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FSU Basketball Preview: Noles Open NCAA Tournament vs. FGCU

By Frank Urbina

Dec 31, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Dwayne Bacon (4) celebrates with Seminoles guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes (22) after making the game winning three point field goal as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) and Cavaliers guard Darius Thompson (51) look on with two seconds left in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Seminoles won 60-58. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Dwayne Bacon (4) celebrates with Seminoles guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes (22) after making the game winning three point field goal as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) and Cavaliers guard Darius Thompson (51) look on with two seconds left in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Seminoles won 60-58. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The FSU basketball team opens up NCAA Tournament play against Florida Gulf Coast University. It’s the Seminoles first trip to the big dance since 2012.

Finally. After a long, grueling four-year absence from relevant postseason play (no offense to the NIT), the FSU basketball team is finally back in the big dance.

After finishing the regular season 24-7, and going 1-1 in the ACC Tournament, the Selection Committee deemed the Seminoles record worthy of a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The game will take place in Orlando, Florida, so it was supposed to be a friendly atmosphere for the good guys. However, their opponent — Florida Gulf Coast University — are also locally-based, and should have a great showing, as well. So instead, it’ll be a raucous, back-and-forth crowd.

And as we all know, that may not be a good thing for the Seminoles.

Regardless, it’s great to play in the tourney again, and hopefully it’s a long, successful run for coach Leonard Hamilton’s guys.

Last Time the ‘Noles Took the Court

It was a short run for Florida State in the ACC Tournament. After their double-bye, they suited up on Thursday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Seminoles size and depth proved too much for the Hokies, and they came away with a comfortable win.

The next day, they had their third game of the season against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. All I have to say about is: Thankfully their likely won’t be a fourth matchup between the two programs. The Irish were red hot from deep (again), and their huge first half scoring surge helped beat the Seminoles.

If you’d like a more detailed recap of the two games, just follow this link.

Florida State Seminoles Basketball
Florida State Seminoles Basketball /

Florida State Seminoles Basketball

Opponent Preview

FGCU, famously known as Dunk City from their tournament showing three seasons ago, are the second toughest 13-seed in the tourney. KenPom ranks them the 110th team in the country, despite their impressive 26-7 record. The Eagles also went 12-2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

What should comfort FSU fans is the fact that the Eagles aren’t a good three-point shooting squad. As a team, they convert on just 35 percent of their looks from deep. However, they shoot 50.2 percent from inside the arc, so they’re still wildly efficient overall.

KenPom ranks their offense 82nd most efficient in the country, and their defense 172nd. They are a team that likes to slow the game down, as they are 259th in possessions per game, at 69.9 per game. They are also excellent on the glass; FGCU grabs 53.4 percent of total rebounds available, the 34th best mark in the country (one spot behind the Miami Hurricanes).

Hopefully the Seminoles size helps neutralize that advantage.

The main Eagle to watch out for is junior Brandon Goodwin. He leads their team in scoring (18.2) and assists (4.0). The 6-foot-2 guard is also pulling down over four rebounds nightly for good measure.

Further, he’s an okay, but not great, outside shooter, at 36.3 percent from deep. Nonetheless, Goodwin is still a 51.6 percent shooter overall, and 78.8 from the foul line. He is absolute load; Xavier Rathan-Mayes will need to be on his A-Game defensively to slow him down.

Apart from him, the Eagles also have big man Demitris Morant to worry about. The senior forward is averaging 10.7 points per game in his final season of eligibility, to go with 8.0 boards and 1.5 blocks. He’s their most effective big, so if Michael Ojo and Jarquez Smith can outplay him, it’ll go a long way in helping the Seminoles chances.

Point Spread/How to Watch

According to Odds Shark, Florida State is a 12-point favorite over the Eagles. That may seem like a healthy margin, but it’s the smallest one of all the 3-versus-14’s n the tournament.

Related Story: Top 3 Reasons FSU Will Win National Title

To watch this game, just tune into TNT at 9:20 pm ET on Thursday. Positive energy, ‘Nole fans. I know everyone seems to be picking against us, but that’s just because it’s the easy thing to do. Pundits know that Florida State is a much better team playing in Tallahassee, and they all want to be the first to pick an upset by a double digit seed. It’s telling that despite all that, Vegas still has us pegged as huge favorites, and they have the most at stake here.

Go ‘Noles.

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