How Florida State Flipped Its Season With Grit, Guards, And Smart Adjustments

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Transcript

Setting The Scene: A Needed Win

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Let me ask you one question The North Florida Florida North Florida.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

You gotta get like a job, you know what you're the North Florida Noah. I'm gonna talk to me. FAT basketball big win over Twinson. Little John, Goddamn! Right?

SPEAKER_01 0:53

First win in Little John since 2019. Yeah, dude.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

But it's been a while. Sports has moved on from football. Thank God. Yeah. And what we got was a rebuilding here. Not one ACC game to win said Jimmy Reno. That 0-5 star, man. I was seven and seven now in the conference, right? Seven of the last. I mean having conversations I thought would never take place about this team in particular. Yeah. Like starting with think back, oh, if they would have won this game, they'd have won that game.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

But two games. There's two games in conference, one game out of conference early. Those go differently, and you're talking about a team that's that's sitting on the bubble.

The Defensive Turnaround

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Well, a team that looked itself in the mirror after getting its ass kicked by NC State. Yeah. Changed the way they played. And now those things can benefit you more when you buy in defensively. Like the fact that you can make threes are gonna win you a game like it did today. And Bob McCrae shooting for it, and they shot 40% from three, and they won the game.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

Yeah, didn't play bad. Yeah, but the the the key thing here is you held your opponent to 30% from three, 30% from the field. You made it tough for them on the other side. You knew Luke, you knew they were gonna come in and just you know, well, take shots.

SPEAKER_02 2:37

Yeah, um coming in in the same two was 50% from the floor and 41, 42% from the behind the arc. So it's gonna be you're gonna win a lot of games when you do that. You're gonna be in every game. 14 to 16 from the free throw line.

Forcing Clemson Into Bad Shots

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Right. Another you're gonna be in needed all of it every game if you play like that. And if you play defense and you hold your opponent to 30% from the field.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Well, I think they forced Clemson into shooting more threes than they wanted. The Clemston's shot 33 three-pointers. Yeah. They made 10. Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

That that that's not their game. No.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

That was the difference. I mean, you're 10-24 from three, they're 10 to 33. Yeah. That's nine more attempts. Right. And I I mean, so the Virginia. They started taking the ball to the rack.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

When you played Virginia Tech, we had what, four guys in double figures.

Rebounding Without A True Big

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Um Well, they they held their own rebounding. They only got there was 26-24. Clemson with their two, only two on the rebounding edge. That's something that's huge. That could have been done. Right, because we're we're I mean, Florida State is playing without a big body. 21 defensive rebounds. You out defensive rebounded them. That's huge. That is huge. Because in today's game, that's what people do is they just all they just make their they just rebound their misses. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you you're playing without a big body down there. I mean, that's that's that's what it's exciting to see an adjustment made, and you can see the team fighting and and gritting out these wins, and it's it's been fun to watch.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

Yeah, yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

After that 0-5 start, If you don't have any expectations, it's really been nice to see this team develop and and grow into a legitimate team.

SPEAKER_01 4:35

Yeah, just just the coaching job that that Laux has done in season, recognizing what he has on his roster, what's gonna work, and what needs to just kind of get scrapped.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

I like that he gets after the officials too. Yeah. That's something you never saw here with Leonard. Now, and I know that's just not who he was, but you gotta be who you are.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Right. And and l and and Ham's entire career, you can count on one hand the times when he was demonstrative. You know, I think back to that that game in Cameron indoor when he threw his jacket down.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

All the great coaches did it.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

Yeah, you gotta bitch the officials.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

You have to.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

I mean, you you watch him now.

Coaching Edge And Sideline Fire

SPEAKER_02 5:16

You watch the the guys there was a point there where like they weren't calling anything, and you could see Luke getting really demonstrative on the sideline. Oh, yeah. And they they they stepped up and actually see the the ref physically like two minutes calling.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

Yeah, calm down. I'll call. I got you. I got well they they were, dude. They like up at the top of the key, they're pushing McCray all the time.

SPEAKER_02 5:40

All you gotta do is just back your guys. It doesn't have to be anything other than that. And uh, it's good to see that. Um good to see McCray do what he's done. He's really come back to the ACC with a vengeance this year.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Yeah. Started out at Wake Forest, um, was kind of overlooked there. I I man, I think the only thing that was him, the only knock on him is is the amount of turnovers.

