FSU Basketball is true Cinderella of 2018 NCAA Tournament
By Jason Parker
FSU basketball is heading to the Elite Eight for just the third time in program history – and showing why they are the true dark horse of this year’s field.
With the clock well past midnight in the state of Florida, the FSU basketball team was inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles watching the clock tick down on a blowout win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs – a team who played for the national title last season – to advance to the Elite Eight of what has so far been an upset filled NCAA Tournament.
That’s right, the Seminoles are one of the final teams standing for just the third time in program history. It wasn’t last year’s team that was seeded third that made it to this level…it wasn’t the 2012 team who was a third seed after winning the ACC tournament for the only time in program history. No, it’s a team who was 20-11 entering the NCAA Tournament this season.
It’s also a team who is the true Cinderella of the 2018 edition of March Madness, even over some of the other more high profile stories.
With 12 teams left standing Friday before the next regional semifinals are played, FSU basketball is one of four teams left with a seed of ninth or worse – including three of the four teams who will be playing Saturday night trying to punch two of the tickets to next weekend’s Final Four.
When you look at the resumes and path to this point, the Seminoles have no business being here. This was a team who, while having some quality wins against tournament teams like Florida, North Carolina, Miami and Clemson, also had embarrassing losses to Boston College and Louisville in the ACC tournament (teams that didn’t make the madness) and a N.C. State team that lost in the first round.
In their three tournament games since that Cardinals loss, all the Noles have done is dominate Missouri in the opener, comeback against top seeded Xavier to shock everyone and make Gonzaga look pedestrian and beat last year’s runner up by 15 points – in any other tournament, the Seminoles would be getting all the national love with the glass slipper.
When you break down the other three teams, you have an argument they can’t match what FSU basketball has done. The other high seed ACC team, No. 11 Syracuse, beat another bubble team in the play in game before struggling to beat TCU and barely sneaking past second seeded Michigan State.
Everyone’s favorite Cinderella story, No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago, has won all three of their NCAA tournament games by a combined four points (beating a six and seven seed in the process) after winning their conference regular season and tournament (and beating the Gators as well).
The team they face on Saturday, No. 9 seed Kansas State, for the right to go to the final four is a team who beat a No. 8 seed in the opener and then struggled against No. 16 seed Maryland Baltimore County before a one point win over Kentucky on Thursday.
Look, all teams have great stories and it’s funny that a third of the teams still alive heading into Friday’s game all fit the Cinderella mode – but when you look right down to it, FSU basketball is the feel good story as they have made the most of their chance against a much tougher road…a road that won’t get easier when they face No. 3 Michigan on Saturday.
Next: Seminoles' bench responsible for tournament run
For the Seminoles, the hope is that the clock won’t strike midnight on their season before at least one final statement win.