ACC Tournament 2012: Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Grades from FSU's Win

The Florida State Seminoles made history on Sunday afternoon, holding off a furious North Carolina rally late in the game to bring home an 85-82 win in the ACC title game. The win handed the Seminoles their first conference title in program history. 

The 'Noles led by as many as 16 in the second half, but few expected that the Tar Heels would fold, and they didn't disappoint, rallying to within one in the final minute of the game. But a pair of late free throws by Deividas Dulkys put FSU up by three, and P.J. Hairston's last-ditch three-pointer died on the back rim to hand Florida State a well-deserved victory in the conference title game.

Best Tweets of the Game:

Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandell made quite the bold postgame statement about FSU athletics, but given the number of ACC titles the football team has recently, is he really that wrong? 

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"So it's official: Florida State is a basketball school now."

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Meanwhile, ESPN's Andy Katz believes that the Big Two has officially become the Big Three in the ACC, and he gives Leonard Hamilton all the credit:

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"Florida State beats North Carolina. Move over big two, Leonard Hamilton has crashed the party -- finally."

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Darnell Docket, linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals, continued his trash talk campaign for the Seminoles, his alma mater. Well said Darnell, well said: 

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"Aye how did FSU do against UNC?"

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Finally, we have Pat Forde, who provide us a little bit of context as to just how impressive this win by Florida State was. Four wins over Duke and UNC are definitely nothing to sneeze at:

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"Congrats to Florida State for slaying the Tobacco Road Twin Towers four times in one year. Wow."

 

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Grades for Key Florida State Players:

Luke Louks: B

Louks was at his trouble-making best for the Seminoles today, dishing out 13 assists while scoring 10 points to bring home a double-double while also wreaking havoc on the Tar Heels' vaunted guards defensively.

Louks may not be the Seminoles' best offensive player, but without his ball-handling skills, no way would they be here. His six rebounds were a team-high as well, and that all-around game made sure the 'Noles would win. 

Michael Snaer: B

Snaer was a sharpshooter from the three-point line in this one, knocking down four of five and scoring 18 points. He did a good job providing FSU with a strong presence on the outside, and he also did a solid job of keeping Kendall Marshall in check.

Devidas Dulkys: B

Dulkys gave the Seminoles the late-game punch they needed offensively by scoring 16 points, including several key buckets down the stretch as the Seminoles tried to hold off the Tar Heels' second-half charge. Without his free throws at the end of the game, I doubt Florida State would have walked out of Atlanta with a win.

Grades for Key North Carolina Players:

Harrison Barnes: B-

Barnes did what the Tar Heels needed offensively for much of this one, scoring 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He was slashing and knocking down outside shots, but he faded slightly down the stretch, including a disappearing act on the Heels' last few possessions. 

Kendall Marshall: B

Marshall was UNC's least-effective star, scoring just 12 points while struggling with FSU's suffocating defense. Marshall found himself unable to create shots for himself like he typically does until the final minute when he knocked down the key three to cut FSU's lead to one. 

Tyler Zeller: A

This game was Zeller's for the taking, and he delivered on both ends, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the game. He was a force on both ends of the floor and wreaked havoc on the guard-centric Seminoles. 

Deciding Factor: Three-Point Shooting

Three-point shooting killed the Tar Heels in this one. FSU shot 47.8 percent from beyond the arc, and in a close game like this, that makes all the difference. The Tar Heels couldn't contain the sharpshooting Seminole guards and struggled from beyond the arc for much of the game. 

Game MVP: Deividas Dulkys

Dulkys was a thorn in the Heels' side all game long.

He was as clutch as they come, knocking down a pair of free throws with 3.9 seconds left to keep the Seminoles up 85-82. Dulkys' shooting down the stretch kept Florida State up late, and without him, they probably wouldn't be celebrating their first ACC title. 

What's Next?

Both of these teams will be a part of the Madness, as UNC's overall resume puts them in the running for a No. 1 seed (although the Tar Heels will be hard-pressed to get a top seed after this loss). Expect fairly deep tournament runs from both of these schools.