The Bob McRae Show

SPEAKER_02 6:09

Oh, yeah. He every now and then we were saying it like he's done a lot of good things, so here comes some blaking. Right, it's the end game. It's the end game variants. If if if he was nothing but his his I'll take that every time when you're putting up 29 and six with three assists, and I feel like they wanted they were giving him that, and he took it. And I think they were just like, We're not gonna double you. And if we're and I told you, it was like if they're gonna if they're gonna keep giving him this, he's gotta, he's gotta take it. Yeah, and they're not not a lot of fast breaks. I don't think there was any fast break points in the first half. I don't know if there was any in the second half. Very few. I mean it they made it a half-court game, yeah, and they were like, We're we're gonna guard you one-on-one, and he took advantage of that.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

Yeah, man, it it it was the Bob McRay show. Um he he kind of took over there in the last five minutes. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

I mean, 29 points. The next guy on the was LeJ Jones with 13, and that's it for double figures. Yeah, that's it. So it was a game that was shortened up, and in the past you would see Clemson win this game 65 to 47. Yeah, you just had a guy step up and score the basketball with skills, and you had some big contributors and the free throw, going 14 of 16.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Going 14 of 16 from the line is also key. Um, that you know that was it. I mean story of the game, man. They they have lost a few against teams this year.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

He was the star of the game, nobody else.

Supporting Cast And Roles

SPEAKER_01 7:54

No, no, no. Clemson's high scorer had like 15. Yeah. It was it was gonna be a low-scoring game. That's that's the kind of game that Clemson wanted.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

But they you had a guy that could take advantage of that. And it and it and to the ability to do it and take it if the defense is gonna give you that, you have to go. You can't be complacent, you can't be like, oh, I gotta get my guys involved. You have to be like, all right, I'm taking it.

unknown 8:22

Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

And the team go get it. Yeah. And that's an unselfish attitude almost that you have to have because I know he can. This is a guy who had what, 20-something assists? Who's already, you know, he wants to pass the rock. Right. And his upside is really high.

unknown 8:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

If he could get rid of the just just careless mistakes. When Florida State needs points, he's as good as you have.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

I want him, you want him with the ball in his hands.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

And I get, I get why Chauncey Wiggins has, you know. He's probably next in line in terms of of and he's got that big game experience. He's got the experience in the ACC. Yeah, but but you you it's it's the McRae show, man. Yeah.

Growth, Pride, And Close Games

SPEAKER_02 9:12

From here on out. You just need, but you need you need Jones and Wiggins to come with them. Right. These are the nice compliments. Lauk says bring their spine. Yeah. Like if they come ready to play and they come with him, they're gonna be tough to beat.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Yeah, and you you throw Steen in there, those are the three guys that can get down there and get rebounds, and and he's the he's the guy, the he's the closest thing we have to a big man.

SPEAKER_02 9:39

But he gives all the effort. I mean, he's you're never gonna question that. This guy's he's making the right decisions.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Oh yeah. Dude, his three assists might have been the the the three biggest assists in the game. And and that it was nothing but hustle.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Screens, hustle, offensive rebounds. That's that's why you have to have him in there. And he's a guy to like bridge the gap until you get the big body campus. Right. But that's that's what it it almost makes this guys like him and McCrae teams that you know you want to root for. You know, because these are guys that like no nobody really gave a shot to yeah. That this this is a fun team to root for. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:29

And and it and they could have easily been like uh Yeah, they could have packed it in, they could be sitting there with three wins in conference.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Yeah, but this I I've really enjoyed seeing them grow and trying to maximize their potential.

Schedule Outlook And Stakes

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Yeah, man. I like it again, the game against Boston College. Yeah, that's a game last season where they're 14. Right, where they don't they don't fight back and they don't ended the game on a 35 to 13 run. Yeah. There's some pride that's being taken in that and like you said, man, you're you're sitting there at seven and seven, adversity, and you're you're kicking yourself because you're like, man, there's two or three games where you could have had a different outcome, and it would be a completely different story.

SPEAKER_02 11:14

Look at those two games right there in conference. In conference, those are two games you should have won. The game against Florida. You had those games, you were dominating them. Yeah. And so those two right off the bat, and then the game against Florida, like you said, and then look at the the way they played against Duke, and even on the road against UNC.

SPEAKER_01 11:33

Against UNC, against SMU.

