.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Andrew Platek
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
February 3, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the visit to FSU.
By Adam Lucas
1. Not a pretty game by any stretch, and Carolina lost a second straight ACC game with a defeat in Tallahassee.
2. Florida State's defense changed the course of the game. The Seminoles were in every passing lane and contested every shot in the second half. At one point late in the half, the 'Noles had blocked as many shots (five) as Carolina had made.
3. Of course, from a Carolina perspective, the story was that the Tar Heels weren't making any shots. Carolina missed 17 shots in a row in the second half and were still somehow within single digits. That extensive drought, which almost stretched to 11 minutes, made it even more frustrating when Carolina made a furious rally in the final minutes and got the game to a four-point margin with under a minute to go. You probably noticed all the missed jumpers. You might not realize that the Tar Heels were 9-21 solely on layups or dunks in the game. It's very hard to win in the ACC when you don't make 50 percent of your layups and dunks.
4. Monday night was the fifth game Brandon Robinson has missed this year. In the previous four games he missed, the Tar Heels were 27-82 (32.9%) from the three-point line without their best perimeter shooter. On Monday, they were 6-for-19.
5. Armando Bacot continues to battle foul trouble, but the way Carolina uses him with that issue has changed. Bacot picked up his second foul with 6:20 left in the first half, but Roy Williams chose to leave him in the game. Two fouls would have been an instant removal earlier in the season, but with the depth issues--and the fact that Bacot was a team-high +8 in the first half--he had to play almost the remainder of the half. Bacot finished with six points and six rebounds as FSU unexpectedly won the rebounding battle, 42-37.
6. A poor final two minutes of the first half changed the momentum of the game. As they did throughout the game due to personnel issues, Carolina had some unfamiliar combinations on the court together. This time, it was experimenting with Jeremiah Francis and Cole Anthony on the court together, with Francis doing much of the ballhandling. But Florida State ripped off a 9-0 run, including hitting a couple of three-pointers, to seize the halftime lead.
7. Two players who have improved over the last month: Christian Keeling and Leaky Black. Keeling's aggressiveness was one of the very few bright spots in Monday's game, and although he doesn't quite have the frame to finish some of those drives into the paint against a physical team like FSU, he at least was moving towards the basket--which was an issue for the Carolina offense throughout the game. Both players were in double figures.
8. The Tar Heels used Anthony off the ball as much or more in that game as they have all season. He was far and away the primary offense for Carolina, some by necessity and some by choice. The major task over the next month is going to be figuring out a way to get the offense flowing smoothly with all five players working together rather than Anthony carrying the vast majority of the load. There were far, far too many occasions on Monday when the offense did nothing until the shot clocked reached ten, and then the visitors had to hoist a contested jumper. Anthony, who was visibly frustrated on multiple occasions in the final half, shot 5-for-22 in the game and missed his final 12 attempts. The final Tar Heel possession essentially summed up the game, as both Anthony and Justin Pierce were blocked at the rim. Florida State blocked ten shots in the game. Anthony was 3-for-10 from 3, which means he was just two-for-12 on two-point shots as there was very little space around the rim against FSU's stingy defense.
9. Allowing offensive rebounds late was key in the loss at Boston College. It hurt the Tar Heels again at FSU, as in a six-point game with under two minutes to play, Carolina couldn't get a box out on a missed Seminole three-pointer and ended up surrendering two made free throws on the possession.
10. Florida State was the first ranked ACC opponent the Tar Heels have faced this year, breaking a string of eight straight unranked conference foes--which started after the road game at Virginia. Per research from Jody Zeugner, that equals the longest such streak since 1978. The problem is that the Tar Heels went 2-6 in those eight games.
11. The game at Florida State took the total of games missed by UNC's scholarship players this season to 70. That ever-increasing total is the most in the Roy Williams era. The Tar Heels used their eighth different starting lineup of the season.
12. Garrison Brooks took just eight shots and the majority of those were off offensive rebounds. Figuring out a way to incorporate Brooks and Bacot along with Anthony will be an important task between now and Saturday's home game against Duke.
13. Give FSU credit for preserving their win at the free throw line. The Seminoles converted 15 of their 17 opportunities at the charity stripe.
1. Not a pretty game by any stretch, and Carolina lost a second straight ACC game with a defeat in Tallahassee.
2. Florida State's defense changed the course of the game. The Seminoles were in every passing lane and contested every shot in the second half. At one point late in the half, the 'Noles had blocked as many shots (five) as Carolina had made.
