The Seminoles did what many thoughts was impossible on Thursday night; they won away from home. Florida State beat Virginia Tech 74-68 in the ACC Quarterfinals.
The Hokies held the advantage at the break, and into the second half, but the Seminoles’ depth and size proved to be too much for Virginia Tech in the end.
“That’s our thing, and this team has a great depth and that’s exactly what we do,” freshmen Jonathan Isaac said following the win. “We wear teams down. So we already know what’s going to happen. When we start off slow, we’re in the locker room saying we’re going to wear them down because that’s what we do.”
Dwayne Bacon led the ‘Noles with 17-points, which is a reassuring sight. Bacon has struggled away from Tallahassee and many belive has even played his way out of the first round of the NBA draft because of his lackluster play on the road.
Future lottery pick Jonathan Isaac added 11-points and 12-rebounds, while Terrance Mann finished the day with 11 points, nine in the second half alone.
The Seminoles’ biggest advantage came off the glass, FSU was able to grab 14 more rebounds than the Hokies, out-working Tech 45-31.
Florida State will now face Notre Dame in a rubber match. The winner will advance to the ACC championship game, something the Seminoles have only done twice in school history. Both Florida State and Notre Dame protected their house when they met, FSU took the bout in Tallahassee 83-80. The Irish embarrassed the Seminoles 84-72 in South Bend on February 11th behind a career night from Bonzie Colson who racked up a career high 33-points.
The Seminoles’ opened as a 2.5 point favorite. Both FSU and Notre Dame know what the other school is going to do, FSU will use its size and depth, while undersized Notre Dame will send out a platoon of shooters that can hit from anywhere on the court.
The winner will square off with the winner of the Duke-North Carolina matchup.
The tip is set for 9 P.M. on ESPN.
