ACC Tournament 2012: Keys to Florida State Pulling off Shocking Upset of UNC

Florida State shattered the ACC power matchup of Duke vs. North Carolina for the ACC tournament championship. That is bad news for North Carolina. Because the Seminoles are a bad matchup for the Tar Heels.

That much became clear when Florida State absolutely demolished North Carolina in the regular season, 90-57. That may have been the oddest result of the entire college basketball season. 

While the wide margin of victory was certainly a bit flukish, the fact that Florida State gave North Carolina fits was not. 

If the Seminoles can execute the following game plan they will bounce UNC and be tournament champs. 

Protect the Rock

The Seminoles have struggled with turnovers all season. Their guards can struggle with full-court pressure, and it can derail their offense. 

Even when they play well, they still rack up the turnovers. They had 13 in their semifinal win over Duke, and that is a low number for them. They had 17 when they destroyed Duke earlier in the year. 

This team isn't going to completely eliminate their turnovers, but they can limit the damage those turnovers cause. It is one thing to turn the ball over when you are pressing. It is another to turn it over when you are just trying to get into your offense. 

It is the second kind that the Seminoles must avoid. 

Control the Pace

Even though Florida State dropped 90 on the Tar Heels when they first met, they are not the type of team that wants to play an up and down game, and they certainly don't with the athletic Tar Heels. 

The Seminoles finished 123rd in the nation in points scored, and that is because they like to run a deliberate offense, get good looks and play good defense. 

They can't be tempted into turning this game into a track meet.

Hit the Boards

The Seminoles are one of the few teams in the country that can hang with the Tar Heels on the boards. They finished 50th in the nation in rebounding, and that number looks even better considering they played in lower scoring/possession games than the average team.

They out-rebounded North Carolina 41-33 in their previous matchup, and that is something they are going to have to make a priority for this game. 

They can't allow North Carolina to continually get second looks after missed shots, and if they can create a few offensive rebounds of their own it will be a huge bonus.