NCAA Tournament 2019: Vermont falls to Florida State 76-69

Given Florida State’s size advantage, it was widely known that the key to Vermont pulling off an upset against the Seminoles would involve tremendous three-point shooting. While the Catamounts were able to knock down a sizable amount of threes, it was not enough to pull off the upset, as they fell 76-69.

For Vermont, it was not the best scoring day for its star, Anthony Lamb, who went 4-13 from the field, notching only 16 points.

In the first half, things were going exactly as planned for the Catamounts, whose 7-13 mark from the perimeter allowed them to hang with Florida State, whose size advantage did not amount to any sort of significant rebounding differential.

However, the Seminoles’ ability to get to the free throw line was what prevented them from entering the locker room trailing to the Catamounts, as they shot a dismal 31% from the field. The two teams entered halftime deadlocked at 27.

Although, the second half treated us to some of the most unwatchable basketball imaginable. Between Vermont’s plethora of turnovers and the innumerable fouls called on both teams, it felt as if this game lasted for about three and a half hours.

Yet, it was close throughout, as Vermont’s outside shooting was able to close every gap that Florida State created. But the key factor for Florida State was its 31-for-37 mark from the free throw line, a simply dumbfounding number.

That number alone will keep Vermont awake at night, as that unconscionable number absolutely prevented them from making March Madness history once more.

Unfortunately for Vermont, the season ends here with the hopes of pulling off another miraculous NCAA Tournament upset roundly denied.