SPEAKER_02 11:35

I mean, you you're hanging with teams that it's a totally different team than, and I really like the adjustments. I really like the way they've been competitive, and it it's only gonna get better in terms of talent, right? Yeah, yeah. So if they can all buy in, if you can now that we'll see if he's able to do that. Now, I think there's a mixture there, and we'll see who he can add. But I I mean, I'm excited. It's been exciting to watch this.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Well, I think you you know, you got the recruiting class coming in. Um, you know, you got uh Marte Barnes reclassified. He's a a top 100 kid. You may have a shot at getting him. So you're bringing in four, potentially five kids that are you know that are gonna give you something, but you still got to hammer that transfer point.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Oh, yeah. When you look at terms of minutes and possession and who's got the ball in their hand, it's Bob.

Postseason Hopes And Realism

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Yeah, he's out. So you gotta replace it. It'd be great if you could bring Somerville back. You know, you saw against Virginia Tech what he can do when he he is the guy, but you need to find a guy a little more and I think you you go and you you find some more size, you find some more defense. I mean, it it's impressive. I I I'm impressed by what Laux has done. Um I know he's probably not going to get a lot of consideration for ACC coach of the year. You got Jai Lucas, and you got Miami's doing a great job. Right. You got the guy at Virginia who's got him, you know, after Tony Bennett, after the year they had last season's first year, he's doing really well. Those are probably your two front runners.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

They're bouncing well, they're down three at Virginia. So that that game right there is gonna be huge. The floor Florida State, Miami. And they're Miami's up three? No, Miami's down three with three seconds left.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Yeah, so I think you probably look at UVA and their head coach. Can't remember his name, but I mean they're 20, they're about to be 24 and 3. Yeah. I mean and that's after missing the tournament.

Baseball Momentum And Big Tests

SPEAKER_02 13:56

That's a game right there that Florida State easily could have won. Should have won. Yeah. And the way the way they played against Duke, a team that was out talent of them, they're just the way they competed. There is there's team can compete night and day in terms of talent. They're competing like they are, and they bring the effort and they're making shots. They they're gonna be a tough out. Yeah. That that's a big exactly. Somehow, that game Tuesday, I'm telling you right now, if you can get there, it's a nine o'clock game. Go. Go and yell. Yeah, support this team. This is a big game. This is probably the toughest game left in terms of record-wise. Record-wise, yeah. This is the toughest matchup you have left. I mean, we I said it before this last game is this next two games at Clemson and Miami are the best two teams that you're playing. Yeah. So you win this next game. You're playing with house points. Right. I mean SMU to close out the season. Andy Enfield coming back to the to the season. That's happened before. I mean, I you give yourself 500 now, you're one game over 500, just to even talk about it is credit. Right. I mean, I don't even I don't think. You start your own five, man. You like to even hear some like the remnants of a of a train. Yeah. You know, just to hear, like even to even dream about it is is is the credit to the staff and credit to the players.

Olympic Hockey And Closing Notes

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Yeah. Man, Lauf has done a great job um rallying this team because it got off the rails for a second. It you know, they had to find their identity, like what they were gonna be able to actually do. He shrunk the rotation a little bit. Yeah. You're seeing, you know, a smaller not a lot of not a lot of you know, Cam Cam Miles not getting in so much, Maluk not getting in so much, um, McGee, a lot less shots coming out of him.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

You know, you're seeing more Bassong, more Swinton.

SPEAKER_02 16:05

Yeah. But it it, you know. Ball handlers in in particular. It's Bob, and then you gotta give him a break.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Dude, it's still college basketball. It's always been dominated by guards. Right. Guard play is gonna be where you live and die. And you they gotta be able to do both sides. You gotta be able to guard, you gotta be able to play defense.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

So, I mean, it it's Virginia beat Miami by three. So Miami's gonna be coming into town upset. Upset. This is a good Miami team, 21-5. 21-6. 21-6 now, but four, I mean speed good teams. Yeah, there's they're in the city. Upper echelon of the ACC. Yep. Um, sweets by again, but you're right there, and this is a team that's right there that's a team that's got some big guys.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

I mean, even let's say you went out, you finish 18-13, 11-7 in conference. Most likely, like that, that's not gonna get you into the tournament given the early season. It's still incredible.

