FSU Basketball Game Previews: vs. Manhattan and Samford
By Frank Urbina
Here is a preview for FSU basketball and their next two games of the 2016-2017 season.
The Florida State Seminoles are coming off a big week. It was a week in which they won three games, including one against their most-hated rival on Sunday.
Though they’ve played an “easy” schedule thus far, they can boast wins against the Florida Gators as well as a Big Ten challenger, the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The former currently rank fifth in the RPI, while the latter rank 13th. Those are two nice wins for the Seminoles’ resume that will look good come March.
Conference play is right around the corner, but FSU still has two more games to go before that. On Saturday, they face off with the Manhattan Jaspers of the MAAC and on Monday, they play the Samford Bulldogs of the Southern Conference.
Neither team is much to write home about, but it would be huge for the ‘Noles to secure both wins. That would mean rolling into their ACC schedule with a 12-1 record. A missed layup away from being undefeated – with two good wins and no bad losses.
Let’s get right into it.
The Last Time The ‘Noles Took The Court
The Seminoles beat the Florida Gators on Sunday, 83-78, in what was their most important game of the year. UF’s defense is the best that they have faced so far, and early on, that showed. Florida State struggled to score, and held a precarious three point lead at the half. They were eventually able to settle down and stretch Florida’s deficit to 13 points, with 11 minutes remaining.
Despite a late run made by the Gators, FSU was able to seal the win thanks to two huge Terrance Mann free-throws. He finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds, in what was his best performance of the year. Dwayne Bacon led the way for the ‘Noles, scoring 24 points, to go with three rebounds and two assists.
If you’d like to read more about this heated game between the two rivals, click right over here.
Manhattan Jaspers Preview
Many thought that the Japsers would be a middle-of-the-pack MAAC team this season. Sadly, they’ve probably underachieved to even those limited expectations. They currently sit with a 3-7 record, with losses to Winthrop and Detroit – two teams that Florida State easily dispatched of.
Manhattan are led by junior guard Zavier Turner, who averages an impressive 17 points per game. He shoots 45 percent from three point range, so FSU basketball might wanna keep a guy on him at all times. Their second leading scorer meanwhile is Zane Waterman, a 6-foot-9 forward who is scoring 11 points a game, while bringing down eight rebounds. He’s a big man who can shoot, currently attempting three three-pointers per game, and nailing them at a respectable 43 percent rate.
Despite the solid play of those two guys, the Jaspers rank 275th in the country at offensive efficiency. Their defense is a bit better, as they force almost 15 turnovers per contest. So FSU must do a good job of taking care of the basketball.
One thing that should benefit the Seminoles is that Manhattan likes to play at a pretty fast tempo. With our depth and athleticism, that may not work out so well for them. All in all, should be an easy match-up for Florida State. But as I love to say before playing inferior opponents, you never know. I mean, this literally just happened last year.
Oh, last thing. This game takes place in the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida in the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic (two brands in one name, gotta love it). South Florida ‘Noles should go show support for their team in person.
Samford Bulldogs Preview
At the time I’m wrote this, the Bulldogs hold a 6-3 record. However, one of those wins was against a D-II school and their other five were against teams with a combined 20-26 record. Also, they lost to Nicholls State in overtime, who Florida State beat by 55 points. The Bulldogs are ranked the 205th overall team on KenPom (which, hilariously, is still ahead of Boston College).
Samford are led by Demetrius Dyson, a UMass transfer, who is scoring 15 points per game. He’s efficient from the field, shooting 51 percent overall, and he’s especially dangerous from three, making 52 percent of his shots from deep. The Seminoles must not let him get going. Furthermore, their 6-foot-9, 240-pound center Wyatt Walker is a tank. Walker is averaging a robust double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds per contest.
Like most teams from smaller conferences, Samford lacks size. They don’t have a single player over 6-foot-10 on the roster. Meaning that guys like Michael Ojo and Christ Koumadje should feast on the offensive glass.
Another over-matched opponent and playing at home, the ‘Noles (should) roll.
Interesting Facts
FSU basketball actually played Manhattan recently. The two faced-off in Tallahassee to open the 2015 season, with FSU winning the game 81-66. That season was extremely forgettable, but at least it got off to a good start.
As for Samford, the two sides do not have much of a basketball history at all. However, since we love our football in the state’s capital, I think you will all remember that the first game of the Jimbo Fisher era was against the Bulldogs. Christian Ponder threw for four touchdowns in that game, EJ Manuel saw playing time as well, and Greg Reid returned a punt to the house for a score. The final tally was 59-6. I was there, and remember it being uncomfortably hot.
Well, that’s all for now. Florida State’s showdown against Manhattan tips-off at 1:30 on Saturday, and you can watch it on SunSports or FS2. The match-up against Samford is on Monday, and starts at 2 PM. You can catch it on everyone’s favorite platform: WatchESPN.