Florida State
It’s a down year for many of the country’s most successful programs, and it’s a tough year when dealing with the effects of the national pandemic. The result is that a bunch of unheralded programs is having great seasons and taking full advantage. For Florida State, this is the same story we’ve seen in recent years from Leonard Hamilton and his ferocious group of Seminoles.
Florida State got their best win of the season on Monday, knocking off #7 Virginia by 21 points in a fantastic all-around effort. MJ Walker’s 17 points and 6 rebounds led the way for the Seminoles, who found their way to overwhelm the stout Cavalier’s defense, shooting 50% from the field. Saturday brought another win for the program, as they traveled to Pittsburgh and took care of business against the Panthers.
The Seminoles are now 13-3, 9-2 in the ACC, and by percentage points sit at the top of the conference standings. They’ve won their last three games and certainly got the premiere win to jumpstart things here in February. They’ve boosted up to 16th in the NET rankings and will certainly see their Top 25 ranking change for the better come Monday.
Florida State won the ACC regular-season title last season and could be well on its way to repeating that feat. They do still have three road games on the schedule, including against a suddenly-pesky North Carolina team, but all of these games are certainly winnable. If the same Florida State team that we’ve seen in recent postseasons is back again, then these Seminoles are going to be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament, especially if they secure a top 4 seed.