By james art 
FSU chief coach for men basketball Leonard Hamilton speaks third straight loss
FSU chief coach for men basketball Leonard Hamilton speaks third straight loss
Florida’s men’s basketball could not overcome the first half on Wednesday night, falling on Virginia Tech 76-66 for its third straight loss.
Sophomore Taylor Ball Bowen led Seminoles (13-8 {4-6}) with 14 points and nine rebounds. His efforts were not enough to overcome the collective performance of the team 25-62 from the pitch.
Seminoles turned the ball over 11 times, with Hokies scoring 11 points from them.
“Tonight I just thought that the endurance did not come with the aggressive strength we were used to,” said FSU Men’s Basketball coach Leonard Hamilton. “I think after we watched us play on the west coast, I think Virginia Tech thought they would use the same formula they saw that these teams were using, as they were more physically.”
“I don’t think we have answered appropriately and you have to give a lot of Virginia Tech credit for this.”
FSU struggles to convert inside the painted area and behind the three -point line, especially in the gloomy performance of the first half.
The Seminols fired 21% of the terrain and recorded no threes, crossing 6-28 from the field during the opening period. The team had the same amount of speeds as shots, six.
FSU left 35-15 on the break.
“Every time you dig a hole for yourself so deeply, it is challenging to return and overcome it,” Hamilton said. “We definitely need a change of mind.”
FSU showed signs of life in the second half, starting the running period by 8-0 and cut into a 20-point deficit. The Seminols looked more like the team fans who expected to see, however, the same careless mistakes that struck the first half reappeared
Ball Bowen and Jamir Watkins hit threes in the back to ignite the early running of the second half. Seminoles reduced the lead to six points by eight minutes in the game, but only three minutes later Hokies led from 16, closing the door on a potential return.
Seminoles’ inability to convert in the first half and down from the section allowed Hocky to build an overwhelming lead.
This is only the third time the FSU lost at home this season.
Seminoles lost the battle for physics
Hamilton saw a consistent model in the last three losses of Seminoles, failure to win the battle for physicality.
After winning Pete, Seminoles struggles to deal with the physicality with which Stanford, Cal and Virginia play.
Hockey were not afraid of contact on Wednesday night, driving in FSU for insult and were not afraid to challenge the seminols in the rim defensive. Hamilton felt that the inability to deal with it had contributed to three games.
“I thought we would be overhanging, but more than anything I thought we were not showing the strength we were used to showing here in Florida and in our basketball program,” said Hamilton. I thought Virginia Tech was much more aggressive and much more physical. I don’t think we meet their physics.
The challenges of traveling on the west coast is not an excuse
The Seminols spent last week in California for their first swing on the west coast in ACS, losing to Stanford and Kal.
Hamilton said there were some obvious challenges in this trip, but he didn’t want to use it as an excuse for Wednesday night.
Hamilton has said before that every team in ACC has to make the same adjustments that FSU makes when traveling.
“There were some challenges we had to go through, no doubt that, but everyone would have to do it. That’s it,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with us and how we played.”
Seminoles do not have an error margin in the last month of play
FSU’s post -season hopes have struck a huge blow during the loss of three games, leaving seminoles without a mistake for a mistake if the team wants a chance to compete.
The FSU is unlikely to make a NCAA tournament without winning the ACC tournament, but with a 4-6 total conference record after the loss, Seminoles are located on the 11th.
The top 15 teams make the ACC tournament, so Seminoles must pick up wins at the conference to provide any type of post -season basketball.
Hamilton said the ACC is a challenging conference to learn how to play, especially with new faces, receiving its first taste at a conference.
“Now we have guys who were not in ACC. This is their first tour,” Hamilton said. “We need to find a way to accelerate this training curve if we are going to finish the season and have some options at the end of the season.”
Who plays FSU Men’s Basketball?
Seminols travel to Cheznut Hill, Massachusetts to face Boston College.
Date: Saturday, February 1st
Where: Contest
When: 14:00
How to look: ACC network
Liam Rooney covers the athletics of Florida for the Talahassi Democrat. Contact him by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney