0 - 0 It started out like Seminoles fans hoped it wouldn't but expected it to: pressure from Alabama and lots of early turnovers. But, the defense played strong and Florida State started to get into a rhythm in the late first half when Coach Leonard Hamilton switched to a three guard lineup: Kitchen, Dulkys and Snaer. This change placed more ball handlers on the court, allowing to break the press in a more efficient manner. Despite the adjustment, the Seminoles continued to have a significant size advantage over the smaller Alabama team.
Once the Seminoles settled down, the passing was crisp, the movement off the ball was active and the shots were falling. Deividas Dulkys went 3-6 from behind the arc and hit key baskets and was begging for the ball down the stretch. He had a lot of empty looks at the basket as Alabama attempted to protect the paint as the likes of Kitchen and Snaer penetrated the defense. Dulkys and Singleton hit the key baskets that allowed the Seminoles to go on an early run in the second half from which Alabama couldn't recover.
Again, you can see the stair case pattern of scoring in the first half. The horizontal periods occurred during turnover heavy periods. The defense kept Alabama's guards in check until Florida State got it's offense rolling. Alabama didn't have a single player in double digit scoring, which is outstanding considering three of their players typically average double digits. The Seminoles only had five recorded blocks, but the big guys down low altered numerous shots through the night. They also out rebounded Alabama 33-27 with 20 defensive rebounds. And as the defense has done all year, it limited Alabama's FG%, shooting only 40% from the floor and 40% from the 3 point line. The Seminoles also showed a good amount of full court pressure. The Crimson tide had an efficiency of 96.2 on 53 possessions, their lowest output of the year.