SPEAKER_02 17:18

Right. It's been really a a now you go on a run in the ACC tournament. It's just been fun. It's fun. It's fun to see the Hoops team can compete. And I think that's what that NC State game really slapped Coach Locks in the face. Slapped them all in the face. Yeah, but in particular, he was like, oh hell no. Yeah, yeah. Listen, I don't get, I'm not, I am not getting my ass in mirrors. We're not getting that shit. Because you're right. Yeah, you're right. You could lose every game, but if you lose them by like and you lose competitor games, and that was like shit that that's like legendary loss. Yeah. You do shit like that, that's gets people talking. Yeah. And something's gotta change. And he did it. And his ability to look himself in the mirror has been something I like.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

And convey to the team, it's like, listen, man, they're they're gonna run all of our asses out of here if we do that shit again. Yeah. I like that. It's not it's not just like they're not gonna be bullying, like, we're none of us are gonna have to.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

They're gonna lose. They're they're they're gonna lose, you're gonna go down fighting, and you're not gonna, and you're gonna give it everything you have. I really like this. I'd love the turnaround here, you know, just to be competitive. One game over 500 now. Yeah, eight.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Eight conference was seven conferences.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Seven and seven in the ACC.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

And I thought maybe like maybe two or three at top. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

That's that's yeah, they're gonna be in the tournament. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

Maybe they were picked fifteenth to finish the season, like the preseason.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Yeah. And you can see why.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

Yeah, but you you're doing it without you know, you you're essentially playing without a guy that can play right now a position on the on the floor. There is no five. Right.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

But they're right there. I mean, you have Duke, Virginia at the top, and then you got Miami and C State, and then you have Clemson and North Carolina, and then uh Louisville eight and five, and SMU at seven and six, but then there's Florida State. Yeah. Right in the middle right now.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

You got a shot, man. You're you're playing Miami and SMU to close it out.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

You play Miami. Uh I mean. Let's say you went out. Then you have, let's see. I mean, you got you got Miami. That's the game. You gotta focus on that game. Yeah. And then you have, and then yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

You gotta you gotta road game with David.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

You should win out. Then you should go to Georgia Tech.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

You got a road game with Davin Stodemeyer and his little group group of coaches. Jeff Capel. Pitt is pit is awful. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:12

So those are games you should win.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Yeah. And you come home and it's gonna be a home game against Andy Enfield. I think it's I think it's his first time coming back to the Tuck.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

What I mean, what what I'm excited about is it looks like this team is gonna get it's gonna keep playing. They're gonna be a good one.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

They're gonna get invited to a tournament. Yeah, some postseason tournaments should invite. It's good to see. Yeah. It's good to see. Nobody likes a season to end early.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

No.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

I mean, shoot.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

NIT do it like it did it.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

I know.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

They don't have home games anymore. They do that, but um, some of that I don't think they do it in New York. I don't know. That's lame.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

Kind of want to go to the CBI. I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

I don't think that.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

I don't think we'll ever do that. I think NIT should be, you know. That's an accomplishment.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Shit.

SPEAKER_02 21:14

Oh man, we gotta get on out of here. Our ride's here. Before we go, baseball! Baseball in action. Miles Bailey, first pitch, he sees Booyah out of the park. They sweep James Madison. Then they go to Dallas and beat Michigan.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

At a big midweek win against Jacksonville. Listen. Oh yeah. Listen, these teams in Florida, Jacksonville, North Florida, Stetson. Well hey, man, you gotta bring it. No, they're no slouches.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

No, I know I know. And that's what I was saying earlier: I really like the coach. I think this team's, you don't have to worry about it. It's gonna, it's gonna. Be as good as it can, and then there hopefully you can get the monkey off its back in the postseason. Because it's baseball, man.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

It is. Ridiculous. Just keep going, man. She's gotta get this monkey off her back. And I think it's gonna happen. Because we got the right guy. He's gonna die trying.

SPEAKER_01 22:18

Yeah, he's gonna die trying. I mean, you're not this this like, hey, nobody's gonna try harder than this guy.

SPEAKER_02 22:26

Right. I love it. I mean, their fan base is totally behind it. They love baseball here. Yeah. And it's it's just it's it's just it's bum puzzling to see that they haven't had one. Right. It, I mean, dude, it it at some point that it's yeah. Yeah. But the good team over there, anxious to see.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

They got a big one today here. 430, I think, first pitch against Auburn. They're bringing number nine in the country.

SPEAKER_02 22:57

What what's gonna be their downfall, I'm sure, after a few games. They'll tell us that they're gonna be good, but the pitching will end up biting them.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

We'll see. I mean, we've only had two of the three starters have been healthy. Um, their their normal Saturday starter has been sick, so I think he's gonna miss another weekend.

SPEAKER_02 23:19

But again, Olympic hockey, man. I saw the women win gold against Canada. It was actually really thrilling to watch the drama. And the men will take on the Canadians on the ice in Italy. It tells.