It didn’t take long for the defense of FSU basketball to assert itself against the No. 4 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs and lead them to its first Elite 8 appearance since 1993.
We talked about FSU’s defense being the No. 1 key to beating Gonzaga along with rebounding and making free throws.
The Noles held the Bulldogs to 33.9% shooting overall and forced 13 turnovers while making 15 of 22 free throws in the 75-60 win as a six point underdog.
FSU lead 41-32 at halftime and never relinquished the lead after that.
Rebounding was the only category where Gonzaga saw a slight edge, but FSU played so well defensively it didn’t matter.