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That was a serious high octane wide open effort out of our little O&M engine that could (not win) a home and home vs. two NCAA hoops factories named Duke and UNC folks.

We tied UNC on Wednesday night at 56 all with 9:56 possibly remaining in our season; we tied Duke at 61-61 with 0:39 possibly remaining in our season the game before that.  Coach Seth pulled out all the stops for these two national TV dates. He had a “White-Out” for Duke and a letter to the editor in the Collegiate Times along with Enter Sandman on loan from the football program for North Carolina. (hoops needs it’s very own cool intro music by the way)

None of this worked; and it was very interesting to read Seth’s body language in-game Wednesday night. It was not as hexed as it had been in previous brutally close games this year. Which has me wondering if the O&M pilot light is out for FSU?

(17-12; 7-7) #59 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ (22-8; 9-6) #16 R.P.I. Florida State:
TV coverage: Sunday on Raycom 2pm.
Vegas Line: VT+5.5

Florida State at a glance:

1. 11th. As in FSU is 11th in all of D-1 in Blocks.
2. 12th.  The Noles are 12th in Defensive FG% allowed! Very good lock-down defensive unit folks.
3. 213th. FSU is only an average FG shooting team; a middled 213th best in fact.
4. 24th. As in the Noles have pilfered the 24th most steals on the year.
5. 285th. FSU worst vital is Turnover, as the Noles turn it over a sloppy 285th worst.
6. FSU reports no major injuries.

FSU is quietly the bronze or 4th place team in all of the ACC. That’s prolly good for being a 4th or 5th seed in the NC2A’s. In strategic hoopology terms … FSU cuts it’s teeth on defense and then scores just enough to win.

In fact it can rightfully be said that FSU is the O&M kryptonite. The anti Virginia Tech if you will. As we have dropped 9 games by 8 points or less, FSU has won 10 games by 5 or less! Think about that one long and hard folks. The difference in the ACC this particular season is indeed razor thin.

FSU is 24th in both major polls and is lead by  6`2“ 206 lb. lead-guard #23 Toney Douglas, a senior out of Jonesboro Georgia. Mr. Douglas is making his all-Acc bid by leading FSU in points, assists, steals; and he has more than 200% more FTA’s than any other Nole on the year. Watch that to see if Toney merits any favorable senior farewell whistles from the refs down in Tallahassee on Sunday.

After Mr. Douglas, not much has changed since the last time we played FSU. FSU is still a one man team, than an offense via committee, as four Noles average between 8.0 and 8.9 points per game. Those four just so happen to round out the Noles starting five. Among them would be the giant 7`2“ 249 lb. Solomon Alabi from Kaduna Nigeria. Solomon (#32 below) never met a rebound he could not inhale or an opposing shot he could not swallow up. Just go back and watch our game tape to see what I mean. My game notes list the notorious fact that Mr. Alabi got 33% of his rebounds without even jumping!  Then FSU has Mr. Scrabble one Uche Echefu banging away as a 6`9“ 230 lb. power forward with 9 points and 5 boards per game, and rookie Chris Singleton a 6`9“ 220 lb. small-forward chipping in along the tomahawk-chop front-line with 8 and 5 respectively himself. As you can see the FSU frontcourt is big and it is bad, not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good. Which is not good in terms of Hokie X’s and O’s match-ups.

Rounding out the starting line-up is 6`4“ 195 lb. Derwin Kitchen with 8 points and 4 boards himself. The FSU bench production lacks offensive proclivity; but it does not want for  playing-time as all subs play between 33% and nearly 50% of the game (13 and 20 minutes). Nor does it want for defensive grit or rebounding; both signatures of Coach Leonard Hamilton’s current squad. The one thing the FSU bench that may not be as glamorous on is young. Three of their pine-rotation are underclassmen and not overly experienced as such; but that does bode well for next year and beyond for the Noles.

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The Noles are .5oo in their last 6 games, having dropped a 3 point L to Duke and a 5 point L to B.C.; and it has been 6 years since FSU punched its NC2A ticket. But that looks set to change to me, and FSU is tied for 4th in the ACC (with Klempson), so they are lobbing for ACC seeding even though they own the head-to-head tie-breaker. (Klempson visits Wake up next; not a sure fire win). Therefore, I have to expect we take FSU’s best homecourt senior afternoon shot right on our O&M chin. Sadly; I have to type that our O&M whiskers are showing signs of thinning out a bit. I said after the french L up in paris that we would lose out. Regrettably, it looks like I’m off by one game; as Malcolm’s bum hip desperately needs the off week before the ACC Tourney to heal so that he can get some lift back on his jumper.

(UPDATE): FSU is 9 games above .5oo at home, we are .5oo on the road. The recent so-called Fourm Guide (how teams have fared vs. common opponents) shows us that FSU is the superior squad. As does the Seminole 37% shooting allowed at home vital. FSU is not a great hoops team; they are a Round of 32 hoops team and regrettably that will be good enough to win down in Tallahassee on Sunday. Virginia Tech=67 Florida State=73
“LETS GO!”

“HOKIES!”

b’street.