 with 20 points. The Seminoles advanced to the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1993, but fell one step short of another trip to the Elite Eight.Florida State played without senior Phil Cofer, who learned after his team's first-round win over Vermont that his father, former NFL player Mike Cofer, had died after a long illness. The funeral is Saturday in Georgia and Cofer is with his family. The Seminoles left an open spot for Cofer when they lined up in pregame for the national anthem.Gonzaga used a 16-5 run to break open the rematch and take a 30-17 lead in the first half. The Bulldogs missed their first three 3-point attempts but recovered to hit 4 of 6 from behind the arc during the run. The Seminoles committed three turnovers and were 2 of 9 from the field.Gonzaga led by as many as 14 in the first half before the Seminoles got within eight late in the half. The Bulldogs seized momentum before the break when Perkins stole the ball from Trent Forrest and made a three-point play with .4 seconds remaining to give them a 38-27 lead at halftime.Corey Kispert's dunk gave the Bulldogs a 55-42 lead with 12:14 remaining when Florida State made one final rally. Forrest scored seven points during a 14-5 run to get the Seminoles within 60-56 with 4:11 remaining, but they could not get any closer.BIG PICTUREFlorida State: The Seminoles are losing Cofer, Terrance Mann and Christ Koumadje, but return three of their four leading scorers next season. Cofer, Mann and Koumadje led FSU to 98 wins - a program record - and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.Gonzaga: The Bulldogs came into the game leading the nation in field goal percentage (53.2 percent) but shot just 25 of 62.UP NEXTFlorida State: Opens the 2019-20 season on Nov. 6 at Pittsburgh.Gonzaga: Plays the winner of Michigan-Texas Tech in Saturday's regional final.---Follow Joe Reedy at www.twitter.com/joereedy---More college basketball: https://apnews.com/MarchMadness and https://twitter.com/-Top25)
Mar 26, 2019Florida State beat Gonzaga in last season's Sweet 16, and folks on the Bulldogs' side will be quick to point out that they didn't have starting big man Killian Tillie.Gonzaga expects to have a healthy Tillie for this season's Sweet 16 rematch Thursday in the West Region in Anaheim, Calif.But he won't be the biggest difference when the top-seeded Bulldogs (32-3) take on the fourth-seeded Seminoles (29-7) in a battle of deep, experienced teams with length and athleticism.The difference-maker in 2019 could very well be Brandon Clarke.The 6-foot-8 junior transfer from San Jose State leads the nation in field-goal percentage (69.9) and is tied for third in blocks per game (3.1). He dominated with 36 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while shooting 15 of 18 from the field, as the Bulldogs turned away Baylor 83-71 in a second-round game on Saturday.Last season, Clarke watched Gonzaga-FSU on TV."It's been something that's been really fun for me," he said of his first season of eligibility at Gonzaga. "This is easily the most fun I've had playing ball ever. So, I'm really blessed to have the chance to come here and to play for the Zags. Obviously, it was tough last year not playing." Doing what he did against undersized Baylor is one thing; doing it against Florida State's powerful, tall trees such as 6-foot-10 forward Mfiondu Kabengele (team-high 13.4 points per game) and 7-4 Christ Koumadje will be something else entirely. FSU's usual rotation includes three others who are at least 6-7, including Phil Cofer.All kinds of emotions are wrapped up in Cofer, who missed the first two games of the NCAA Tournament because of a foot injury and learned after Thursday's first-round win over Vermont that his father, former NFL linebacker Michael Cofer, had died after a long illness.Florida State players honored their teammate's father with badges or messages on their warmup shirts, jerseys and shoes.Coach Leonard Hamilton told 97.9 ESPN Radio in Tallahassee, Fla., on Monday that Cofer would not be available Thursday, and would not likely be with the team if it advanced to play in the West Region final."We're going to respect Phil during this tragedy and the passing of his father," Hamilton told Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. "He knows where we are, and we know where he is. We're here for him." Cofer is averaging 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 26.2 minutes per game, starting 19 of his 22 games. He had seven points when Florida State defeated the Bulldogs 75-60 in Los Angeles in last season's Sweet 16.Tillie, a starter last season, is now coming off bench behind Clarke and All-American Rui Hachimura (team-high 19.7 points per game) in a terrific frontcourt rotation. Tillie has been slowed by two foot injuries this season but returned four games ago.Gonzaga coach Mark Few said it was "a crushing blow to us, emotionally" when the team found out in warmups that Tillie couldn't go in last season's Sweet 16 due to a hip injury."Florida State was really good that night," Few said. "I don't know if we could have beaten them with Killian, but I know he would have really, really helped." Gonzaga is making its fifth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, the longest streak in the nation, which includes a run to the 2017 national title game. Few has said this is his best team in transition; the Bulldogs have the nation's most efficient offense, according to KenPom.comFlorida State has the size and depth to match up and is battle-tested through its ACC slate, as well as with nonconference victories over LSU and Purdue."I thought they were really, really under-seeded," Few said. "I have watched them a bunch this year, and they've had a great year. I thought they'd end up on the 2 line, and to see them at 4, that's kind of tough." --Field Level Media
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