The Orange Bowl Classic doubleheader, played at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., was supposed to be a celebration of two Sunshine State powerhouses off to hot starts.
No. 19 Florida State and No. 22 Florida both fall in Orange Bowl Classic
It was not a great Saturday for the Sunshine State powers.
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No. 19 Florida State entered its Saturday tilt with Oklahoma State as one of the nation’s last remaining unbeaten teams. No. 22 Florida was a solid 7-point favorite over Clemson. The Seminoles and Gators were a combined 15-3.
The Gators and Seminoles are now a combined 15-5.
Florida State was the first to fall, dropping a 71-70 heartbreaker to Oklahoma State that kept the Seminoles (9-1) from tying the best start in school history. FSU was trying to match the 10-0 start that the team achieved in 2003-04.
Oklahoma State’s Jeffrey Carroll led all scorers with 23 points, but it was senior forward Mitchell Solomon who scored the team’s final four points. His tip-in with six seconds to go proved to be the decisive basket in a game where the Cowboys improved their record to 8-2.
Next up it was Florida’s turn, as the Gators dropped a 71-69 decision to Clemson that marked the team’s fourth loss in five games. The 6-4 Gators’ only win over that span is a 66-60 win over No. 17 Cincinnati last Saturday, marking an odd start that also includes a win over then-No. 17 Gonzaga and a home loss to Loyola-Chicago.
Clemson moved to 9-1 with the win, marking the best start for the program in nine years. The win was also just the eighth time the Tigers have ever beaten a top-25 opponent in a non-conference game.
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