FSU Basketball 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Preview: vs. Gonzaga

Here’s a preview of FSU basketball and their upcoming game scheduled for play during the 2018-19 season.

There was a point not all that long ago when the FSU basketball team was just happy to be making the NCAA tournament and not having to play in the NIT after years of futility – now, the Noles are making their third trip to the second weekend of the tournament in their last five appearances in the madness of March.

As the culture of the Seminoles has changed over the lengthy tenure of head coach Leonard Hamilton, so has the expectations of what people think the Noles are going to do from this point on – especially considering the fact they will likely be facing the same exact path as last season if they want to make it to their second ever Final Four.

Now, the road toward possible history begins in the same state it did last year with a chance for there to be the same exact path as what the Seminoles dealt with in 2018.

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

Last Game Recap

After falling short in the ACC Championship game and somehow being only a fourth seed in the West Region of the NCAA tournament, the FSU basketball team headed up to Hartford, CT and started off their road to the second weekend with a closer than expected win over No. 13 seed Vermont before facing another double digit seed in No. 12 Murray State.

Early on, it looked like the Seminoles and Racers – who were led by arguably the best player in the country in Ja Morant – were in a track meet before the Noles pulled away late in the first half and took a 16 point lead into the locker room.

While Morant continued his wonderful season and led all scorers with 28 points on the day, the Seminoles held the rest of Murray State’s team in check – holding them to under 33 percent shooting and outrebounding them 45 to 33 – as Mfiondu Kabengele scored 22 points and Terance Mann added 18 in the 90-62 win for the Seminoles.

Opponent Preview

For the second straight season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the opening team the Noles will see in Southern California as the teams meet in the region semifinal one year after FSU basketball went out and dominated the teams in a 15 point win in 2018.

This season, head coach Mark Few’s team has been one of the select groups who has been consistently a top five program the entire time – even getting a win over a top ranked Duke team before becoming a number one seed in the tournament.

So far, they’ve made quick work of Farleigh Dickinson and Baylor in the tournament and have four starters averaging over 11 points a game – including forward Rui Hachimura with just a few ticks over 20 points a game this year for the Bulldogs.

Interesting Fact

Thursday’s game will mark just the sixth time that the FSU basketball team will be playing in the round of 16 teams left – and judging by past history, the Seminoles are either in for a blowout game or one that requires extra time.

In 1972, the Noles beat Minnesota by 14 points while losing to Indiana by 11 points in the 1992 tournament ahead of last season’s 15 point win over the Zags. Twice, the Seminoles have had overtime games in the Sweet 16 – beating Western Kentucky by three points in 1993 and losing to VCU by one point in 2011.