Unhappy New Year: Florida State men close 2022 with blowout loss at No. 18 Duke
It was a year Leonard Hamilton would probably like to forget forever.
And on Saturday, in Durham, N.C., it finally ended.
Hamilton’s short-handed and out-manned Seminoles (what else is new?) got down by 17 points in the first half and could never get any closer as they fell to the No. 18 Duke Blue Devils, 86-67, in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Florida State is now 4-11 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC.
*** Sign up for one year of premium access to Warchant.com and the On3 Network for only $10. ***
Starting about January of 2022, Hamilton’s program was beset with a stunning rash of injuries. And the bad luck from that season carried over into this one as well, as FSU has struggled to establish any real depth through the first half or the 2022-2023 season.
Even some of the players who were available off the bench on Saturday — like freshman Chandler Jackson and center Naheem McLeod — are dealing with injuries and not able to practice much during the week.
No matter how healthy those two were, though, it likely wasn’t going to matter as the Blue Devils, who are the second-best offensive rebounding team in the country, dominated the glass on both ends and took control of the game about midway through the second half with an 11-0 run.
Duke also scored the final seven points of the first half to take a 42-25 lead into the locker room.
Florida State made seven shots in a row at one point in the second half, including back-to-back jumpers from Darin Green Jr., to cut the lead to 12. And the Seminoles had a chance to cut it even closer at the 8-minute mark, but Matthew Cleveland’s kick-ahead pass to a wide-open Green was thrown too far ahead for a turnover.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Leonard Hamilton
FSU coach to step down following season
- 2New
Top 25 shakeup
AP Poll sees massive changes
- 3Hot
NFL Mock Draft
QBs falling in ESPN 2-round mock
- 4
John Calipari
'He was the right guy for the job'
- 5
Jeremiah Smith reacts
Chip Kelly news hits hard
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Duke went on a 14-1 run after that to wrap up the game.
Cleveland was just 4-of-14 from the floor but finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds — his fourth straight double-double. He was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. He is the first FSU player to record four straight games of double-digit points and rebounds since Douglas Edwards in the 1992-1993 season.
Caleb Mills also scored 18 points, and Green had 16 for Florida State, which shot 43 percent from the floor overall and was only 4-of-15 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Duke shot 51 percent from the floor and made 11-of-25 from 3-point range — including 10 of its last 18.
The Blue Devils out-rebounded FSU 32-24 and had a whopping 46-8 advantage in bench points.
Ryan Young came off the bench to score 20 points (on 7-of-7 shooting) and pull down 12 rebounds in 24 minutes for the Devils.
The Seminoles return to action on Saturday when they host Georgia Tech at the Civic Center at 1 p.m.
***Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU Basketball fans on our Seminole Hoops Message Board.***
