Florida State's run ends with Elite Eight loss to Michigan
LOS ANGELES -- The magic ran out.
No. 9 seed Florida State (23-12) could not complete the second half comback and fell 58-54 to No. 3 seed Michigan (32-7) in the Elite 8 on Saturday night In front of 19,665 fans at the Staples Center.
"I think we've always shown that we have a tremendous amount of desire and hustle," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said.
"Unfortunately, it was a game where we got outplayed in certain areas tonight. They did a very good job. They kept us out of transition and didn't give us a whole lot of easy baskets."
FSU has not advanced to the Final Four since 1972.
The Seminoles fought until the very end cutting a 10-point deficit with 2:25 remaining down to two with under a minute remaining, but Michigan's Duncan Robinson hit two free throws with 21 seconds left to secure the victory.
"We're just that type of family," FSU guard Trent Forrest said.
"We've got those type of guys that never give up on each other. I felt like we were able to do that the whole season, never give up on each other no matter what the circumstances were. I think it shows the type of guys we have."
The Michigan defense stymied the Seminoles all game long -- FSU shot just 31.4 percent from the field and just 23.3 percent in the second half -- and that led to a poor shot selection and 15 turnovers.
"They were good at contesting, boxing out, and hitting the glass," FSU forward Mfiondu Kabengele told the Tallahassee Democrat.
"They were good with matching up with our post player. We couldn't finish around the rim so that made it very difficult from us."
Trailing by four following Robinson’s free throws, P.J Savoy missed a three under pressure from the right wing with 13 seconds left and Michigan secured the rebound near the FSU bench.
FSU, however, elected not to foul and extend the game in the closing 10 seconds.
In a postgame interview with CBS, Hamilton defended the decision and said "the game was over."
The Wolverines were not surprised by the Seminoles' late charge.
"We knew they were going to make a run," Michigan guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman said.
"We each had to weather the storm and get stops when we needed it. And I think that's what we did. We got the stops, and we made free throws down the stretch. We missed some, but we made enough just to win."
It was the Seminoles defense -- which held the Wolverines to 38.8 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from three -- that kept them in the game.
FSU started the second half ice cold and Michigan was able to take its one-point halftime lead and balloon it out to 10 quickly.
But the Seminoles didn’t back down.
"We're a tough group," FSU forward Mfiondu Kabengele said.
"We respond well to adversity and a connected group as a whole. Overall, we're a tight knit bunch and we respond well to pressure."
They fought back and cut the lead to three with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but FSU's small lineup -- with forward Phil Cofer playing the five -- started to get pushed around inside.
Michigan was able to push the lead back out to seven with 7:46 remaining, but the Seminoles again cut it down to three with six minutes left.
But just when FSU seemed like it was back in the game, Michigan went on a 7-0 run over a 1:36 span and pushed the lead back to 10 with under three minutes remaining.
Cofer carried the Seminoles in the game with 16 points and 12 rebounds. It was just his second double-double of the season.
Guard P.J. Savoy also added 12 points.
FSU struggles with Michigan’s pressure on defense started early in the game. The Wolverines forced five turnovers in the first seven minutes and 14 turnovers overall in the first half.
"We had some opportunities," Hamilton said.
"We had some shots in the lane that just didn't fall for us... It seemed as though we had some easy opportunities that we just didn't finish. I thought that was really a big difference in the game."
The Seminoles’ provided their own pressure on defense, and made things difficult on the Michigan shooters. Michigan turned the ball over eight times on their own – including three steals by M.J. Walker – in the half.
FSU went on a 13-4 run over a six-minute span thanks to a couple of P.J. Savoy threes to take a 17-15 lead after Michigan went up 10-4 with 16:56 remaining in the first half.
After that, the two teams battled back-and-forth with neither team able to establish a significant lead. The Seminoles didn’t score over the final 4:41 of the half, but because of their stout defense, Michigan wasn’t able to take advantage.
The Wolverines took a 27-26 lead heading into the break.
The Seminoles' run to the Elite 8 was the first time the program had advanced past the Sweet 16 since 1993. It was only the third Elite 8 in program history.
What we learned
The Junkyard Dog is back: FSU's defense was flat out dominant in the first half holding a Michigan team that dropped 99 points on Texas A&M to just 58 including just 27 in the first half. Ike Obiagu held himself a block party in the paint, and M.J. Walker's ball pressure turned into three steals. FSU's defense was able to close out on the Wolverines three-point shooters and held them to just 18.2 percent from beyond the arc. They shot 58.3 percent against Texas A&M.
Michigan's defense is for real: Michigan came into the game boasting one of the best defenses in college basketball, and they lived up to the hype. Their on-ball pressure caused a lot of issues for the Seminoles, and they were never able to establish an offensive rhythm. FSU shot just 23.3 percent in the second half, and that wasn't because the Seminoles were missing easy shots. Every shot was contested, and FSU rarely got an open look.
Quotable
"I will remember this year my whole life," Senior guard Braian Angola told the Tallahassee Democrat.
"The run that we made with these group of guys. We had a lot of people doubting us. We weren't supposed to be here a lot of people thought, but we're in the Elite Eight. I feel it's an unbelievable situation, especially for the guys coming back next year. For myself, I wouldn't want to do this with any other team. I love my team, and I feel like we had a great year."