Florida State Men’s Basketball 2020 NCAA Tournament Capsule

March 6, 2020 · Joel Welser
 

Florida State Seminoles

ACC (26-5, 16-4)

 
After trips to the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen the last two years, Florida State has even higher hopes in 2020. In a season full of upsets, the Seminoles have been one of the more consistent teams in the nation. Once again Florida State has reloaded and proved that their brand of intense defense will always be difficult for any opponent to handle.
 
Big Wins: 11/10 at Florida (63-51), 1/4 at Louisville (78-65), 1/15 Virginia (54-50)
Bad Losses: 11/6 at Pittsburgh (61-63), 12/3 at Indiana (64-80), 2/29 at Clemson (69-70)
Coach: Leonard Hamilton
 
Why They Can Surprise:
Few teams in the nation create more turnovers than Florida State. Devin Vassell, Trent Forrest and Anthony Polite will all pick up a steal or two every game. Along with M.J. Walker, that is also the core group of perimeter players that Coach Leonard Hamilton has to deal with in 2019-2020. Vassell and Walker are the most consistent three-point shooters and this is a pretty consistent outside shooting team even though the squad as a whole will not take too many three-pointers. It is the play of Forrest though that could make the difference between an early upset and a deep NCAA Tournament run. What this team can do that most others cannot is go nine or ten deep. Coach Hamilton can keep his team fresh and that allows them to play superb defense.
 
Why They Can Disappoint:
Florida State has gotten the job done in other ways, but this year the team lacks a prolific frontcourt scorer. Freshman Patrick Williams is the most prolific frontcourt scorer, averaging 9.2 points per game. RaiQuan Gray and Malik Osborne can do some scoring as well. The frontcourt, with some help from the backcourt, does block plenty of shots though and their defensive prowess will go a long way. However, if nobody is scoring with their back to the basket, Florida State’s offense can become one-dimensional and the better teams in the NCAA Tournament will take advantage of it.
 
Probable Starters:
Trent Forrest, Senior, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 4.0 apg, 4.4 rpg, 1.9 spg
Devin Vassell, Sophomore, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg
M.J. Walker, Junior, Guard, 10.6 ppg, 1.5 apg
RaiQuan Gray, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Malik Osborne, Sophomore, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg
 
Key Role Players:
Patrick Williams, Freshman, Forward, 9.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Anthony Polite, Sophomore, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.1 apg
Dominik Olejniczak, Senior, Center, 4.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Rayquan Evans, Junior, Guard, 3.1 ppg, 1.4 apg
 
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.4 (67th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.7 (72, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.7 (75, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.6 (55, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (160, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.1 (84, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.0 (50, 2)
Rebound Margin: 2.6 (107, 5)
Assists Per Game: 13.2 (171, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (190, 12)
 
Recent Postseason Appearances:
 
2019 NCAA Round of 64 win over Vermont
2019 NCAA Round of 32 win over Murray State
2019 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Gonzaga
2018 NCAA Round of 64 win over Missouri
2018 NCAA Round of 32 win over Xavier
2018 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Gonzaga
2018 NCAA Regional Final loss to Michigan
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Florida Gulf Coast
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Xavier
2016 NIT First Round win over Davidson
2016 NIT Second Round loss to Valparaiso
2014 NIT First Round win over Florida Gulf Coast
2014 NIT Second Round win over Georgetown
2014 NIT Regional Semifinal win over Louisiana Tech
2014 NIT National Semifinal loss to Minnesota
2013 NIT First Round loss to Louisiana Tech
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Bonaventure
2012 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Cincinnati
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Texas A&M
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Notre Dame
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to VCU
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Gonzaga
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wisconsin
2008 NIT First Round loss to Akron
2007 NIT First Round win over Toledo
2007 NIT Second Round win over Michigan
2007 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Mississippi State
 
*all team stats through 3/8