Florida State Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over No. 7 Virginia
1. The Seminoles carved up one of basketball’s best defenses – and did so easily
Never mind Florida State’s well-renowned defense, which has long been complemented by Leonard Hamilton’s assortment of physical, tall players – it was the Seminoles’ offense that was the star in their romp over the Cavaliers.
It wasn’t so much that Virginia necessarily shot the ball well or wasn’t efficient – the Cavaliers averaged 0.97 points per possession and maintained shooting clips of 54.2% (2PT) and 39.1% (3PT) – but the Seminoles were just that good from the floor.
Florida State averaged a whopping 1.31 points per possession, their highest such mark since hanging 105 points and 1.52 points per possession on N.C. State on January 13th. To put into context how good Florida State’s offense has been throughout the season: in 16 games, they have averaged under 1.00 point per possession in just four games.
The Seminoles did not even shoot that well inside, maintaining a 47.1% clip on two-pointers – but they were unconscious from long-range, going 13-24 (54.2%) while also shooting 10-13 (76.9%) from the charity stripe. They maintained several dominant edges over the Cavaliers – including in points off turnovers (21-4), second-chance points (11-3), and fast-break points (13-2).
No stat is more telling than the one pointed out by CBSSports’ Matt Norlander, however, regarding just how good Florida State’s offense was against a highly-touted defense as good as Virginia’s:
Tonight Florida State scored more than 69 points against Virginia for the first time since 2009.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 16, 2021
That was Dave Leitao’s last season at UVA.
FSU went 19 straight games — with an average of 56.7 ppg — before breaking the 70 seal. A bit of an exorcism for the Seminoles.
Florida State’s 81 points are the most the Cavaliers have allowed since the December 26th game against Gonzaga, when the Bulldogs put up 98. The Seminoles now own the ninth-most efficient offense in the nation, maintain the sixth-best 3P%, as well as the 90th-best 2P% – all marks better than last year’s 26-5 squad that was one of the top picks to win the national championship.
What we are witnessing now is the most efficient offense in Leonard Hamilton’s 19-year tenure with the Seminoles – and that is an incredibly terrifying thought for the college basketball world.