The Florida State Seminoles used a late rally to top the No. 1 seed Xavier Musketeers 75-70 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, Florida State moves into the Sweet 16 for just the second time under head coach Leonard Hamilton. Florida State was a 5.5-point underdog to Xavier and kept up the theme of the day by pulling off the outright upset. The game fell well short of the total of 158.
Florida State’s surprising victory has thrown the West Region into anarchy. With No. 1 seed Xavier and No. 2 seed North Carolina out of the picture, the door is open for anyone to win. The Seminoles will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs with a trip to the West Regional Final on the line Thursday, March 22. The betting odds for that showdown will be released soon by BetDSI Sportsbook. Gonzaga is expected to be a four- or five-point favorite in Los Angeles.
Florida State’s defense came through in the end to push the Seminoles on to the next round. FSU didn’t allow a field goal in the final 3:58 of action to erase a four-point deficit and get the win.
Xavier had a hard time creating offense in its last few possessions after star guard J.P. Macura fouled out. Macura led the team with 17 points and was the one Musketeer that was able to consistently unlock FSU’s defense all game. Without him, the team couldn’t convert on key possessions late in the game.
Florida State had five players finish in double figures on the evening. Brian Angola led FSU with 16 points, and he was the one player that played for more than 30 minutes in this one.
At the start of the NCAA Tournament, Florida State was given little chance to win the NCAA Tournament with odds of +28000 according to the oddsmakers at BetDSI. Gonzaga was considered to have a much better chance with odds of +2500 to win March Madness.
