Florida State Basketball: 3 takeaways from season-opener against North Florida

3. Depth will once again be a theme for Florida State

Again, it’s hard to take too much from a contest with a winless North Florida squad but there are clear signs and indications that the Seminoles will use rotations similar to last season. The first is that none of the big men played more than 20 mpg last night, something that was done with success in the past few years.

Among the guards, there’s a clear hierarchy. Starters Walker, Barnes, and Anthony Polite all played 24+ minutes and that number should rise a bit once in conference play. But there are several guards that’ll be part of the rotation as well. Top-tier JUCO newcomer Sardaar Calhoun had eight points off the bench that included a couple of three-pointers. Malik Osbourne had six points in 17 minutes and figures to be one of the top options off the bench.

Upperclassmen Wyatt Wilkes and Rayquan Evans also played a fair amount of time and should get a spot in the rotation as well. For any of these bench players, it’ll be important that they can shoot the ball at a high level to maximize Barnes’ passing ability.

Florida State got a good warmup but the competition increases immediately, with Indiana, Florida, and Georiga Tech coming up next. They’ll need this depth to compete with those teams and the upper-tier of the ACC. This is a top-25 caliber squad with high expectations and with Barnes continuing to develop, should be a team to watch for sure.