FSU Basketball NCAA Tournament 2nd Round Preview: vs. Xavier

Here’s a preview of FSU basketball and their upcoming game scheduled for play during the 2018 NCAA basketball tournament.

After waiting longer than expected thanks to the previous game taking what seemed like forever to be played, the FSU basketball team opened their 16^th appearance in March Madness in a dominating fashion – before almost pulling what some call a “Seminole” and blowing the lead and on a collision course with the season ending.

Instead, the Noles turn their attention to a familiar foe in the world of March Madness – a team who sent the Seminoles packing last year but one that some experts say is ripe to be upset, which would send Florida State to just their fifth Sweet 16 in program history if they can come out on top.

Here’s our recap of the last game’s action and a preview of what’s ahead for the Seminoles.

Last Game Recap

The Seminoles had to wait to be the last game of the day on Friday in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee as FSU basketball opened their run to the Final Four with a toss up game against a Missouri team who had a lot of similarities with the Seminoles.

After a slow start to the game, the Noles went on a 41-13 run to end the first half after shooting nearly 54 percent for the first 20 minutes and set their tempo to cruise control as the second half began – which was not great as Missouri started the second half on a roll and cut the Seminoles’ lead to six points.

The Seminoles would pull away late led by 14 points from Mfiondu Kabengele off the bench along with 12 points from PJ Savoy and 10 from Trent Forrest in the 67-54 victory. The news wasn’t all great as Terance Mann left the game twice with an apparent groin injury, leaving his status in doubt for their second round showdown.

Opponent Preview

For the second straight season, FSU basketball has a matchup for their second game with an Xavier Musketeers team – although the roles are reversed as the men from Cincinnati are the top seed in the West Region, whereas they were the No. 11 seed last season when they upset the Seminoles by 25 points, which was tied for the worst tournament lost in FSU history.

This season, Xavier finished with a 28-5 record that included winning the Big East regular season title. In their NCAA Tournament opener, the Musketeers had three players score 24 points or more – including a game high 29 points from J.P. Macura – in a 102-83 victory over Texas Southern.

Next: FSU opens as small underdog against Xavier

Interesting Fact

For the first time in FSU basketball’s tournament history, the Seminoles will face the same team in back to back March Madness appearances. Xavier is one of 28 teams the Noles have played in the NCAA Tournament – and one of just three times that the Seminoles have played more than once (along with four games against Kentucky and two against Indiana, with a combined 1-5 record in those games).