Over 1,200 miles away from their campus and playing a double digit seed from much closer and playing with a chip on there shoulder, the FSU basketball team realized very early on that they were not going to be able to walk over their foes in the opener of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.
Without Phil Cofer, who arrived at the arena in a boot, and watching their foes sink seemingly everything from beyond the arc, the No. 4 seeded Seminoles needed second half magic to escape with a 76-69 victory over No. 14 seeded Vermont.
In the first half, it was a story of streaks for both teams as the Catamounts hit back to back to back three pointers and had a nine point lead and everyone’s attention.