The Florida State basketball program's history has been in one word - average. With just 14 tournament appearances, one national championship appearance back in 1972 and only 10 years finishing the season ranked by the AP or Coaches polls since the program began in the 1940s, the Seminoles have not had a very relevant program. In the 2010-11 season, the Seminoles cracked the surface. Hamilton's ninth year brought a third straight tournament appearance, but this time his 'Noles surged all the way to the Sweet Sixteen for just the fifth time ever. The following year came the first ACC Championship in school history.
The 'Noles have not returned to the tournament since. Hamilton's teams have gotten comfortable with NIT appearances and last season they were not even invited to the tournament - the first time the 'Noles did not make either the NCAA Tournament or NIT since 2005. Despite the hype around the team since its ACC Championship, the Seminoles have not been able to put it together on the court.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes (via NoledOut.com)
So what's the point? Why do we care that our basketball program is the definition of average? Because this year is different.
Week 11 is here as the college football season is flying by and I am still kicking Johnathan's butt in the picks. Last week was not great for either of us as we both struggled (JK: 2-6 and Sean: 3-5) and Florida State lost a tough one to Clemson.
JK: 25-31 Sean: 36-19
We have a solid slate of games this week with a couple of possible upsets brewing and another week provides another opportunity for the Big 12 to play no defense.
The 10th week of the college football season taught us a lot. There were upsets galore and some impressive wins by multiple teams. As the playoff picture becomes cloudier, Sean and I will try to make sense of what we've seen according to the CFB rankings)
AP Top 15:
1) Clemson (9-0) Wins: 24-22 vs #4 ND, 23-13 vs #16 FSU
Clemson had a huge win this weekend and now have a clear path to the ACC Championship game. Barring an upset they will likely play red-hot North Carolina which would give them another impressive win, solidifying them as the #1 team for the CFP.
The Florida State Seminoles took care of business against a trigger-happy Southeastern team (they took 36 2s and 33 3s), beating the Fire 117 to 76. Once again we saw the new talent and the improved veterans put on a show at the Civic Center. This entertaining style could become a "thing" for the 'Noles this year, just don' expect 100 points a game. This Southeastern team is a top tier NAIA program, they are already 3-0 (I'm pretty sure this loss does not count against them). I was very impressed with FSU as both the defense and offense showed they could be scary at times this year. Here are my eight takeaways from the FSU's second and final exhibition game of the year.
1) This team is fun.
I have seen this team twice in person and these guys definitely have a good time when they play basketball. The team has great chemistry on and off the floor and so far this season, this team seems to have them beat in that department. In my opinion, the freshmen have been a big part of the on court chemistry as I believe they bring just the right amount of Jameis Winston-esque goofiness and skill to an experienced team. They haven't faced any adversity yet but the 'Noles look like they will be having fun all year long. This team seems to have a great feel for where everyone is at on the court and seemed to cut without the ball as good as any Leonard Hamilton team. For the common fan, more chemistry usually means more alley-oops.
When Johnathan first asked me to write about this week's showdown between Florida State and Clemson, my first reaction was to write about how we could get blown out. As the week progressed, I became more and more confident in the Noles to pull off the upset. On Tuesday when Clemson became #1 in the first edition of the College Football Standings, I felt more confident as it is extremely difficult to be the number one team in the nation. Also seeing FSU as 12.5 point underdogs was even more ammo for the Noles to get up for the biggest game on their schedule. The icing on the cake was when Clemson defensive end, Shaq Lawson, said, " We're going to show Dalvin Cook why he should have come to Clemson." LOL. For once, Florida State has no pressure and Clemson has all the pressure of proving they are the number one team. Understand that Clemson has the talent to blow us out of the water, not mention they have the motivation to beat us as they have not done it the past three years. Florida State will have to play their best game of the year and have a couple bounces go their way to beat Clemson. Here are the eight keys to a Florida State victory over Clemson.
1. Jump on Clemson Early
Death Valley will be rocking post petting of the "Rock," and Florida State will need to silence them early. If Jimbo Fisher's offense gets the ball first they have to go down the field and put seven on the board, take the energy out of the place. I believe Jimbo will have a few tricks up his sleeve as our offense has been very vanilla all year long. As for the defense, we need to force a three and out or at least not allow Clemson to score on their first drive. I would love to send Jalen Ramsey or Derwin James at Deshaun Watson on a blitz on the first third down of the game and make their presence known. For Florida State to win this ball game they will need to come out ready to play from kickoff.
2. Get Dalvin Cook the Ball
Okay, I know this one seems a little obvious, but just to make it clear Dalvin Cook will need 25 to 30 touches for Florida State to win this game. Key word, touches, as I believe we need to take advantage of Cook's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. If Dalvin has over 150 yards and two touchdowns I like our chances to pull off the upset. Another reason Dalvin needs to touch the ball as much as possible is because it will be raining in Death Valley Saturday and I believe that works in Florida State's favor as they have one of the most elusive running backs in the nation. With the emergence of Jacques Patrick, look for Dalvin to possible take advantage of a banged up defense after they tackle the freshman a couple of times. I believe Dalvin re-enters his name in the Heisman race after the game tomorrow.
