ACC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2021-22 season
. Seminoles . 2. team. 435. .
Don’t be surprised if Florida State basketball is right back at the top of ACC basketball this season. Though the top four scorers from a season ago are gone, head coach Leonard Hamilton reloaded with a nice combination of transfers and freshmen to maintain the team’s usual depth which makes them such a formidable squad.
Caleb Mills joins their squad after spending two seasons with the Houston Cougars. He was set for a big sophomore year after posting 13.2 ppg and shooting 36.5 percent from 3-point land in 2019-20 before his season was derailed due to personal reasons and he hit the transfer portal. He’ll give the Seminoles a solid primary ballhandler with a knack for scoring the ball.
Jalen Warley and Matthew Cleveland are two of their feature freshmen to keep an early eye on. Warley joins the squad from nationally-heralded Westtown School as a big guard with a solid skillset for scoring and making plays. Cleveland possesses similar qualities to Scottie Barnes’ last year’s proverbial Sixth Man for the Seminoles before heading off to the NBA.
Malik Barnes and Anthony Polite return, giving the Seminoles some veterans in the lineup that aren’t afraid to play physical and rebound. Florida State basketball looks to make it five straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament this year with a different dynamic.