3. Of course, from a Carolina perspective, the story was that the Tar Heels weren't making any shots. Carolina missed 17 shots in a row in the second half and were still somehow within single digits. That extensive drought, which almost stretched to 11 minutes, made it even more frustrating when Carolina made a furious rally in the final minutes and got the game to a four-point margin with under a minute to go. You probably noticed all the missed jumpers. You might not realize that the Tar Heels were 9-21 solely on layups or dunks in the game. It's very hard to win in the ACC when you don't make 50 percent of your layups and dunks.
4. Monday night was the fifth game Brandon Robinson has missed this year. In the previous four games he missed, the Tar Heels were 27-82 (32.9%) from the three-point line without their best perimeter shooter. On Monday, they were 6-for-19.
5. Armando Bacot continues to battle foul trouble, but the way Carolina uses him with that issue has changed. Bacot picked up his second foul with 6:20 left in the first half, but Roy Williams chose to leave him in the game. Two fouls would have been an instant removal earlier in the season, but with the depth issues--and the fact that Bacot was a team-high +8 in the first half--he had to play almost the remainder of the half. Bacot finished with six points and six rebounds as FSU unexpectedly won the rebounding battle, 42-37.
6. A poor final two minutes of the first half changed the momentum of the game. As they did throughout the game due to personnel issues, Carolina had some unfamiliar combinations on the court together. This time, it was experimenting with Jeremiah Francis and Cole Anthony on the court together, with Francis doing much of the ballhandling. But Florida State ripped off a 9-0 run, including hitting a couple of three-pointers, to seize the halftime lead.
7. Two players who have improved over the last month: Christian Keeling and Leaky Black. Keeling's aggressiveness was one of the very few bright spots in Monday's game, and although he doesn't quite have the frame to finish some of those drives into the paint against a physical team like FSU, he at least was moving towards the basket--which was an issue for the Carolina offense throughout the game. Both players were in double figures.
8. The Tar Heels used Anthony off the ball as much or more in that game as they have all season. He was far and away the primary offense for Carolina, some by necessity and some by choice. The major task over the next month is going to be figuring out a way to get the offense flowing smoothly with all five players working together rather than Anthony carrying the vast majority of the load. There were far, far too many occasions on Monday when the offense did nothing until the shot clocked reached ten, and then the visitors had to hoist a contested jumper. Anthony, who was visibly frustrated on multiple occasions in the final half, shot 5-for-22 in the game and missed his final 12 attempts. The final Tar Heel possession essentially summed up the game, as both Anthony and Justin Pierce were blocked at the rim. Florida State blocked ten shots in the game. Anthony was 3-for-10 from 3, which means he was just two-for-12 on two-point shots as there was very little space around the rim against FSU's stingy defense.
9. Allowing offensive rebounds late was key in the loss at Boston College. It hurt the Tar Heels again at FSU, as in a six-point game with under two minutes to play, Carolina couldn't get a box out on a missed Seminole three-pointer and ended up surrendering two made free throws on the possession.
10. Florida State was the first ranked ACC opponent the Tar Heels have faced this year, breaking a string of eight straight unranked conference foes--which started after the road game at Virginia. Per research from Jody Zeugner, that equals the longest such streak since 1978. The problem is that the Tar Heels went 2-6 in those eight games.
11. The game at Florida State took the total of games missed by UNC's scholarship players this season to 70. That ever-increasing total is the most in the Roy Williams era. The Tar Heels used their eighth different starting lineup of the season.
12. Garrison Brooks took just eight shots and the majority of those were off offensive rebounds. Figuring out a way to incorporate Brooks and Bacot along with Anthony will be an important task between now and Saturday's home game against Duke.
13. Give FSU credit for preserving their win at the free throw line. The Seminoles converted 15 of their 17 opportunities at the charity stripe.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballCarolina Women's Basketball 2025-26 | In Pursuit: Episode 2
Thursday, November 27
UNC Volleyball: Tar Heels Sweep Virginia on the Road
Wednesday, November 26
Coach's Corner with Bill Belichick - Episode 12 - November 25, 2025
Wednesday, November 26
UNC Men's Basketball: Tar Heels Fight Off St. Bonaventure, 85-70
Wednesday, November 26