The Miami Hurricanes defeated the rival Florida State Seminoles in a seriously intense Sunshine State Showdown Tuesday night in Tallahassee. The Seminoles took the Hurricanes down to the wire in this one, but ultimately their late game push was not enough to overcome the Hurricanes.
Following an impressive upset on the road against Clemson just three days prior, the Seminoles were looking to continue their hot streak and knock off Miami after winning six of their last seven games. Unfortunately for the Seminoles, the Hurricanes were too much for them to handle.
The Hurricanes took the lead in this game early on, largely thanks to the team’s seriously productive shooting. In the first half, Miami managed to shoot 6-of-12 from three on their way to shooting 47% from the field. Over this same period, the Seminoles were scraping by with 4-of-15 shooting from three while only making 43% of their shots.
Despite the disparity in shooting, the Hurricanes were never quite able to run away with this game, and the Seminoles kept within striking distance all night. This physical Seminoles defense continues to work wonders, as they managed five blocks and four steals in the first half alone.
The strongest performance of the entire night went to Miami’s senior forward Malik Reneau. Reneau was the only player in the contest who earned a double-double, leading his team with 23 points with 12 rebounds. Reneau was lights out all night. He shot a strong 65% from the field and was the reason Miami was able to pull away early and set themselves up for success.
“I would have a hard time trying to find a better player in the ACC as of right now,” Miami head coach Jai Lucas said about his star.
Senior guard Tre Donaldson led Miami with six assists in addition to his 21 points.
The Seminoles also benefitted from some strong performances, primarily from senior guard Lajae Jones and senior forward Chauncey Wiggins. Jones led the Noles in scoring with 21 points, and Wiggins was the team’s leading rebounder with five, tagging on 14 points for himself along the way. Despite the loss, Jones continues to be a difference maker for the Seminoles. Coming out of halftime, the Seminoles were looking for some kind of production on the offensive side of the ball, and Jones came alive, scoring 18 of his 21 points in the second half. He was providing serious energy for the Noles, but it was not enough to get a win.
Miami controlled the glass Tuesday night, winning the rebounding battle 42-23. The Canes grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, too. They turned those extra possessions into 25 second-chance points while the Seminoles managed just five.
Florida State head coach Luke Loucks spoke very plainly about the issues the Seminoles faced.
“We lost that game because we couldn’t rebound like them,” Loucks said. Against a team that is as physically dominant as Miami, it is hard to manage any amount of success falling behind by 19 rebounds.
These two first-year coaches have gathered serious credibility over the course of this season, especially with one another.
Coach Lucas said “basketball in the state of Florida is buzzing and booming right now.” Coach Loucks shared this sentiment, claiming that “rivalries are the best when the games have stakes… and those stakes only happen when they are all competing for a championship.”
Truly, fans of college basketball in the state of Florida are going to have a lot to look forward to over the coming years.
Miami now sits at 11-4 in ACC play, and are looking eagerly towards the ACC tournament. Before the tournament, however, the Canes will take on Boston College in Miami on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, Florida State falls to 7-8 in ACC play, and will hope to gather some momentum before tournament season. The Seminoles have been dominant lately, and will look to move on from the rivalry loss.
“Despite tonight’s result, none of the momentum changes in regards to the end of the season,” Loucks said.
The Seminoles will have an opportunity to recover against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Feb. 28th at noon.