FSU uses height, depth, defense to rattle UM 84-75 in front of near-sellout crowd
This time, FSU did not need buzzer-beating heroics to beat the Miami Hurricanes at the Watsco Center. The Seminoles led from start to finish on Wednesday night and defeated UM 84-75 in front of an electric near-sellout crowd.
It was the sixth time in a row FSU beat Miami as the visiting team.
The taller, deeper Seminoles used a suffocating full-court press to throw the Hurricanes off their game early and then switched to zone and half-court man-to-man defense to fend off Miami’s second-half rallies.
“It’s like a chess match and Leonard got me in checkmate,” said UM coach Jim Larranaga.
“They executed their game plan very well and we had a very hard time at both ends of the court. Why? Because defensively they disrupted us, forced us out of our offensive rhythm. And offensively, they’re just so tall. Their size just bothers us. They’re so long and athletic and we were not able to put a lot of pressure on them. They threw the ball right to the rim, laid it in or dunked it.”
FSU outscored UM 52-34 in the paint.
A year after the Seminoles rallied from 25 points down in the second half to beat the Hurricanes, it was Miami desperately trying to erase a 16-point second-half deficit. Sparked by big plays from Bensley Joseph, Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar, UM three times closed to within two points but was never able to get the lead.
The first time was on a Pack three-pointer. The second on a Kyshawn George three. And the third time was a Norchad Omier dunk that trimmed FSU’s lead to 73-71 with five minutes to go.
Each time, the Seminoles countered with a three pointer or critical free throws.
“The whole first half we were on our heels, and then we turned into the aggressor and that changed the game for us,” said Pack, who finished with a game-high 19 points. “We started guarding and flying around like we know how to do. We had a chance there, three times. We’ve got to convert on that. We missed free throws. Didn’t get rebounds when we needed to and that’s what it came down to.”
FSU transfer Matt Cleveland, playing against his former team for the first time, had an off night. Last February, it was Cleveland’s three-pointer at the buzzer that sank the Hurricanes.
On Wednesday, Cleveland finished with two points on 1-of-8 shooting and had two rebounds. He had been on a hot streak of late, scoring 20-plus points in three of the past four games. He was Miami’s second-leading scorer (16.5 ppg) and rebounder (5.6 rpg).
“It’s definitely tough for him,” Pack said of Cleveland. “I know that feeling of wanting to play so good, especially against your former team. You put a lot of pressure on yourself. I’m glad we get to play them twice. It gives him another opportunity. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes off and has a great game against Syracuse (Saturday) because I know how much he wants this.”
FSU had a big height advantage over Miami. The Seminoles have six players 6-9 or taller on their roster. The Canes have two. FSU also relies on its depth, and played 10 players in the first 10 minutes. Eleven Seminoles got into the game, Miami played eight, and the FSU bench outscored UM’s 40-14.
Hamilton explained that the Seminoles’ defensive style requires players to expend a lot of energy, so he likes to use as many players as possible to keep people fresh.
“We won this game by committee, by everybody contributing a little bit,” he said. “The way we play, we need (a deep rotation) because we like to pick up 94 feet, push the ball as much as possible. We deny the ball, we switch wings and that takes a lot of energy.”
Primo Spears and Cam Corhen had 16 points apiece for FSU. Jamir Watkins scored 15 and De’Ante Green added 10.
Miami also had four players in double figures. In addition to Pack, Poplar and Omier scored 15 and Joseph finished with 10. Omier led UM with 15 rebounds.
The Hurricanes dropped to 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. They have lost three of their past four games. FSU improved to 11-6 and 5-1 in the conference. The Seminoles have won five straight and seven of their last eight games following a four-game losing streak. They are tied for second in the conference with N.C. State.
“The teams we’re playing are really good and we have to figure out how to execute our game plan better than the opponent executes theirs,” Larranaga said.
Asked if there is anything he can do to make up for his team’s lack of depth, Larranaga paused and quipped: “Make a trade? Go to the portal right now?”
