Primo Spears had a front-row seat for Florida State’s game at North Carolina on Dec. 2. It became an uncomfortable vantage point.
The Seminoles built a 14-point lead early in the second half before seeing it slip away as the Tar Heels used a full-court press to rally and take a 78-70 win.
“I got to spectate last time we played them,” said Spears, who at that point was still a few weeks away from being cleared to play. “We had a 14-point lead. I think we match up great. I think our size kind of gives them problems with Baba (Miller) at the 4. They haven’t seen as much size as we have and I think that kind of affected them last time. The press affected us and I think we’ve grown from that moment. I think we’ll learn from that situation.”
What FSU is now compared to what FSU was then is dramatically different. Forward Cameron Corhen (toe) did not play. Jaylan Gainey (knee) played in 13 minutes and contributed four points and a rebound but it was just his second game. Cam’Ron Fletcher (knee) played 15 minutes but was lost for the season late in the afternoon.
Playing without so many pieces, and with Spears watching, FSU couldn’t handle the press against a UNC team that coach Leonard Hamilton considers one of the premier defensive teams in the nation.
“Normally when you press us we increase the score,” Hamilton said. “But at that point no one had really pressed us. We just didn’t execute our press offense. We just didn’t handle that very well.”
There were still some growing pains ahead, including frustrating losses to USF, SMU and Lipscomb before the Seminoles’ depth began to mesh with more on-court time. FSU (12-7, 6-2 ACC) has won seven of its last eight games to start January and looks to finish the month with what would be a resume-defining win against No. 3 UNC on Saturday (17-3, 8-0) in the Donald L. Tucker Center at 2 p.m. on ESPN. And, yes, no one could have pictured this a month ago: FSU is the surprise team in the ACC in second place in the standings.
“Top two teams in the league, ESPN, this is what we’ve been preparing for,” Spears said.
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If FSU can pull off a monumental upset, it would show just how far the team has come in a calendar month while elevating the profile of a program that didn’t even look NIT-worthy just hours before New Year’s Eve. After lamenting the lack of consistency of the team in November and December, Hamilton sees improvement as a result of depth and defense.
When asked on Thursday if Hamilton had confidence the Seminoles would develop in time, he instead feels there’s more the team can show.
“I think this team has two or three more steps we can get to,” Hamilton said. “And so I got to be careful not to take any bows. … In order for us to be where we need to be at the end of the season we got to find ways to be more consistent with the best version of who we are. I’m still working on who I want us to become. I’m pleased that we’re making steps. But I don’t want us to make baby steps.”
While depth and defense are the cornerstones of FSU’s program, we’re also seeing the development of some of the roster’s top players. Jamir Watkins has scored in double figures in six of seven games. Baba Miller is averaging 9.8 points in his last seven games. Spears is averaging 11 points in that same stretch. Gainey is getting up to speed, while Corhen has had productive games. Shooting percentage and bench production are also up over the last seven games.
The challenges of blending so many newcomers and overcoming injuries, as well as Spears’ waiver wait, are now in the rear-view mirror. None of the bracket projections have FSU within even striking distance of the field of 68. But a win on Saturday would put the Seminoles on the map — and perhaps on the NCAA Tournament bubble — despite two losses to sub-125 teams in the metrics.
“You see teams all over the country go through growing pains in the non-conference. What we’ve shown in the last 10 games is our identity,” Spears said. “I think we’ve just bought in to what coach Ham and the coaching staff has wanted. It takes time. Just the last 10 games is our identity and how we can put the country on notice about the things that we can do at a high level.”
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