A New Era for Florida State Basketball

Welcome back, ACC. We missed you. Sort of. Over the last few years, especially in the past year, the conference has been somewhat lackluster. However, in Duke’s first two games, against Georgia Tech and then Florida State, two of the weaker teams in recent years, both played exceptionally well, putting up a tough fight against the Blue Devils.

Florida State lost 91-87 on Saturday, but their performance was highly impressive. Under Leonard Hamilton, FSU was always known for being long, athletic, and defensive-minded. But how often did you look at that team and think, “Wow, I really like that offense?” Almost never.

Under Luke Loucks, for the first time in a long while, Florida State has developed a clear, crisp offensive identity. His team moves the ball well, shoots effectively, and is well-organized on offense. The defense remains strong as well.

Duke had its hands full with the ‘Noles. FSU started the game hitting everything, particularly three-pointers. They also defended well, focusing heavily on Duke’s star player, Cameron Boozer. FSU forced eight first-half turnovers and limited Duke’s shooting early on. As the half progressed, however, Duke matched Florida State, shooting 6-14 on threes (43%) and 14-27 (52%) overall to FSU’s 8-17 (47%) and 15-27 (56%) overall.

Turnovers were even at 8 apiece, assists were close (12-10 in favor of Duke), and rebounds were too (14-13 to Duke). Not surprisingly, the score was tied at halftime, although for the first 12-15 minutes, it seemed like Florida State was the better team.

That changed after halftime, largely due to Isaiah Evans heating up. Evans shot 2-6 in the first half, all three-point attempts. He finished the half with 10 points, including 4-4 from the free-throw line.

For the game, Evans finished 6-14 on threes and 8-17 overall. We’ve been impressed with his growth, but his shot has been lacking, which is his calling card. Well, it wasn’t lacking in Tallahassee. Evans finished with a new career high of 28. His maturation is truly striking.

FSU took a lot of flexibility away from Boozer, but he turned into a distributor, finishing with 9 assists. He had 17 points, which wasn’t bad, but less than his average of 23.5. He also had 5 rebounds and 4 steals.

Patrick Ngongba shot 4-5 and finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Caleb Foster also acquitted himself well with 13 points on 4-9/3-5 shooting and 6 boards.

But Duke had two solid contributors off the bench. Dame Sarr finished with 13 points on 4-5/3-4 and 3 rebounds. He still needs to be more assertive with the ball inside, but overall, he was a huge help.

And so was Maliq Brown. He didn’t score much—just 4 points—but he had an enormous impact on the game. He contributed a lot to Duke’s ball movement and disrupted that of Florida State. His game is subtle and should never be measured by numbers in the box score. We don’t have access to analytics, and we’re not sure how you’d measure things like how often he forces an offense to reset, but we’re pretty sure that he is off the charts on things like that.

You wonder about statistical minutiae like this: when he touches the ball when an opponent has it, how much does the opponent’s shooting percentage go down? Brown just…messes with you. On a psychological level, it’s bound to have an effect.

Our main impression from this game, though, is just how far FSU has come and how fast. It wasn’t long ago that this team lost five straight and by 36, 34, 25, 8, and 28. It hadn’t really registered, but other than that last loss, the other four were all by less each time. Toss in a better-than-expected performance at Chapel Hill, and the ‘Nodles are impressive. Loucks is doing a heck of a job. This team could have fallen apart during the losing streak, but they stuck together and are going to cause problems in the ACC.

Key Takeaways from the Game

• Isaiah Evans’ Performance: Evans stood out as the leading scorer with 28 points, showing significant improvement in his shooting and overall maturity.
• Duke’s Resilience: Despite the pressure, Duke didn’t blink late in the game, showcasing their depth and ability to handle high-stakes situations.
• Lajae Jones’ Impact: Although not a primary focus, Jones proved to be better than expected, contributing to the team’s success.
• Clemson Transfer Chauncey Wiggins: Wiggins had a solid performance, shooting 8-11, which highlights his value to the team.
• Robert McCray’s Contribution: McCray also had a strong game, shooting 7-10, showing his reliability on the court.
• Kobe MaGee’s Role: MaGee came off the bench and shot 6-11, proving his worth as a key reserve.
• Alex Steen’s Challenges: Steen struggled in this matchup, indicating areas where he needs to improve.

The future looks bright for the ‘Noles, and their performance against Duke is a testament to their progress under Coach Loucks. While the loss was disappointing, the team showed resilience and potential, setting the stage for a competitive season ahead.