Florida Basketball: Keys to success against Florida State in 2019-20
2. Stay diligent on the defensive glass.
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton crafts each and every one of his rosters to fit his scheme remarkably well. Despite their heavy losses this offseason, it is reasonable to assume that Seminoles will continue to excel in the usual departments. This includes their aforementioned ability to force turnovers and run in transition. Most importantly, though, Florida State is incredibly difficult to stop on the offensive glass.
The Seminoles, even while losing major frontcourt pieces seemingly every offseason, have finished in the national top-75 for offensive rebounding rate in eight of the past 10 seasons. I am not going to be the one to ignore that trend. This program attacks the glass for second-chance opportunities and dominates in that facet of every single year.
Losing Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann, and Christ Koumadje this offseason will absolutely play a role in a potential minor step back in this category this season, but there are pieces ready to fill those holes. Most notably, Coach Hamilton is adding a pair of nice transfers to the mix this season with Dominik Olejniczak (Ole Miss) and Malik Osborne (Rice). Both players will provide some size inside while returning forward RaiQuan Gray and all three incoming freshmen should excel on the glass this season. Florida State is once again very deep with their potential options and should receive plenty of rebounding contributions from their long and athletic backcourt.
In order for Florida to counteract this, head coach Mike White might need to tinker a bit with his frontcourt options. Starting power forward Keyontae Johnson, although a superbly instinctual and physical rebounder, only takes the court at 6-foot-5 and therefore could struggle a bit in this contest. That could open up more playing time for top-60 freshman Omar Payne, who posted six points and five rebounds in his first collegiate game. He will be a major rotation piece this season at 6-foot-10 and that could be evident against the Seminoles.
Additionally, the team will look for strong glass-cleaning contributions out of their star player, graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear Jr. Although not regarded as a superb rebounder, Blackshear clogs the paint and does a nice job clearing out other bigs. That could be crucial against FSU as he will allow players like Johnson and uber-athletic Scottie Lewis to swoop in for defensive boards.
Preventing second-chance opportunities will be a major focal point for Florida in this game. The Gators project as an elite defensive squad this season and they could absolutely stifle the Seminoles if they rebound at a high rate. You can be sure that Coach White has this key right at the top of his priority list.