When FSU rallied
Hamilton enjoys contentious passion shown by his players
to knock off top-seeded Xavier and reach the Sweet 16, the Seminoles learned a lot about themselves.
Florida State players got into heated arguments with each other when the No. 9 seed Seminoles trailed No. 1 seed Xavier on Sunday night in Nashville, but they said the contentious exchanges helped fuel their rally — highlighted by a go-ahead 3-pointer from PJ Savoy, right — for a 75-70 victory ticket to the Sweet 16.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida State picked a perfect time to make its presence felt during March Madness.
The No. 9 seed Seminoles were on the brink of elimination to No. 1 seed Xavier for the second consecutive season, trailing by as many as 12 points in the second half and even getting into heated verbal exchanges with each other during timeouts.
But if you ask veteran FSU coach Leonard Hamilton and his players, their episodes of constructive criticism truly banded the Seminoles together.
Florida State overcame its double-digit deficit by mounting an 18-4 run in the final 5:30. The surge was punctuated by PJ Savoy’s goahead 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining, helping the Seminoles advance to the Sweet 16 with a 75-70 victory over the Musketeers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament late Sunday night at Bridgestone Arena.
The Seminoles will face No. 4 seed Gonzaga, last season’s national runner-up, at 10 p.m. Thursday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, with No. 3 seed Michigan and No. 7 Texas A&M also advancing in the West region.
“It’s hard to even describe — it’s amazing,” Savoy said, barely containing a smile. “No words can describe it.”
FSU’s defensive effort was instrumental in the win.
The Seminoles claimed a 32-29 lead in the final minute of the first half after Xavier failed to score a field goal during a stretch of nearly 10 minutes. But a five-point swing, which began with a 3-pointer by Xavier senior guard J.P. Macura and an FSU foul leading to two free throws, gave the Musketeers a 34-32 lead at halftime.
Xavier built on FSU’s poor finish to the first half with a 17-4 run to start the second half.
Hamilton called a timeout with his team trailing by 11 at the 12:50 mark. The coach had to separate Savoy and senior guard Braian Angola, who were arguing after a miscommunication on the court.
Xavier extended its lead to 12 points on two occasions as FSU tried to cut the deficit until the contest turned in the Seminoles’ favor.
“We knew they were going to make a run, but we just stayed together,” said Angola, who led FSU with 15 points. “We just stayed with each other, 18 [players] strong. We knew they were going to punch, and we had to punch harder.”
Junior leading scorer Terance Mann, who decided just minutes before tipoff he wanted to join his teammates instead of sitting on the bench with a groin injury, drove down the left side of the lane for a layup.
Sophomore guard Trent Forrest, who has emerged as FSU’s most reliable player in the past month, added two drives to the basket. He scored five points, including a 3-point play that cut Xavier’s lead to two points.
Then redshirt freshman Mfondu Kabengele built on his best performance of the season in the first round of the tournament with two put-back baskets following Angola misses and drew a charge on Macura that resulted in the Musketeer’s fifth foul.
Without their senior leader in Macura, Xavier committed four turnovers down the stretch.
And Savoy’s 3-pointer helped FSU avenge 25-point loss to Xavier during last year’s NCAA Tournament.
“We had a four-year drought of not making the tournament,” Mann said. “And last year we made it to the round of 32, facing these guys. They knocked us out. And to be able to come back and knock them out, as a No. 1 seed, it means a lot to us. “It’s destiny.” After reaching the NIT for two consecutive seasons and opting not to play postseason basketball during the 2014-15 season, the Seminoles reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in Hamilton’s 16 seasons at Florida State and fifth time in program history.
With its renewed win-bycommittee approach, FSU will aim to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993.
“I was especially proud of our players because the body language, the mannerisms and their level of communication when they came out of each timeout, they never showed any lack of confidence that we couldn’t win the basketball game,” Hamilton said.
“As a matter of fact, during those moments where it appeared to be more challenging, they were challenging each other, in an extremely aggressive way, and in each other’s face with a lot more determined attitude.
“I thought each time we came to those moments where there was a timeout, I could hear all of them getting closer and closer together.”