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Florida State Basketball: Florida State Seminoles 2015-16 Season Preview

By Chris Godfrey

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Florida State Seminoles

2014-2015 Record: 17-16 (8-10, Big Ten)
Postseason: N/A

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The Florida State Seminoles stumbled through the ACC last season, struggling to finish .500 overall. However, this year marks the beginning of a significant influx of talent for the Noles.

Head coach Leonard Hamilton has finally recaptured some of his magic on the recruiting trail, and now after just one off-season, his team may be ready to contend with the ACC’s elite. The Seminoles will return virtually their entire team while also integrating a pair of impact freshman. After spending much of last season as an afterthought, FSU is finally ready to make waves in the nation’s toughest basketball conference.

Newcomers

G – Dwayne Bacon (#14 ESPN100)
G – Malik Beasley (#28 ESPN100)
G – Terance Mann (#86 ESPN100)
G – Benji Bell (JUCO Transfer)
C – Jean Marc Christ Koumadje (#212 247Sports)

Key Non-Conference Games

Dec. 2 at Iowa – The Seminoles will face their first true test of the season when they travel to Iowa City to meet the Hawkeyes in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Florida State will have a definite edge in talent over the rebuilding Hawkeyes, but they will be playing a lot of freshmen in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a place known for being a lot noisier than it looks. This is a game the Noles need if they plan on making the tournament this season.

Dec. 6 vs VCU – This game is being played in Atlanta at the Philips Arena. I couldn’t tell you why. That doesn’t matter to either of these programs, though. The Rams will be desperately trying to notch a big win to prove to the world that they’re still relevant without Shaka Smart, while the Seminoles will hopefully be attempting to sweep a week of two tournament teams in early December when very few teams are playing good teams back-to-back outside of tournaments.

Dec. 16 vs Mississippi State – This probably wasn’t meant to be a big game when it was scheduled, but with Malik Newman joining the Bulldogs, who really knows how good Miss State can be under Ben Howland? Suddenly, this could be a solid RPI top-75 win if the Noles can pull it off.

Dec. 29 at Florida  – As the perennial also ran in this in-state basketball rivalry, it’s important for the Seminoles to deal the Gators a blow while they’re still reeling. Billy Donovan is coaching in the NBA, and Mike White isn’t inheriting a full cupboard in Gainesville. A big win for the Noles on Florida’s campus could widen the gap between the two programs.

Key Players

Dwayne Bacon – Very few players look the part of being a college basketball player better than Dwayne Bacon. With a shaved head, he would actually bare a resemblance to a young Michael Jordan. Bacon is slender, chiseled, and has a pogo stick attached to each of his kneecaps. A player of his caliber won’t be on campus for long, but while he’s in Tallahassee, he’ll give Leonard Hamilton an elite wing scorer who could possibly take over a game.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes – With so much hoopla being dedicated to the incoming recruits at Florida State, it’s been easy to forget that almost the entire team is coming back. The man who leads that pack of returners is Rathan-Mayes, a player who has All-ACC potential in her own right. Rathan-Mayes might be asked to score less than his 14.9 per game clip from last year, but a spike in his assist numbers is expected to be the trade off.

Season Outlook

The Seminoles brought in one of the best recruiting classes in the country for this season, and they now have the expectations to match. With such a talented group, nothing less than a return to the NCAA Tournament can be considered a success for this bunch. At best, they could be a dark horse to challenge in the ACC and advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The key to their season will be how Hamilton gets all of his talented guards on the court at the same time. Expect the versatile Bacon to play both the two and the three…and maybe even the four. The Seminoles are guard heavy, but their talent is undeniable. If they find consistency in the frontcourt, rip up the predictions, because this team will go far.

Next: Busting Brackets Season Preview: Big Ten Conference Home Page

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