Florida State University Athletics
Thursday, March 14
12 Noon
Florida State
17-16,10-10ACC
67
vs
92
University of North Carolina
26-6,17-3ACC
1
2
F
Florida St.
30
37
67
North Carolina
46
46
92
Spears Leads Seminoles Against North Carolina In ACC Tournament
3/14/2024 3:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Primo Spears led Florida State with 17 points and Jamir Watkins scored in double figures for the 19th consecutive game as No. 1 seed North Carolina defeated No. 9 seed Florida State, 92-67, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Capital One Arena. Spears and Watkins were joined by Jalen Warley in double figure scoring as the Seminoles finished the ACC Tournament with a 1-1 record after defeating Virginia Tech in Wednesday's second round.
Guard RJ Davis led the way for North Carolina with 18 points and 3 assists while Armando Bacot (14 points and 10 rebounds) earned a double-double and four Tar Heels scored in double figures as the No. 1 seed advanced to Friday's semifinal game against the winner of the Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest quarterfinal game.
Spears played well for the Seminoles with 17 points on eight of 14 shooting from the field along with two steals. He scored 10 points in the second half on five of nine shooting from the field.
"Congratulations to Carolina," said Seminole Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. "I thought they had a great defensive plan. At the beginning of the game, made it very difficult for us to initiate our offense. It's kudos to them for having a much more aggressive plan."
Hamilton spoke glowingly of North Carolina's Bacot.
"I thought he (Bacot) was the best version of himself," said Hamilton. This is the best game I think he played against us, the most consistent for 40 minutes. He's a big strong youngster. He's strong, and he's savvy. He's either sealing you to open up lane for drives or he's going to the offensive boards.
North Carolina's Hubert Davis, the ACC Coach of the Year, spoke well of Florida State's Watkins.
"He's one of the better players in our conference," said Davis. "His ability to attack the basket is real. He's got great size on the wing, athleticism, and when he gets to the cup, he has the ability to finish and also draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. So it was a huge emphasis on us, one, to defend him and make it hard for him just to catch the ball, not allow him to go to spots in space where he feels comfortable offensively, and to be able to do that without fouling him. It's hard to do.
Watkins has scored in double figures in each of the last 19 games.
Guard RJ Davis led the way for North Carolina with 18 points and 3 assists while Armando Bacot (14 points and 10 rebounds) earned a double-double and four Tar Heels scored in double figures as the No. 1 seed advanced to Friday's semifinal game against the winner of the Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest quarterfinal game.
Spears played well for the Seminoles with 17 points on eight of 14 shooting from the field along with two steals. He scored 10 points in the second half on five of nine shooting from the field.
"Congratulations to Carolina," said Seminole Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. "I thought they had a great defensive plan. At the beginning of the game, made it very difficult for us to initiate our offense. It's kudos to them for having a much more aggressive plan."
Hamilton spoke glowingly of North Carolina's Bacot.
"I thought he (Bacot) was the best version of himself," said Hamilton. This is the best game I think he played against us, the most consistent for 40 minutes. He's a big strong youngster. He's strong, and he's savvy. He's either sealing you to open up lane for drives or he's going to the offensive boards.
North Carolina's Hubert Davis, the ACC Coach of the Year, spoke well of Florida State's Watkins.
"He's one of the better players in our conference," said Davis. "His ability to attack the basket is real. He's got great size on the wing, athleticism, and when he gets to the cup, he has the ability to finish and also draw fouls and get to the free-throw line. So it was a huge emphasis on us, one, to defend him and make it hard for him just to catch the ball, not allow him to go to spots in space where he feels comfortable offensively, and to be able to do that without fouling him. It's hard to do.
Watkins has scored in double figures in each of the last 19 games.
Team Stats
FSU
UNC
FG%
.410
.523
3FG%
.250
.421
FT%
.722
.800
RB
22
48
TO
12
13
STL
10
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
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