Jan. 22, 2004

In my 25 years of calling games for ESPN and ABC, Thursday night's Florida State comeback win over North Carolina had to have been one of the strangest turnarounds.

This was clearly a shock, the kind that can propel a program to bigger and better things. I bet many fans left when Florida State was down 24 points!

Are you serious, the Tar Heels up 24 points and the Seminoles coming back and sending the game into overtime? Then Florida State dominating the extra period, not allowing the Tar Heels to score until 40 seconds remained!

This had to rank as one of the greatest wins in Florida State history. The Seminoles never led in regulation, and only tied the contest late on Todd Galloway's 3-pointer, which sent it to OT.

What a difference a week makes! Last week, the Seminoles shot 0-for-9 in overtime in a loss at Virginia. This time, Florida State couldn't do anything wrong after sending the contest to OT.

Tim Pickett put on quite a show. Yes, that was the same Tim Pickett who slumped to shoot 9-for-40 in his prior three outings. Mr. Pickett finished with 30 big points against the Tar Heels. He felt the shooting rhythm and had six points in overtime.

When Florida State got the game into overtime, its defense made North Carolina strictly into a perimeter shooting team. The Seminoles are typical of a young team -- some nights they'll shock you, others they will be disappointing.

This was clearly a shock, the kind that can propel a program to bigger and better things. I bet many fans left when Florida State was down 24 points!

The Seminoles showed a lot of pride and built a little momentum just before the end of the first half. The late 6-0 run got things started, and Leonard Hamilton's squad raised its defensive intensity in the second half.

Roy Williams said before the game that he was concerned with his team's mental toughness. It takes time for kids to understand just how hard you have to play, and work at it for all 40 minutes.

I believe the Tar Heels will bounce back and be better than ever under Roy Williams. He will instill the same confidence North Carolina had under Dean Smith. It is simply a matter of time to get his people to believe in the things he does.

For Florida State, a program chasing a dream of an NCAA berth, a game like this provides a major lift.

It was simply amazing...

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