The Florida State Seminoles dominated the South Methodist University (SMU) Mustangs 91-78 Saturday afternoon. This was the final game of the regular season, and the Seminoles took it as an opportunity to show just what they are truly capable of.
The Seminoles appeared to be too much for the Mustangs to handle early on in this one, as they developed an 18 point lead going into halftime. Florida State’s defense played an impressive half, holding SMU to only 27 points through the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, however, the game became much more of a shootout. The Mustang offense came alive as they found serious success from three. In an attempt at getting his team back in the game, SMU senior guard Boopie Miller led the game in scoring with 32 points. He was lights out from three, shooting 7-of-9 from deep in the second half of the game.
It was ultimately not enough as Florida State is no stranger to this kind of tempo. When the game became a three-point contest, the Seminoles had no issue keeping pace. As a team, the Seminoles shot 47% from three. Senior forward Chauncey Wiggins was the star shooter for the Noles on senior night. He cashed in on six of his eight attempts from deep on his way to a career-high 31 points. Senior guard Robert McCray followed closely behind him with 17 points, as well as a team-high 12 assists.
In addition to their high offensive productivity, the Seminoles were also extremely dominant on defense. As always, the defense played physical all night, which gave SMU serious trouble. The Seminoles are most efficient when causing chaos for the other team’s offense, and Saturday was no different. Amidst the chaos, Florida State was able to capitalize and finished with 10 steals.
This was a statement game from Florida State. This season has been a rollercoaster for first-year head coach Luke Loucks and the Seminoles, so it has been hard to set accurate expectations for the postseason. It became clear Saturday that this team has the potential to play with the best, both offensively and defensively. Getting a glimpse into their ceiling, you can look toward next season with high anticipation.
Despite the highs and lows of the season, rounding out the regular season on a three-game win streak is impressive. The team is on a hot streak right now, and expectations are high.
“When Chauncey and Lajae play with that kind of force, I would line us up against any team in the country, and like our chances to win the game,” Loucks said.
No one has higher hopes than Coach Loucks, who stood firm on his confidence about his team.
“People call me crazy, and I am a little bit, but I truly believe we can win an ACC championship if we keep playing how we have been playing right now,” he said.
This was a smashing success of a senior night for the Seminoles. This team relies very heavily on their seniors to be the leading contributors, and has through all of the season. Saturday, these leaders took over. Out of the 91 total points that the Seminoles scored, the seniors accounted for 82 of them. This is a hole that the Seminoles will look to fill next season, but with Coach Loucks at the helm, fans can look to next season with high anticipation.
Currently, Florida State finds themselves at eighth in the ACC with an in-conference record of 10-8. With this seeding, Florida State will begin their AAC Tournament on March 11 at 7 p.m.