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FSU Womens Basketball Kicks Off NCAA Tournament Friday at Home

By Jason Parker

Feb 26, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Sue Semrau watches from the bench in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Sue Semrau watches from the bench in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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FSU women’s basketball returns to their second home – the NCAA Tournament – as they host a regional as the No. 3 seed on Friday.

While the men’s basketball team for FSU was finally getting back to the fun of March Madness this week, the women’s basketball team was acting like they had been there before – because they have been for 12 of the last 13 seasons, including this past season that ended with a second place finish in the ACC this season.

Now, it becomes win or go home for the Lady ‘Noles and the other 63 teams in this year’s field – of course, for the Seminoles a loss in the first two rounds would mean they just stay home, since FSU is hosting the first two rounds of action involving Florida State along with Western Illinois, South Florida and Missouri.

Let’s take a look at Friday night’s matchup with the Leathernecks, a team FSU has never played before.

Season at a Glance

FSU women’s basketball finished off another successful campaign under head coach Sue Semrau, finishing the regular season with a 25-5 record that included a 13-3 record in ACC play. Three of those five losses came against teams ranked in the top eight nationally – including a two point loss to UConn that stands as the Huskies’ closest margin of victory during their current 107 game winning streak.

The honors came in for the Lady ‘Noles this season when Shakayla Thomas was named the ACC’s Player of the Year – the first Florida State player to do that. Thomas averaged 14.8 points a game this season, while having six games over 20 points. She was named first team All-ACC, while Leticia Romero got second team honors.

Florida State Seminoles Basketball
Florida State Seminoles Basketball /

Florida State Seminoles Basketball

Opponent Preview

For the ladies in purple and yellow, the end of the season was a good one for WIU. The Leathernecks finished the season on an 11 game winning streak, which included three games in the Summit League Tournament that culminated in a 77-69 win over IUPUI for the league crown.

WIU is currently outscoring their opponents by an average of 14 points a game, shooting 43 percent from the field and averaging nine three pointers each game. The Leathernecks are led by junior guard Emily Clemens. The Iowa native has averaged over 19 points a game this season, including five 20 point games in the last six contests.

If Florida State Wins…

The ‘Noles would head back to the court on Sunday for their final time inside the Tucker Center this season. A win by Missouri would set up the fifth all time meeting between the Lady ‘Noles and the Tigers, a series tied at two games a piece after FSU won the last two contests.

Florida State has a slightly longer history with the Bulls from USF should the two teams meet. The Lady ‘Noles own a 35-3 edge in the series, but the teams have met just twice since the 2003-04 season. Overall, FSU has won 25 of the last 26 meetings dating back over the last four decades.