FSU Basketball NCAA Tournament Elite Eight Preview: vs. Michigan

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

At points this season, there was some doubt whether FSU basketball would even be able to make the NCAA Tournament with the way the Seminoles are playing – now, the Noles and head coach Leonard Hamilton are just 40 game minutes away from making it to the Final Four for just the second time in program history.

Now, after two straight wins over teams that were on plenty of people’s brackets to make it to the final group and possibly win a championship, the Seminoles face another power program riding a long winning streak – hoping that Florida State can keep the momentum going for at least one more day to continue playing the role of Cinderella.

Florida State Seminoles Basketball

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

Last Game Recap

After pulling off a major upset of the top seeded team in their region, FSU basketball traveled out to Los Angeles to take on a Gonzaga team that played for the national title last season and was riding a 16 game winning streak entering the contest.

Early in the first half, the Seminoles jumped out to a 10 point lead and let it be known that they were going to be sticking around for a while. The Bulldogs, however, would come back from a 12 point deficit to take the lead with under seven minutes to go – before CJ Walker and PJ Savoy hit three straight three pointers and the Noles led by nine points at the break.

In the second half, Gonzaga would get close but could never overtake Florida State. Terance Mann was on fire with 12 of his 18 points coming in the final 20 minutes – and Phil Cofer cemented the game with a layup and hit two free throws on the ensuing flagrant foul to put the nail in a 75-60 coffin.

Opponent Preview

For nearly a month and a half, the Michigan Wolverines have not known what it means to lose – as the men from Ann Arbor won their final five regular season games before four straight in the Big Ten Tournament that brought the title back to campus.

In the NCAA tournament, Michigan got a comfortable win in their opener against Missouri before needing a buzzer beater in the second round to beat Houston and advance. There would be no need for that in the Sweet 16 as the Wolverines dismantled Texas A&M by 27 points and looked like one of the best teams left standing.

On the season, the Michigan offense goes through junior forward Mortiz Wagner as the German native leads the team in both points and rebounds per game, averaging 14.2 and 7.1 respectively.

Interesting Fact

FSU basketball is in some unfamiliar territory as they are one of the final eight teams left standing for just the third time ever and doing it for the first time in a quarter century. Michigan, meanwhile, will be playing in their 14^th Elite Eight contest and looking to make it to the Final Four for the eighth time in their program’s history.

Next: Seminoles' bench responsible for tournament run

This will be the fourth all time meeting between Florida State and Michigan, with two of the previous three coming in the postseason. The teams met for the 1997 NIT title with the Wolverines coming out on top while the Seminoles got revenge in the 2007 tournament. Michigan won the only other meeting in 2013 during the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.