FSU men’s basketball snares first-round win in Warchant’s What Could Have Been NCAA Tournament

It was the greatest regular period in university historical past, and a person that was punctuated with an ACC Championship and a No. four countrywide ranking heading into the postseason.

Which is what made what occurred following so aggravating and heartbreaking.

With the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Match, Florida State’s players, coaches and enthusiasts will by no means get to know just how considerably the Seminoles would’ve gotten.

Would far more nets have been lower down? Would an additional trophy have been hoisted? Would Trent Forrest and the boys have had any far more heroics still left in them?

Perfectly, it’s time we locate out … with the initial installment of Warchant’s 2020 What Could Have Been NCAA Match?

Don’t miss out on our terrific FSU sports activities coverage. Get your thirty-day No cost demo

It wasn’t the prettiest of games for the Florida Condition men’s basketball group on Thursday afternoon. But in the close, all that matters at this time of yr is surviving and advancing.

The No. two seed Seminoles, refreshing off the next ACC Match Championship in university historical past, used their overwhelming depth and talent to pull away from a sharp-capturing Belmont squad en route to a seventy seven-61 victory in Tampa.

With the gain, Florida Condition (thirty-five) innovations to the next spherical of the South Regional on Saturday against LSU, which knocked off Providence, eighty one-78, before in the day.

“By no signifies are we heading to acquire any bows,” FSU head mentor Leonard Hamilton stated after the gain. “No one has ever climbed a ladder and lower down a net due to the fact of a person match gain. We’ve nevertheless received a good deal of work to do.

“We have to remember that we have six new players who have by no means knowledgeable just about anything like this right before, so there can be a mastering curve. We are just hoping we get started firing on all cylinders listed here before long. And credit score to Belmont. They shot the ball particularly properly in the initial fifty percent.”

The fifteenth-seeded Bruins (26-eight) came into the match capturing 35 per cent from 3-stage array. In a growth that stunned absolutely no Florida Condition enthusiasts, they could rarely miss out on from downtown to get started the match.

Belmont strike its initial six 3-stage attempts in the initial fifty percent and was 9 of fourteen total from downtown in the initial twenty minutes. The Bruins were only two of 16 from two-stage array, though.

Adam Kunkel was five of five from 3-stage array by itself, which include a person where he fell into FSU associate head mentor Stan Jones’ lap as he was slipping out of bounds. Kunkel threw a blind shot up wildly as he was stumbling, and almost nothing but net. Since … of study course.

Even nevertheless, Florida Condition kept coming.

With Trent Forrest on the bench for the closing 17 minutes of the initial fifty percent with two fouls, backup RayQuan Evans took above for the Seminoles. He scored eleven factors and had four assists and four rebounds to assistance transform an early 8-stage deficit into a four-stage halftime guide at 35-31.

“I knew when Trent received his next foul he wouldn’t see the courtroom once again right until the next fifty percent,” Evans stated. “And with M.J. (Walker) getting that regrettable injury, I just knew I had to step up and assistance my group any way I could.”

Walker was assisted off the floor with 8 minutes to go in the initial fifty percent after he crashed into a Belmont tuba player on an alley-oop attempt that went awry. He had to successfully complete concussion protocol right before staying cleared to engage in.

The junior came back in the next fifty percent and scored twelve straight factors for the Seminoles, who took handle of the match in the closing twenty minutes.

Forrest, who completed the match with two fouls, had eight factors, five rebounds, five steals and four assists in the next fifty percent, and Florida Condition eventually was able to shake a pesky Belmont group that would close up hitting 17 3-tips (on forty four attempts).

The Seminoles strike eleven 3s of their possess. Wyatt Wilkes and Devin Vassell drilled three apiece, when Malik Osborne and Walker every had two. And Travis Gentle, of the famed Green Viper squad, strike a person at the buzzer for the closing margin of 16 factors.

FSU freshman Patrick Williams delivered the spotlight of the match on a breakaway in the next fifty percent in which he dunked the ball so viciously that the shot clock crashed to the courtroom — narrowly missing Walker on the baseline.

All explained to, 15 distinctive Seminoles played. Thirteen scored at least a person stage, and no Florida Condition player was on the floor for far more than 26 minutes.

“They arrive at you in waves,” Belmont mentor Casey Alexander stated. “We had been explained to what to anticipate. We had watched film. But you cannot just simulate that length or that physicality. And the Patrick Williams kid? Are you kidding me? That dunk he had in the next fifty percent was the most extraordinary point I have observed on a basketball courtroom in twenty several years. And he does not even get started!

“That is an unbelievable group above there. I mean, we just strike 17 3-tips in a match and received blown out. When has that ever occurred? I explained to Leonard that after the match that I feel he has a actual chance to gain the total point. And I will be pulling for him.”

The Seminoles will see if they can acquire the following step on Saturday against LSU.

———–

* — This match is not essentially taking place. Engage in alongside with us listed here.

Talk about the match with enthusiasts on Warchant’s Seminole Hoops message board.