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Florida State Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Seminoles

By Brad Cavallaro

GAINESVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 04: Terance Mann
GAINESVILLE, FL - DECEMBER 04: Terance Mann /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: Mfiondu Kabengele #25 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts to the rebound against Rui Hachimura #21 and Zach Norvell Jr. #23 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 75-60. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 22: Mfiondu Kabengele #25 of the Florida State Seminoles reacts to the rebound against Rui Hachimura #21 and Zach Norvell Jr. #23 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half in the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Staples Center on March 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 75-60. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Non-conference breakdown

These are the highlights of Florida State’s non-conference schedule.The Seminoles will face two likely NCAA Tournament teams, not including their games in the Advocare Invitational which is filled with quality opponents.

Florida, Home, November 6th

Florida vs Florida State will be one of the most compelling matchups of opening night. The Gators return four of their top 6 players, including double-figure scorers KeVaughn Allen and Jalen Hudson. Hudson was a possible second-round pick who opted to return for his senior season. Allen saw his production and efficiency decrease (14 ppg to 11 ppg), but he is a strong candidate for a bounce-back season. Keith Stone is a super underrated player who can periodically operate as a small-ball 5 and is an excellent floor spacer (42% from deep). The key to Florida’s season is freshman PG Andrew Nembhard who will likely take the reigns from day one.

Advocare Invitational, November 22-25

-First Round vs UAB, field also includes Villanova, Oklahoma State, Memphis, LSU

Florida State should handle UAB in the first round before facing the tougher teams in the field. LSU and Villanova have been consistently ranked in the preseason top 15. The Wildcats are the defending champs and even though they lost four players to the NBA, they remain Big East favorites. The Eric Paschall and Phil Booth duo should take over as the faces of the program. LSU returns Tremont Waters who is one of the best players in the country and adds freshmen Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams to the frontcourt. Both newcomers are capable of making an immediate impact and Reid is even seen by some as an NBA lottery pick. Memphis could the sleeper in this field under first year head coach Penny Hardaway and senior PG Jeremiah Martin.

Purdue, Home, November 28th

Purdue loses 4 starters but returns Carsen Edwards who is one of the best players in the country. 7’3” center Matt Haarms and 6’6” PG Nojel Eastern are poised for bigger roles and should take over for Isaac Haas and PJ Thompson. Senior wing Ryan Cline will likely take over for Dakota Mathias as the lineup’s knockdown shooter. The X-factor could be Dartmouth grad-transfer Evan Boudreaux who can play inside and out at either the 4 or the 5. The Boilermakers will be better than people think, although it is unlikely that they reach the Quadrant 1 home game cutoff which is top 30 for a home game.

UConn, Neutral, December 8th

The last notable game on Florida State’s non-conference schedule is against UConn. The Huskies struggled in Kevin Ollie’s final season, but the future is bright with Dan Hurley at the helm. Jalen Adams is back for his senior season as is Christian Vital who flirted with the NBA Draft. Adams, Vital, and Alterique Gilbert form an explosive backcourt, as long as Gilbert is healthy. Gilbert has missed the past two seasons, but if he can live up to his former 5-star recruiting ranking, then UConn could surprise in the AAC.

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