FSU Basketball Game Preview: vs. George Washington

Here is a preview for FSU basketball and their next game during the 2016-2017 season. 

The Florida State men’s basketball team bounced back nicely after their first loss. They beat Illinois, and most recently, Minnesota, to bring FSU basketball’s record to 6-1 for the year.

Further, they rank 38th on KenPom, with the 17th most efficient offense and 67th-ranked defense in the country. Though the defense does need to improve, it’s still good enough to have the Seminoles firmly in the tournament picture.

It’s still too early to worry about that though, so for now, let’s just enjoy watching the team mesh and figure things out. They’ve been good for an amazing highlight or two every night, so if you haven’t had a chance yet, I highly recommend tuning in. I mean, football season is winding down. I say it’s time we shift our full support to Coach Leonard Hamilton’s squad!

This weekend, they match up against a George Washington team that was voted to finish eighth in the Atlantic-10 Conference. We preview Florida State’s trip to the nation’s capital, where they will face the 4-3 Colonials.

Last Time The ‘Noles Took The Court

The Seminoles, after eight straight losses, finally did their part in the ACC – Big Ten Challenge. Beating a Big Ten basketball team shouldn’t be that difficult, but for some reason, it has been. This year is different though. Florida State broke the streak, topping the Minnesota Golden Gophers 75-67. If that isn’t a sign that this season will be a special one, I don’t know what is.

The first half was ugly, and over-officiated. As a fan, it was extremely frustrating to watch. In the opening 30 minutes, a combined 28 fouls were whistled. Neither team could find a rhythm, best exemplified by the 19 turnovers committed. Minnesota led by three at the break.

The second half, mercifully, was a different story. The refs decided to let the players play, and Florida State was able to make a run. A big one. Their lead got all the way up to 18. And unlike the Temple game that no one can let go of, the Seminoles didn’t allow the Gophers to make a comeback.

Dwayne Bacon scored 18 points. Jonathon Issac had 14, to go with 13 rebounds. And as a team, they held Minnesota to 32 percent shooting.  It was a good effort, as they overcame not only their opponent, but very poor officiating. For the Gophers, point guard Nate Mason led the team with 11 points. Freshman sensation Amir Coffey had four fouls with 15 minutes left in the second half. He finished the night with seven points, despite averaging 16 on the season.

Opponent Preview

The George Washington Colonials were involved in an ugly coaching scandal this offseason. Two weeks before practice began, they fired coach Mike Lonergan for accusations of verbal abuse on his players. They were left scrambling, and named then-assistant Maurice Joseph their interim coach.

So it makes sense why Atlantic-10 coaches and media picked the Colonials to finish eighth this preseason. And thus far, they haven’t exactly exceeded expectations. They’re currently 4-3, with losses to UAB, Georgia, and Penn State. Oh, and the combined record of the four teams they did beat is a putrid 4-22. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that KenPom ranks them the 119th team in the country.

That doesn’t mean, however, that they are without talent. Wake Forest transfer Tyler Cavanaugh is one of the best big men in the A-10. He was voted preseason first-team all-conference. So far, he’s averaging 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game. He’s versatile, and tough to guard, so I expect Phil Cofer and Jarquez Smith to take turns defending him. Forward Yuta Watanabe is another player to watch out for. He averages 13 points and five rebounds per game.

Although Florida State has to travel almost 900 miles for this “neutral-site game”, they have an advantage in that they had almost a week off to rest. On the other hand, this will be the second game in two days for the Colonials.

Interesting Fact

These two teams have faced each other twice before, but not since 1979. The Seminoles won both previous games, and hopefully the streak continues today.

The game will tip at 4 PM, and you can watch it on the CBS Sports Network. Go ‘Noles!