NCAA Basketball: 2021-22 keys and storylines for Florida State vs Florida
By Bryan Mauro
Pace of Play
Florida State doesn’t play overly, but they don’t play all that slow either. Everything they do is deliberate and within the game plan. The Seminoles don’t have to play fast to be at their best, but if a team is able to slow them down and force them into a half-court team, they are not as good.
The hard part is getting Florida State to speed up or slow down, they don’t get rattled much and they don’t usually take bad shots. They are so well-coached that they always seem to play within themselves and when doing that the Seminoles can dictate the pace. They are likely going to try and do that again against Florida to win their 8th straight game against Florida.
The pace the Gators play at has been scrutinized for a while, especially considering that coach White has a roster that can run with anyone in the country. He has a ton of athletes and those players can get out in transition and go fast. There are have too many frustrating times that Florida has gotten a defensive stop and then they will instantly go into their half-court sets, which extends the game for their opponents allowing them to stick around for a little while longer.
If Florida doesn’t dictate the pace in this game they are not going to win. The Seminoles are too good when letting them determine the pace and letting them run their sets that Florida doesn’t have enough firepower.
The Gators do have something this year that they have not in the years past and that is a lockdown defender on the perimeter. Guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr. is one of the best defenders in the country and he is going to be a factor in this game. He didn’t play much in the first game against Elon, so his role is still being defined. If Can he shut down one of the Seminoles’ best offensive players? If he can do that and make it a 4-man offense for Florida State, the Gators have a great shot.
The battle of Fleming Jr. and the Seminole guards is going to be one of the most exciting things to watch all year. The Gator guard is adept at getting steals and getting out in transition for easy baskets as well so that is also going to help Florida in this game. If he can carve out a role on the defensive end, Fleming Jr. has a chance to be one of the most important players for Florida all season long.