HARTFORD, Conn. — Ja Morant was good.
The Florida State Seminoles were better.
Overshadowed in their conference for much of the year and, somehow, overshadowed by Murray State’s point guard in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday’s second-round game, the fourth-seeded Seminoles put on an inspired and, at times, cathartic show in a 90-62 rout of No. 12 Murray State at Hartford’s XL Center.
Yes, it was pretty sweet.
With their victory in hand, the Seminoles are off the NCAA West Region semifinal – more affectionately known as the Sweet 16 – next week in Anaheim, Calif, where they’ll meet top-seeded Gonzaga on Thursday.
It’s FSU’s second Sweet 16 appearance in as many years, sixth in school history and just the second time ever that the Seminoles have made it to the tournament’s second weekend in back-to-back seasons.
The last time they did it, in 1992 and 93, the likes of Charlie Ward and Sam Cassell were patrolling the floor.
“I saw it coming together,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “The body language. The way we communicated, the facial expressions. I could tell that they were determined (to) play well tonight.
“I think a lot of it had to do with the respect we have for Murray State.”
And for Morant.
To be sure, Murray State’s sophomore superstar lived up to his considerable hype.
The 6-3, 175-pound future lottery pick scored a game-high 28 points and knocked down five 3-pointers.
But he also had to work awfully hard for all he got. Morant made just eight of his 21 shots, scored only 10 in the second half and, perhaps most important, finished with only four assists.
That’s a far cry from the 16 he had on Thursday against Marquette, and, with Morant unable to distribute to his teammates, the Racers were essentially a one-man show.
Morant finished with 45 percent of his team’s points, and no other Murray State player had more than 12.
“We went into the game with a clear understanding that we probably could not stop him from getting 25 or 30 points,” Hamilton said. “But we had to be solid defensively with everybody else.”
“When they’re at their best is when he can find people and find his shooters,” FSU guard Trent Forrest added. “So that was definitely part of our game plan, trying to take those outlets away.”
The Seminoles danced with what brought them to the Dance, so to speak:
Hamilton sent 14 different players to the floor on Saturday — including extended action for reserves Wyatt Wilkes, Anthony Polite and P.J. Savoy — and 10 of them scored.
Even with regulars Phil Cofer (foot) and David Nichols (leg) sidelined with injuries, FSU’s depth advantage overwhelmed the opposition.
“A guy like (Morant) is super-talented. We understand that,” Kabengele said. “But I feel like, one on 18, I’m going to go with the 18 every single time.”
Besides, that’s not to say FSU didn’t flash any star power.”
Kabengele, recently named the ACC’s sixth man of the year, had 22 points and seven rebounds.
Terance Mann added 18 and eight, and seemingly every other Seminole to check in took a turn with either a highlight-reel dunk or 3-pointer.
As the final score suggests, Florida State dominated the Racers from the perimeter (11-of-27 3-point shooting), in the paint (19 dunks or layups) and on the glass (45-33 rebounding advantage).
It all added up to Florida State’s most lopsided victory in more than four months, and one that shattered Cinderella’s glass slipper.
The Seminoles after the game said that they couldn’t help but notice all the attention paid to Murray State and Morant, but that they weren’t really bothered by it.
After all, an electrifying player on an upstart, mid-major team makes for compelling storylines, particularly when geared toward fans who might not already have a rooting interest.
And it’s no wonder that the Villanova and Purdue fans in attendance, waiting for their game later in the evening, rallied behind Murray State as often as they could.
By now, though, the Seminoles are used to it. It was that way throughout the regular season and into last week’s NCAA tournament, and it seeped into their week here in Hartford.
“Hey, it’s not the first time,” Mann said. “It’s not the first time when there’s so much talk about one guy or the other team and we come in there and do the job.
“It get’s overlooked. But we’re going to the Sweet 16. Winning is the only way you can solve that problem.”
Given where they’ve been, and where they’re headed, it’s a problem the Seminoles are happy to have.
