NCAA Basketball: Kansas dominance, overrated FSU, and more weekly takeaways

3) Are we sure Florida State is that good?

Florida State is ranked No. 8 in the country and, even though they lost to Duke on Monday, will likely remain in the top 10 when the new AP poll is released. It’s a place they’ve been for several weeks now, yet something with the Seminoles appears to be missing for me to consider them an elite team.

For some reason, FSU has failed to display the level of dominance you’d expect from a team in their standing – especially in a conference as weak as the ACC.

In their nine games over the last month, the Seminoles lost both Quad 1 games they played and had five of their seven wins come by six points or less. That has been a season-long struggle this group, as they’re only 3-3 in Quad 1 games and have had nearly half of their victories decided by six points or less.

Outside of their win over Louisville, Florida State’s best wins are over Florida, Tennessee, and Purdue, with the Boilermakers being the only team of that group that’s *likely* in the NCAA Tournament. Their performance in those games didn’t exactly scream “elite team,” either.

The Seminoles are a big, long, athletic team like they have been the last few years when they’ve made the tournament’s second weekend, and their defense is really good again. They lead the nation in block percentage and rank eighth in steal percentage. That said, they’re only 150th in three-point defense and 70th in effective field goal percentage defense.

If they don’t turn you over, you can score on them – and their offense isn’t anything to write home about.

In short, FSU is a good team, but they’re not a great team. Don’t expect them to make the Sweet 16 for a third year in a row.