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FSU Men's Basketball drops to .500 with loss to lowly USF in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic – 247Sports
Florida State lost 88-72 to South Florida on Saturday afternoon in the AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. With the loss, the Seminoles fall to .500 on the season, dropping to 4-4, while the Bulls improve to 3-4.
FSU trailed 38-24 at the half and were down by as many as 17 points in the opening 20 minutes. They then trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half and never got closer than nine points in the final 20 minutes. FSU never led in the game and trailed for more than 38 minutes of action.
Jamir Watkins led the Seminoles with 15 points. He was joined in double figures by Baba Miller, who recorded his first-career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Nickelberry also contributed 10 points.
FSU finished 23-of-59 (39.0%) from the floor, including 8-of-22 (36.4%) from deep and 18-of-35 (51.4%) at the line. The Seminoles had 15 assists and 16 turnovers, which led to 19 points for USF.
Leonard Hamilton’s team was again without forward Cameron Corhen, who is dealing with a toe injury. Guard Cam’Ron Fletcher was lost for the season in FSU’s last outing. They have also been without guard Primo Spears all season, as he has not been granted a waiver for eligibility as a two-time transfer.
USF had a pair in double figures, with 20 points from Selton Miguel and 18 points from Chris Youngblood. The Bulls were 26-of-61 (42.6%) from the field, 12-of-23 (52.2%) from the perimeter, and 24-of-32 (75.0%) from the line. The Bulls had 12 assists and 14 turnovers, leading to 16 points for FSU.
USF had a 22-7 advantage in fast break points.
The boards were equal on the day, 41-41, but the Bulls had 13 second-chance points, compared to just seven for the Seminoles.
FSU recorded 10 steals and five blocks, while USF had 10 steals and five blocks as well.
Saturday marked FSU’s 13th appearance in the Orange Bowl Classic. They now have a 9-4 record in the event, which they first participated in back in 1999. FSU wore their turquoise uniforms on Saturday and moved to 15-5 against non-ACC teams in the uniforms, including 6-3 in the special uniforms while playing in the Orange Bowl Classic. It was the second time this season they will have wore the special jerseys, as they donned them in their victory over Central Michigan a month ago.
Florida State leads the all-time series against USF by a 22-13 margin.
The Seminoles will break for the fall semester exam period and play host to SMU on Saturday, December 16, at 8 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
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