With renewed road confidence, Seminoles eager for test at Duke
At Pittsburgh one week earlier, they were in a two-point game with about six minutes to go. They lost by 14.
At Notre Dame one week before that, they were never really in it.
And even though they had won a pair of ACC road games earlier this season, Florida State's men's basketball players knew they were developing a reputation for being a team that could dominate opponents at home but be very beatable on the road. All six of the Seminoles' losses had come away from the Tucker Center.
That's why Saturday's 76-74 victory at Clemson was so important. And why the Seminole' players celebrated as if they had just pulled off a monumental upset, as opposed to defeating one of the ACC's lowest-ranked teams.
“It was definitely a stress reliever – just because so many people felt like we couldn’t win on the road,” sophomore swingman Dwayne Bacon said. “It was big for us. We needed that.”
“I thought it was really good for us,” said junior point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes. “It kind of boosted our confidence. … We’re happy to be able to get a ‘W,’ and now we’re focused on being able to go down to Duke and get another one.”
Indeed, the No. 15 Seminoles (23-6, 11-5 ACC) now will try to carry that confidence into Tuesday night's game at No. 17 Duke (22-7, 10-6). That obviously will be a much bigger challenge -- the Blue Devils won seven straight games shortly after their 88-72 loss to FSU in Tallahassee. They have lost just once at Cameron Indoor Stadium all season.
“It’s kind of like a high school gym,” Rathan-Mayes said of the intimate 9,314-seat arena. “They’re all literally on top of you.”
Before his team left for Durham, N.C., on Monday, FSU coach Leonard Hamilton downplayed the significance of Duke's historic home court and its rowdy student section, "The Cameron Crazies." He said the bigger concerns are Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski and the parade of high school All-Americans on Duke's roster.
The Blue Devils are led by star sophomore Luke Kennard, who averages 19.9 points per game, and freshman Jayson Tatum (16.1 points, 7.3 rebounds).
“It’s not Cameron,” Hamilton said. “It’s the great coaching job, the great system they have in place, and those very, very talented players that they have on the bench.”
There has been discussion about whether two of those stars will play on Tuesday. Star junior Grayson Allen, who missed Duke’s game Saturday at Miami with an ankle injury, and senior forward Amile Jefferson (bruised foot) are both game-time decisions, according to Krzyzewski. Both players practiced on Monday, and the Seminoles expect both to see action since it is Duke’s last home game of the regular season.
For the 'Noles to pull off the win, they’ll have to show the same type of composure that they displayed at Clemson. It wasn’t just the win that pleased Hamilton, it was the fact that his players trusted their offensive and defensive systems and focused on executing their responsibilities instead of trying to make heroic individual plays.
“Every time we got in a hole against Clemson, I thought our guys regrouped and responded properly,” Hamilton said. “We showed that we’re kind of growing up a little bit. We didn’t panic. And the look in their eyes was extremely confident. That was somewhat encouraging.”
The key to FSU’s success could rest in the hands of Rathan-Mayes, who was stellar down the stretch of the Clemson win and has been enjoying a very strong season in his second full year at point guard.
He boasts the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the ACC at 3.7-to-1, and he has been nearly flawless in the Seminoles' most recent three games. Against Clemson, Boston College and Pitt, Rathan-Mayes delivered a combined 23 assists with just two turnovers.
He also scored 21 points against the Blue Devils when the teams met in January.
“Just doing a better job of taking care of the ball,” Rathan-Mayes said of his impressive recent play. “Coach Ham is constantly on me about taking care of the ball, being a leader of the team and running our offense. And that’s what I’m trying to do -- be able to get everybody involved early and keep guys happy and just play within the flow of the offense.”
FSU and Duke are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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