NC State redshirt sophomore Dereon Seabron put on a magical show but wasn’t able to get a chance at the end to win.
Seabron went 12 of 14 from the field for 32 points, plus five rebounds and seven assists in playing point guard for the Wolfpack, but a second half lead slipped away and Florida State won 83-81.
Seabron looked to be at a full head of steam in trying to tie the game with one of his patented drives, but NC State coach Kevin Keatts elected to call a timeout. What the Wolfpack weren’t expecting following the timeout was when FSU sent two players to guard Seabron on the in-bounds pass. Senior forward Jericole Hellems threw the ball away, trying to force it to Seabron.
NC State still had one last gasp though. Cam’Ron Fletcher made the first free throw for FSU to stretch the lead to 81-78 with 4.6 seconds left. Fletcher then missed the second free throw and Hellems was called for a foul on the box out. Florida State’s Matthew Cleveland made both free throws to seal the win.
“It’s very frustrating because I feel like we are right there every game,” Seabron said. “It just comes down to some mental breakdowns, whether it is missed block outs or 50-50 balls. We just have to find out how to close out games.”
NC State fell to 7-7 overall and 0-3 in the ACC, and will try and snap its five-game losing streak at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. FSU, which hadn’t played since Dec. 15, improved to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in the league.
“I’m proud of my guys,” Keatts said. “I know it doesn't appear that way, but we're a good basketball team. We're getting better. Some younger guys are getting better.”
Keatts said one of the reasons he called a timeout was due to a learning experience from the Purdue loss this season.
“I learned that the Purdue game we had one timeout left, and in the Purdue game I didn't call it and it was unfavorable result towards I think the end of regulation,” Keatts said. “We called it, [and] every Florida State guy saw what's called a timeout, and so everybody just stopped because we called it.
“In hindsight looking back, I would have done the same thing because I want to run something to try to get him or somebody a shot. That didn't lose us the game.
“If we don’t call a timeout, it’s probably a turnover because he was going to drive into three or four guys.”
The action proved frenetic in the first half. Freshman point guard Breon Pass hit a big three-pointer to stretch NC State’s lead to 58-51 with 11:23 left in the game. It seemed a poignant time in the game because Miami (Fla.) made its move around the same point in NC State previous game.
The 7-point shrunk thanks to eight-straight points from senior forward Malik Osborne, who hit a pair of three-pointers. FSU freshman Matthew Cleveland also proved to be a problem driving to the rim, and he scored to give the Seminoles a 61-60 lead with 8:07 left.
Then it became a scenario of “Could Seabron make enough plays down the stretch?” He almost did with 12 points in the final eight minutes.
If it wasn’t Seabron, then it was freshman wing Terquavion Smith bombing away for 23 points, including going 7 of 13 from three-point land.
Keatts said he knows his team is close, it just has to learn the value of every possession.
“I thought in this game, if we could have back 10 possessions, 10 possessions where maybe we gave up a loose ball, where maybe we didn’t get back in transition,” Keatts said. “Or maybe we turned the ball or maybe didn't get a 50-50 basketball, I think we have a chance to win the game.”
The Wolfpack shook up the starting lineup by having senior guard Thomas Allen get the nod, and sophomore point guard Cam Hayes came off the bench. The move led to Seabron playing more point guard than in games past, though Hayes and Pass combined for 23 minutes off the bench.
“The reason why he got the start — and Cam [Hayes] didn’t lose the spot — but Cam hasn’t been playing great,” Keatts said. “I wanted to let Cam see the game at the start of the game. I wanted him to see the beginning of the game and then come in for the game. That doesn’t mean the narrative is that Cam Hayes is not going to be our starting point guard anymore. I just wanted to look at something else.”
Keatts sees progress even if it’s frustrating that the team has enjoyed the fruits of their labor.
“When it turns around, it's gonna be great, but right now it sucks, it's not good, it doesn't feel good,” Keatts said. “But at the end of the day, if you're watching us, and you don't think that we're getting better or playing hard, then something is wrong with you because it's not our guys. Our guys are fighting.
“I tell guys in today's world when things don't work out we all have to find somebody to blame. Don't blame my players. If you want to blame somebody, blame me. I'm big enough to handle that. I’m OK with that, but don't blame my players.”
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