The UNC men’s basketball team (18-11, 11-6 ACC) defeated Florida State (16-12, 7-10 ACC), 96-85, on Monday night in Tallahassee. North Carolina won its fourth consecutive game and third straight by double digits, as the preseason No. 9 team continues to sit on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior guard RJ Davis led the way with 20 points and five assists. Junior guard Seth Trimble shined off the bench, recording 17 points on 6-10 shooting. The two guards facilitated big runs that pushed UNC in front in a game of high-octane offensive duels.
The teams exchanged early baskets early on, but the Seminoles’ energetic defense showed its intensity, forcing the Tar Heels into a shot clock violation before the first media timeout.
Trimble made an instant offensive impact off the bench, knocking down a corner 3-pointer and finishing a layup off a tough right-handed drive. These baskets were respectively followed by a Florida State 3-pointer and pick-and-roll alley-oop, with the teams tied at 19 each midway through the quarter.
The teams exchanged blows again following the second media timeout, with the Seminoles making six consecutive field goals. Florida State held a four point lead, but an and-one layup from junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin cut the UNC deficit down to one. With six minutes remaining in the first half, North Carolina regained the lead after a long 3-pointer from Davis and a putback layup from junior forward Cade Tyson.
With the game tied at 39 with four minutes left in the half, Tyson dropped in a layup and a long 2-pointer to retake the lead. A pair of Davis free throws and a transition layup from junior forward Jalen Washington highlighted an 8-0 UNC run in the final minutes of the half, with the late surge giving North Carolina a 49-43 halftime lead.
The Tar Heels got their first double-digit lead early in the second half after sophomore guard Eliot Cadeau found Lubin for an alley-oop slam and first-year guard Drake Powell for a transition layup. 3-pointers from Davis and Cadeau extended UNC’s lead to 14, followed by a media timeout.
The lead was cut to six midway through the second half, as North Carolina went over three minutes without a field goal. Davis knocked down a three pointer to silence the Seminole crowd, but Florida State’s Jerry Deng responded instantly with a triple of his own.
With Lubin and Washington on the bench with four fouls each, the Seminole defense turned their attention to the former ACC Player of the Year, who was beginning to catch his rhythm.
