Florida State guard Caleb Mills suffers injury against UNC

On3 imageby:Jonathan Wagner02/12/22

Jonathan Wagner

Florida State has been decimated by injuries so far this season. That bad luck continued on Saturday in Chapel Hill, as Florida State guard Caleb Mills suffered an apparent ankle injury. Mills went down in the paint early in the first half, and he remained on the court in pain for a couple of minutes. He was able to walk away under his own power, but Mills had a noticeable limp as he walked towards the Florida State bench. Mills has not returned to the game since his injury.

Mills has appeared in 23 games this year for Florida State, starting 22. He is averaging 27.6 minutes per game, also averaging 13.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. This year is Mills’ first with Florida State after playing the first two years of his collegiate career with Houston.

The injury is a tough one for Mills, especially due to him being an Arden, NC native.

Florida State struggled immensely without Mills

After the first half, Florida State trailed UNC 62-24. The Tar Heels could seemingly not miss, shooting 74.2% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. Florida State, meanwhile, shot just 30% from the field and 37.5% from deep.

Losing Mills is undoubtedly a tough blow for Florida State. He is the Seminoles’ leading scorer and shoots over 37% from three-point range.

Mills was the AAC Preseason Player of the Year while at Houston last season, but he decided to transfer after just four games, none of which he started. Now, Mills is leading the way on a Florida State team that was surging before injuries derailed the year.

After starting the season 7-5, the Seminoles responded with a six-game winning streak, including an overtime victory over Duke, who was ranked No. 6 at the time. Since Florida State reached 13-5, though, the Seminoles have dropped five straight, with a sixth likely on the way barring a monumental comeback against UNC. Florida State is currently 13-10 on the season and 6-7 against ACC opponents.

Following Saturday’s game, Florida State has six games remaining in the regular season. Next up is a home game against Clemson on Tuesday, before the Seminoles hit the road to take on No. 7 Duke, who will be looking for revenge.