NCAA Basketball: 10 biggest early team disappointments of 2023-24 season

9. Florida State Seminoles - 6-5 (0-1)

After last season’s disaster, there was an expectation that Coach Leonard Hamilton and company would bounce back this year, mainly because some of the players on last year’s horrific defense were gone. Those hopes came to a quick halt, as they lost by 21 points on the road at Florida.

But after beating both UNLV and Colorado to win the Sunshine Slam, FSU looked back to be in some kind of control. And then came four straight defeats. One was to North Carolina to open ACC play, along with defeats to Georgia, SMU, and South Florida. 

The team defense could be better even with a new cast of characters. The frontcourt has plenty of depth but no one stands out as a lead option. Former top-50 prospect Baba Miller hasn’t taken that leap after a full year with the program and only VCU transfer Jamir Watkins (12.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 3.2 apg) has played above expectations.

The hope is that Primo Spears being eligible can change things but if he can’t shoot better than 21% from the field and help out defensively, the Seminoles are going to have a hard time being good come ACC play.