FSU Basketball must accept higher expectations and play accordingly

FSU basketball is coming off a run to the Elite Eight for just the third time ever, and now that means they can’t go back to being a average team.

For those who have been watching the FSU basketball team for the better part of a decade or more, the outcome Monday night was not all that surprising – the ranked Seminoles went up to play a Pittsburgh team sitting in the bottom of the early ACC standings and came home with a double digit loss they have to face.

Now, just over half of the way through the season, the Seminoles sit with a record of 13-4 that has been hampered by losing three of their first four games in conference play.

As much as some in the FSU basketball family might not be wanting to hear this, that isn’t good enough. I’m not trying to say that the Seminoles should be undefeated at this point and I am in no way saying that the Noles and head coach Leonard Hamilton has been a failure at this point – because I believe this team will still be dancing in March.

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The problem is that after last season – where the Noles bounced back from being a .500 team in the ACC to completely ruin a hot start to the year and still made a deep tournament run – the expectation window has been blown wide open.

So far this season, FSU basketball has been a top 10 team that had two victories over top 20 teams on their resume and just one loss by six points to the defending national champs. In past seasons, being 13-4 with losses to the defending champs and two teams ranked in the top five would be plenty to cheer about.

It’s nice for sure, but the Seminoles are so much more than what they used to be. With Phil Cofer coming back and players like Terance Mann, Mfiondu Kabengele and others on the roster, this was the season where some thought the Noles could make another deep tournament run and maybe even sniff the Final Four for just the second time in program history.

For decades, losing by two points to the top team in the country would have been reason fro FSU basketball to celebrate since…well, for years there was no chance they would have even been in the conversation as being competitive with teams like that.

But after getting a taste of what it’s like to be successful, the Seminoles can’t get away with losing to teams no matter what their ranking is – and they sure as heck can’t get way with losing to a Pittsburgh team they have no business losing to.

Look, I’m not trying to play the role of the alarmist on this one because anything could take place – FSU basketball could go on a 14 game winning streak and end up being the top seed in the NCAA Tournament – but the days of just showing up and playing a good game are over. Hamilton has done his job of turning this team into one that should demand better of themselves.

Next. What does start of ACC play for Noles mean for March?. dark

With their next three games against teams who are in the bottom four of the ACC entering the middle of the week, FSU basketball can not afford any more letdowns like fans are used to seeing from past seasons.

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