Carolina team in Chapel Hill for the first time since a 76-71 win over the No. 11 ranked Tar Heels on January 22, 2000.