Leonard Hamilton, Florida State’s head coach, has established an identity at Florida State. On a year-to-year basis, the Seminoles are known for a good bench along with impressive length. In the 2020-21 college basketball season, the Seminoles are true to their identity yet again. Led by scary length, a deep bench and efficient scoring Florida State has all the tools to make a March Madness run.
Daunting Length
The Seminoles’ have some daunting length on their roster. Every lineup put on the floor has length and size. The shortest player in Florida State’s starting lineup is the guard RayQuan Evans standing at 6-foot-4. The rest of the starting lineup consists of players standing at 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-8 and 7-foot-1. One of the Seminoles’ primary ball handlers is RaiQuan Gray, which is 6-foot-8.
Florida State’s length has produced good interior defense and second chance points. The Seminoles are 10th in the country with 5.3 blocks per game. They are also 11th in the country in blocking 9.0% of shots. Florida State proves they have good interior defense by holding opponents to 43.9% on two point attempts. The Seminoles retrieves an offensive rebound on 34.8% of missed shots.
Deep Bench
Florida State has a reputation for having a deep bench every year. Hamilton tries to keep everyone fresh by rarely playing anyone over thirty minutes. Not one player on Florida State’s roster averages thirty or minutes per game this season.
The Seminoles also have five players averaging 9.0+ points per game. Nine players on the roster average fourteen plus minutes per game. Florida State gives numerous players good minutes in every game, leading to the Seminoles staying fresh in nearly every game.
Fluid Offense
The Seminoles have a smooth-operating offense in the 2020-21 season. They rank eighth in Kenpom’s offensive efficiency ranking. Florida State averages 79.9 points per game, which ranks 15th in the country. The Seminoles are 20th in field goals made per game with 28.5.
Perhaps Florida State’s most impressive offensive trait is their three point shooting. They are seventh in the country shooting at a clip of 39.3% from three. Four Seminoles shoot at 40% or better from three, and six shoot at 37.9% or better from three. Florida State’s leading scorers are Gray and M.J. Walker. Gray averages 12.2 points while shooting an efficient 53%. Walker is the Seminoles’ marksman shooting 47% from three and scoring 13.1 points per game.
Seminoles’ Outlook
Florida State has dropped two of their last three games against the North Carolina Tar Heels and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, the Seminoles will still have a two seed at worst in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
Currently, Florida State is mostly projected as a three seed in the NCAA Tournament. After Saturday’s loss against Notre Dame, it is possible they drop to the four line. The Seminoles could get hot again in the ACC Tournament while bolstering their March Madness resume.
Showing signs of struggling right before the postseason is bad timing, but the Seminoles still could make a deep run this March. Led by daunting length, impressive depth and efficient shooting, it is completely reasonable to see Florida State in the Elite 8. Hamilton, the veteran coach, has great experience when it comes to the month March. With the right seeding and matchups, the Seminoles should easily be a second weekend team.
All stats courtesy of ESPN, Kenpom and Team Rankings.
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