3. Stretch Clemson's Defense Vertically Down the Field
Florida State has struggled in the passing game all year, especially when it comes to taking the top off a defense. Some of that is attributed to the offensive line, some to the receivers and their inability to separate from cornerbacks, and some on the quarterback for missing them when they are open. Last week, Sean Maguire displayed the deep ball, granted against a pourus Syracuse defense but at least we were completed passes down the field. Travis Rudolph finally showed up last week, I attribute this towards the extreme criticism that Johnathan threw his way. As for Clemson, dalvin will need help and the best way to make sure Clemson does not stack the box is to complete passes down the field. No matter who the quarterback is tomorrow, we will need the receivers to go up and get the ball on Saturday. Look for the emergence of Ermon Lane, Pigg Harrison, or George Campbell to provide this deep threat. If Maguire starts, I think we could see an out of nowhere appearance from Pigg Harrison as these two showed great chemistry in the Spring Game ( 5 receptions, 94 yards). One of our receivers will have to step up if we want to silence the Clemson fans and their overalls.
4. Make Deshaun Watson Uncomfortable
In my opinion, Deshaun Watson has been disrespected by the national media as he has not received the attention he deserves. The biggest reason Clemson is undefeated is Mr. Watson and of late he has been flat out dominant (Season Stats: 70.3% completion percentage, 1936 yds, and 24 TDs). Florida State is not going to shut down Watson. He is too dynamic of a player. What the Noles' defense can do is make him uncomfortable. We will need big games from Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James, Demarcus Walker, Derrick Nnadi, and Niles Lawrence-Stample. The defensive lineman in particular will have to disrupt Watson. We do not necessarily need big sack numbers we just need pressure to force Watson to make a throw he does not want to make. If Clemson is to win the game, I believe it will be due to the fact that Deshaun Watson solidified his Heisman campaign.
5. Win the Turnover Battle
This stat always has a huge impact on the outcome of a game, but with a rain soaked field turnovers will play an even bigger role. Clemson has turned the ball over 14 times this year ( six fumbles and eight interceptions), while FSU has only turned it over twice this year. Florida State will have to take care of the ball and force turnovers to win this game. If Florida State turns the ball over more than twice, it will be near impossible for the Noles to win. Look for Jalen Ramsey and the defense to create some havoc on a rainy Saturday and possibly be the difference in the game.
6. Capitalize in the Red Zone
We were so spoiled with Jameis Winston, as #5 excelled in the red zone. Granted, when you have Kelvin Benjamin for one year and Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary for two scoring touchdowns in the red zone seems to be pretty easy. This year's Noles have struggled mightily in the red zone. We have been in the red zone 29 times this year and have only come away with 15 touchdowns and 11 field goals. While we have consistently put points on the board in the red zone, we need to finish off drives with touchdowns more consistently. Our ineffiencies in the red zone have reared their head in the Miami and Georgia Tech game. In the Miami game, we struggled to score touchdowns and as a result we found ourselves having to score a touchdown late to win the game late. As for Georgia Tech, we had four red zone opportunities and came away with 13 points. If you want to be an elite team, you have to score a touchdown on close to 75% of your red zone trips. Our ineffiency in the red zone cost us the game against Georgia Tech, as we allowed them to hang around and win on a miracle play. If we plan on beating Clemson, we will have to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals.
7. Score a Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown
As I adressed right above, we struggle to score in the red zone, therefore we will need a touchdown from our defense or special teams. Defensively, I would love to see Jalen Ramsey have a pick 6, as I believe his celebration may be legendary. Same goes for Derwin James, if he were to score a touchdown it will just add another story to his budding legacy. More than likely, I see a special teams touchdown more likely simply due to Kermit Whitfield. One of the fastest players in the country is going to take one back to the house soon as he is one of the most explosive players in the nation. He's returned a kick for a touchdown in a big game before, and I look for him to add another one against Clemson. If we can get a defensive or special teams touchdown, I believe our chances of the upset increase dramatically.
8. Play Aggressive
If you do not think that Jimbo Fisher is a conservative coach then you live under a rock. Do not get me wrong Jimbo is one of the best coaches in college football, but I would like to see him be more aggressive at times and put teams away. Anyways, Florida State needs to be aggressive for 60 minutes against Clemson. From kickoff to the victory formation (hopefully). What is important is even with a lead the Noles need to stay aggressive and look to stomp on the Tigers throat. Up seven or down seven the Noles and Jimbo Fisher need to be aggressive in order to pull off the upset.
Honestly, it is going to be difficult to beat Clemson, but we have the talent to do it. The Noles have been disrespected all week, nobody is giving us a chance and that is why I believe we will win. For once, the chip is on our shoulder and the opponent has all the pressure. Am I biased? yes. But I have the Noles beating Clemson 34-31.
Last night the Florida State Seminoles hit the court for live action in the Civic Center for the first time this year. The 'Noles welcomed in Division II Lynn University (21-10 last year) and proceeded to dismantle them, finishing with a 114-67 win and seven 'Noles scoring in double digits. Leonard Hamilton's team looks completely different from last seasons team that finished just one game over .500. It was the first time fans (like me) were able to see this new team in live action against another team. Here are 8 things that I noticed out of the Seminoles last night:
via FoxSports.com
1) This team is deep.
You read that right - seven Seminoles scored in double figures last night. The 'Noles have to have one of the deepest backcourts in the league with XRM, Mann, Bell, Bookert, and even Beasley - all three of which appear to have ability at both guard positions. The center position is currently scarce with two players (Ojo and freshman Koumadje) both out with injuries but, the team has the players to adjust. Phil Cofer and Jarquez Smith can both help Bojo down low despite being relatively undersized for post players. XRM, Bookert, Bell, Beasley, Bacon, Mann, Brandon, Cofer, Smith, Bojo, Ojo, and even Robbie Berwick gives Leonard Hamilton 12 players that can come in and produce.
