The weather in Tallahassee was cold, but the shooting in the Tucker Center remained hot. Both teams made over 40% of their threes, but the Florida State Seminoles pulled away from the North Carolina Tar Heels thanks to frequent and accurate free throw shooting and solid defensive rebounding, winning 82-75 against the visitors from Tobacco Road.
Playing without freshman point guard Scottie Barnes (ankle), the Seminoles began the game with two sloppy possessions, turning it over on consecutive trips. FSU then started doing two things well—being aggressive to the bucket, which led to fouls, or open kick-outs, and making North Carolina—the best offensive rebounding team in the country at tip-off—one and done on the other end.