 will play No. 1 seed Xavier in the second round on Sunday.PJ Savoy had 12 points and Phil Cofer scored 11. A total of 10 Seminoles scored at least two points apiece - by halftime - as they wore out Missouri, which had only eight healthy players available.This was the first trip to the tournament for every player on the roster for Missouri (20-13). Even with new players and a new coach in Cuonzo Martin, the Tigers head home from their first NCAA trip since 2013 with the program's fourth straight loss in a first round.Kassius Robertson had 19 points for Missouri. Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 in what might be his final college game, with 13 in the second half. Missouri never got closer than six in the second half before the Seminoles sealed the win with 15 straight points.The Tigers started well enough as Robertson opened the game with a 3-pointer, and Missouri scored seven of the first eight points.That's when Florida State woke up.Cofer scored on a tip-in, starting an 11-0 run capped by Savoy's 3-pointer. That would up as part of a 20-4 spurt capped by a 3-pointer by Braian Angola midway through the half. Florida State went into intermission up 42-20, and all 10 Seminoles who played scored.This was just the third game this season for Porter, the possible NBA lottery pick who suffered a back injury in Missouri's season opener. Even with another week of practice since the Southeastern Conference Tournament, he looked rusty. Porter had the ball stolen from him with 7:55 left in the first half and followed that up just over a minute later with an airball jumper.The Tigers pulled within 52-44 on a pair of free throws by Porter as Missouri opened the second half by outscoring Florida State 24-8.Cofer hit two of three free throws to start a 15-0 spurt that pushed the lead back to double digits. By the time Missouri scored again, Jontay Porter's jumper with 5:08 left only pulled the Tigers within 65-46.BIG PICTUREFlorida State: The Seminoles came in having lost three of four. But they came in as the ACC's third-highest scoring team, averaging 81.8 points a game, and they showed off their offense by smothering Missouri in points.Missouri: The Tigers will never know how much having their second-leading scorer might have helped. Guard Jordan Barnett was suspended from Missouri's first-round game after being arrested for driving while intoxicated last week . The senior guard was averaging 13.7 points per game.UP NEXTFlorida State: Playing Xavier for a trip to the Sweet 16.Missouri: Waiting to see if Michael Porter Jr. enjoyed college life enough to stick around for his sophomore season or chooses to enter the NBA draft as a possible lottery pick.---More college basketball: https://collegebasketball.ap.org ; https://twitter.com/-Top25 and https://www.podcastone.com/ap-sports-special-events---Follow Teresa M. Walker at https://twitter.com/teresamwalker)
Mar 14, 2018NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Florida State and Missouri found out Sunday they were going dancing in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.And there was a collective sigh of relief for these two proverbial bubble teams who could have just as easily found themselves on the outside looking in."I felt pretty confident, but until you see it, it's pretty nerve-wracking for anyone," Florida State guard Terrance Mann told the school's official website, Seminoles.com. Mann's team earned a No. 9 seed and will face the eighth-seeded Tigers on Friday night in the West Region at Bridgestone Area in Nashville, Tenn."It was amazing. Everyone was happy," added Mann, who is the Seminoles' leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. "There were a lot of nerves in the beginning. Last year, we were one of the last names to be called." Missouri was equally relieved -- but mostly thrilled -- to be included in the field of 68."I told them this way back, I said, 'You'll be the team that turned it around,' " said Missouri coach Counzo Martin, who guided to the program to a top four SEC finish in the regular-season standings and won more games in 2017-18 than the team won combined in the previous two seasons. "I don't make (our selection) more than what it is. It's great. I knew we were in. I didn't doubt it one bit." But the Tigers (20-12) will have to take on Florida State (20-11) without the services of its second-leading scorer, forward Jordan Barnett, who was suspended for the NCAA Tournament opener after his arrest on suspicion of DWI on Saturday morning. Martin said Barnett, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound bruiser who averages 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds, will play in the second round if Missouri beats Florida State."It'll be the next man (up) and we keep moving, Martin told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sunday. "It is what it is. We've managed to get to this point. You have (previously injured star Michael Porter Jr.) back in the fold. Jordan's out. Mike's in." And therein lies the x-factor in this matchup: How will Porter perform?Porter, a freshman small forward, was widely regarded as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery coming into the season. But he injured his back and played only two minutes of the season opener against Iowa State and underwent surgery. Porter returned just in time to play in the Tigers' SEC Tournament opener, scoring 12 points and pulling down eight rebounds in a 62-60 upset loss to Georgia.Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said his team is preparing for Porter to still be great. even if he's not at his best."It's a little more challenging (to prepare for Missouri) than you would normally expect because of the (unknown with Porter)," Hamilton said. "For us to know exactly what to expect from him is virtually impossible. We have to go with the idea of regardless of who you're playing, they will have a great player at this point." The last time Missouri reached the NCAA Tournament was 2013, while the last time the Tigers won a tourney game was 2010 when they beat Clemson. And that came after the program reached the Elite Eight in 2009.For the Seminoles, this is their second straight NCAA Tournament selection -- and sixth in the last 10 years. The program lost its top three leading scorers to the NBA last season and the jury was certainly out on the Seminoles in the preseason. But Florida State raced out to an 11-1 start and Top 25 ranking, showing early on this year's team was legit.Florida State beat Florida Gulf Coast 86-80 last year in the first round of the tournament before getting blown off the floor by Xavier 91-66. Mann said he remembers that game well -- and many lessons were learned."We learned a lot," he said. "Especially the mentality of how to prepare. And we're going to bring it into this year."
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