UPDATED: In a last minute move, the Atlantic Coast Conference cancelled the men's basketball tournament. As a result, Florida State has been officially crowned as the 2019-20 ACC champions.
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Statement from the Atlantic Coast Conference:
“Following additional consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors, and in light of the continued conversations surrounding the fluidity of COVID-19, the Atlantic Coast Conference will immediately cancel the remainder of the 2020 ACC Tournament. For NCAA Tournament automatic qualification purposes, Florida State will represent the league as the ACC Champion. We are disappointed for our student-athletes, schools and fans to have to make this decision; however, the overall health and safety of all involved is the priority.”
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Earlier story --
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Focus has been a hot topic of conversation for the Florida State men's basketball team all week.
It will take on an entirely new meaning today in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
When the No. 4-ranked Seminoles take on Clemson today at 12:30 p.m., it will be unlike any game any player or coach on either team has ever experienced. Other than family members, some close friends, spirit squads and media, the stands in the Greensboro Coliseum will be completely empty.
The Atlantic Coast Conference, following the lead of sports leagues around the country and throughout the world, announced Wednesday evening that strict limitations would be placed on who can attend the rest of the tournament. The decision comes amid concerns about the spread of COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus.
Florida State's players and coaches were not available to speak with the media after that announcement, but earlier in the day, freshman forward Patrick Williams said the team had shown impressive focus in the days leading up to the conference tournament.
He said the Seminoles did a nice job of moving forward following their celebration on Saturday for being crowned regular-season champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“We have a lot more goals than just the ACC regular-season championship,” Williams said. “Of course, it was nice to make history, to see our banner dropped. It’s going to be up there forever. But we have a lot more to accomplish.”
Said senior guard Trent Forrest: “We feel good. We feel pretty rested. We’ve been able to kind of get our bodies back under us. We’re just excited to get up here and be ready to play.”
According to Las Vegas oddsmakes, FSU is favored by 7 points against the Tigers.
The teams met twice this season, with the Seminoles cruising to a 19-point victory at home in December and Clemson pulling out a one-point win in the rematch two weeks ago.
“We feel like it’s going to be a great game,” Forrest said. “They played us very well. Last time we went up there, they beat us at the last second. But I feel like with what we learned from that game and what the coaches saw today from film, I feel like we have a good plan for those guys.”
That plan might feature a different approach for slowing down Clemson's athletic guards. Freshman Al-Amir Dawes and sophomore John Newman III scored 18 points apiece in that game, as the Tigers repeatedly attacked FSU's basket off the dribble. Forty of the Tigers' 70 points came in the paint.
In the days following that game, FSU coach Leonard Hamilton suggested that the Seminoles might defend less aggressively on the perimeter in an effort to stop dribble penetration.
But on Wednesday, Williams said the biggest adjustment FSU needs to make is doing a better job of playing its trademark defense.
“It was just system breakdowns, things that we’ve been doing all year that we just failed on in that game,” Williams said. “The scouting report really didn’t change that much. Just kind of pointing out things that we failed on last time that we’ve got to get back to doing.”
While there won't be fans in the stands, FSU will have the support of its pep band, Seminole Sound, and the Golden Girls dance team. Both groups were originally told they would be denied access to the tournament games, but that decision was reversed later Wednesday evening.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete coverage from Greensboro.
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