Florida State had a 1-8 record coming into its first matchup this season with Virginia, and took the Cavaliers to the brink in what turned into a narrow 62-57 loss.
The Seminoles, now 5-12 overall, and 3-3 in ACC play, get another shot at UVA on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2), this time in Tallahassee.
The ‘Noles are 4-3 since their Dec. 3 loss in Charlottesville, in which FSU held Virginia to 35.3 percent shooting.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 in the second half, but Florida State was able to get the margin down to three with seven seconds left on a Caleb Mills and-one, before a pair of Reece Beekman free throws a second later iced the game.
The effort to get back into the game came on the defensive end. FSU held Virginia to 3-of-12 shooting in the final 9:46.
About Florida State
The most recent outing for FSU, which has won its last four at home, was a 90-75 loss at Wake Forest on Wednesday.
In that one, the ‘Noles got good scoring nights from Mills, a 6’5” junior, and Matthew Cleveland, a 6’7” sophomore, both going for 19 points.
Florida State shot 53.7 percent in the game, but were undone by 17 turnovers, and Wake Forest’s hot shooting from three – with 14 makes in 26 attempts (53.8 percent).
One major difference in the rotation since the Dec. 3 game is the presence of 6’10” freshman Cameron Corhen at the five spot in the place of 7’4” sophomore Naheem McLeod.
Corhen had five points (on 2-of-9 shooting) and three rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench in the loss in JPJ.
In the seven games since, Corhen is averaging 9.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game, and he’s gone for double-digits in scoring in three of those games, including a season-high 18 (along with six rebounds) in the 80-63 win over USC-Upstate on Dec. 13.
Projections
- EvanMiya: Virginia 72-62, 83.9% win probability
- KenPom: Virginia 72-62, 82% win probability
- ESPN BPI: Virginia +8.9, 81.4% win probability
- Bart Torvik: Virginia 70-62, 81% win probability
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Chris Graham
