NC State basketball stomps Florida State, 94-66
One could have understood if Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton was tempted to look for a towel to throw in midway through the first half. NC State basketball overwhelmed the Seminoles in what turned out to be a 94-66 rout at PNC Arena in Raleigh Wednesday evening.
The drubbing started early.
By the time FSU had used a second timeout with 11:33 to go in the first half, NC State was already up 27-4. NC State sophomore guard Terquavion Smith then added a 3 to make the score 30-4.
The Wolfpack twice led by 30 points in the first half before a late run from Florida State trimmed the margin to 49-27 at the break.
“Other than the last five minutes of the first half, I thought we did a great job,” NC State basketball head coach Kevin Keatts noted. “It was one of those great defensive nights, and we just happened to make shots.”
NC State extended the lead back into the 30s in the second half, leading by as much as 33 points at 89-56.
“We were just locked in from the beginning,” Smith said. “Our preparation was great this week.”
Smith led the Wolfpack with a season-high 32 points, making 6 of 10 threes during the night. He was one of four NC State players in double digits scoring and spearheaded an effort in which the Pack made 12 of 20 threes, or 60.0%.
Hamilton left impressed by what he saw from NC State, noting this was the best defensive version of the Wolfpack he has seen in his 21 seasons at Florida State.
“I think if they can continue to play this way, I think you can expect them to be a tough out for people when they get to the NCAA Tournament,” Hamilton noted.
FSU, which from 2017-21 was one of the premier programs in the ACC, is by Hamilton’s own admission not up to their recent standards, but Hamilton noted NC State’s roster of multiple creative scorers is something he has only fielded “maybe 5 or 6 times” in his coaching career.
Meanwhile, the shorthanded Seminoles have been struggling, starting the year 1-9. Keatts challenged his team to look past that and more at the FSU team that was a more respectable 5-6 in the ACC entering Wednesday.
“I wanted to make sure we didn’t play the record and that we played the team,” Keatts said.
NC State responded to the challenge, leaving the biggest test on the night being trying to play with a 30-point advantage.
“I wouldn’t lie,” Smith said. “You kind of get laid back.”
“It’s a lot easier to play up 30 than down 30, I can tell you that,” Keatts added.
With the victory, NC State basketball improved to 18-5 on the season and 8-4 in the ACC, while Florida State is 7-16 and 5-7. The Pack hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tipoff at PNC Arena. That game will be televised on ACC Network.
NC State defeated the Yellow Jackets, 76-64, in Atlanta on Jan. 17.
