The New Bloods were too tough down the stretch this time.
With Friday night's ACC Tournament semifinal game against North Carolina looking like a carbon copy of Florida State's second-half collapse in Chapel Hill two weeks ago, the Seminoles battled back this time to claim a 69-66 victory.
The win sends the No. 2 seed Seminoles (16-5) into the ACC Tournament finals on Saturday against No. 4 Georgia Tech (16-8).
The game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, as FSU will compete for its second ACC tourney title in school history.
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In a battle of New Bloods vs. Blue Bloods, Florida State's defense made life miserable for the Tar Heels in the first half. FSU led at the break, 35-24, after limiting UNC to 27 percent shooting from the field (8 of 30) and 17 percent (1 of 7) from 3-point range.
But as was the case late last month, UNC looked like a different team in the second period. The Tar Heels got hot from the perimeter, with Kerwin Walton hitting three quick 3-pointers, and they actually surged ahead for a 53-48 advantage with about 10 minutes remaining,
Unlike the last meeting, however, the Seminoles showed great resolve down the stretch and got major contributions from several players at both ends of the court.
"We had everybody making plays in this particular game," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "We needed everybody keeping the ball alive because this game could have gone either way."
The Seminoles were led by sophomore center Balsa Koprivica, who recorded his second career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman point guard Scottie Barnes added 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
What made Koprivica's big night even more impressive was that it came against North Carolina's talented and tall frontcourt.
"Balsa had a hell of a game," Barnes said. "He really played hard. ... He rebounded very well. He boxed out. I think he really took on that challenge, and he fought all game."
Barnes also played exceptional defense in the final minutes, and junior guard Anthony Polite hit a huge 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to give the Seminoles a 65-64 advantage that they would never relinquish.
"Their defense was a lot stronger than our offense was," UNC head coach Roy Williams said.
"We did a very nice job getting stops," Hamilton said. "I think they might have scored one out of the last eight possessions, I believe. Something like that. ... Those long arms and contested shots I thought were very, very important to us down the stretch."
Georgia Tech advanced to the tournament finals as a result of No. 1 seed Virginia having to back out of the event due to a positive COVID test.
The Yellow Jackets and Seminoles split their two meetings during the regular season. FSU won 74-61 in Tallahassee in mid-December, and Georgia Tech pulled out a 76-65 win in Atlanta about six weeks later.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete postgame coverage.
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