Florida State men’s basketball team came back home and dominated the Clemson Tigers 109-61 on Super Bowl Sunday. With the win, No. 15 FSU (20-4, 8-3 ACC) equaled its overall and ACC win total from last season and notched its largest margin of victory ever in ACC play.

It became clear from the start that this game would be all FSU. Dwayne Bacon and Jaron Blossomgame traded baskets early on, with both teams coming out sloppy with turnovers and missed shots. But after about five minutes of a stand off, FSU surged ahead due to offensive mistakes by Clemson (13-9, 3-7 ACC). It only got worse from there, as the FSU defense never let up its grip, which in turn created opportunities for the offense.

Even worse for the Tigers: It didn’t get better in the second half. After Bacon once again hit ridiculous shots and jumpstarted the offense, FSU put in the bench players and let them run up the score. The lead hovered around 40 for a good while, and the end result was never in doubt. It was just the type of blowout that FSU needed to regain some of the confidence it might have lost on the recent road trip.

Observations

• Dwayne Bacon got out of his recent slump early on. He had seven of the first nine FSU points in the game.
• Clemson’s defense was fairly stiff in the first six minutes. The Tigers shut off the paint and forced tough shots from mid and deep range. The good news for FSU was that it was able to hit those shots.
• The Tigers totally lost their grip around the 14-minute mark, when FSU made seven straight field goals to blow the lead open to 20-8. Seven of Florida State’s points came on fast breaks.
• Early turnovers were killing Clemson. It gave it up seven times by the 10-minute mark, and the Seminoles scored 11 points off of those mistakes. By the end of the half, it was 15 turnovers and 24 points.
• FSU’s defense was very impressive in the first half. While it might only be Clemson, the Seminoles still held the Tigers to a paltry 35 percent shooting and 25 points. The source of this is probably the guard play that forced constant turnovers and bad shots. At one point, Clemson did not score for over five minutes.
• Florida State shot exceptionally well in the first half, finishing on 63 percent overall. When you’re hot, you’re hot.
• Dwayne Bacon dominated the first half. He went 6-for-8 and racked up 18 points, while also chipping in two assists.
• Since FSU was leading by so much at half, it had no trouble letting the shots fly to start the second. The Seminoles took five attempts behind the 3-point line in the first five minutes.
• Florida State had already put in the bench squad with 15 minutes in the game. While it seems minuscule, it is still good for players like Phil Cofer and Braian Angola-Rodas to get in the minutes they can for experience, especially after their recent struggles.
• Nothing really changed in the second half. The gap between the two teams rarely dipped below 25, having evolved into a complete blowout.
• Oddly quiet Sunday? Jonathan Isaac. He did not score his first points until there was less than minutes left in the game. Isaac still led FSU with five rebounds.
• By the end of the game, Clemson had 22 turnovers, leading to many FSU points. The Tigers entered the day leading the ACC in turnover margin. They were -8 on Sunday.

Notable Numbers

Dwayne Bacon (FSU): 29 points (10-for-14), 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Xavier Rathan-Mayes (FSU): 6 points (3-for-6), 9 assists

Jarod Blossomgame (CU): 11 points (4-for-11), 3 rebounds, 2 assists