Dwayne Bacon scored 26 of his 29 points in the second half, including the game-winning three with 2.0 seconds left, as No. 20 Florida State legitimized their record with a 60-58 win over No. 12 Virginia on the road.
The end of the game was wild.
After missed free throws gave UVA a chance to take the win, the Wahoos did just that, running ‘Hammer’ action - made famous by LeBron and the Cavs - and getting Kyle Guy wide-open from the corner. Bacon answered on the ensuing possession, all of which fits into one video clip because neither Tony Bennett nor Leonard Hamilton used a timeout in the final 20 seconds:
What a wild finish in Charlottesville!!! Kyle Guy, baseline drive, baseline drift. But Dwayne Bacon is sizzling. 26 this half. pic.twitter.com/Om3E5gmXXz
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) December 31, 2016
As I said earlier, this win gives us reason to believe in Florida State. The Seminoles are loaded with talent on their roster, headined by Bacon and potential top five pick Jonathan Isaac, but future NBA players hasn’t guaranteed success in Tallahassee. But Leonard Hamilton has a feel for this team. He doesn’t over-coach them, he lets the talent that he recruited make plays while asking his guys to buy-in and give effort defensively.
It works.
And it looks like the Seminoles will be a factor in the ACC title race this season. They may not be a contender to win it - although given that Duke and UNC both lost today and the Seminoles just beat the team that beat down Louisville, they may be - but if this win tells us anything, the Noles will not be an easy team to dispatch.
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When it comes to Virginia, this loss isn’t disastrous. Bacon is a future NBA player and one of the best scorers in the ACC. Sometimes guys that are that talented pop off for 26 points in a half, even if they are defended well. It does, however, lend credence to the theory - my theory - that Virginia’s win over Louisville said more about their matchup with the Cardinals than it did about UVA’s ability to win the league or get to the Final Four.