Florida State Men's Basketball: Team Has Found A Way To Fight Through Adversity

A classic Leonard Hamilton-led team is back in full effect. The Florida State Seminoles have gotten off to a 6-1 start to begin the season after a dominating performance against UMass. Florida State fans know that Coach Hamilton loves to play by committee. The Noles’ hot start to the year shows togetherness and the ability to trust one another. 

There’s been so many highlights to begin the season. There’s Jamir Watkins’ 30-piece special that he displayed against Rice in the 2K Battleground Classic. There’s also great production from key players like Taylor Bol Bowen, Bostyn Holt, and several others. But what has made Florida State emerge as a good team is their ability to play through adversity and stay disciplined in their game plan. 

Great teams have struggles throughout the season. As they’re on their journey to greatness, they often hit walls that they have to break down. In the past couple of seasons, fans watched Florida State not be able to recover when their momentum was snatched away. Opposing teams will take their confidence and they would find their way on the losing side of things. 

Two weeks ago, the Seminoles took a loss against their rival Florida on their home floor. The reason behind the loss was their defense. Florida shot 52 percent from the floor as well as 36 percent from three. Despite the Noles trying to climb back toward the end, it wasn’t enough as the Gators walked out of Tallahassee with an 87-74 win. 

Yes, it was only the first loss of the season. However, Leonard Hamilton’s team didn’t want to begin a losing streak. It would kill the team’s confidence as well as ruin the chemistry the team worked hard to build. With that being said, Florida State responded a few days later with a 79-61 win over Hofstra. It was a night where the team’s defensive intensity elevated, holding Hofstra to 33 percent shooting from three and forcing 20 turnovers. 

The Noles later won two more games against Temple and UMass in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff. However, the adversity didn’t stop. The road to wins were not easy for Florida State. Sure, in one of the games they dominated by 33 points. But it didn’t come without a challenge. 

Temple got off to a hot start on Friday. They established themselves in the paint early and found ways to score off dribble penetration. Luckily, Florida Stats made defensive adjustments. They didn’t allow Temple easy opportunities on offense and also slowed down the team’s best scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr. Florida State outscored Temple by three in the second half to help secure a 78-69 victory. 

48 hours later, the Seminoles dominated UMass by 33 points. The biggest story was the second half as they outscored their opponent 55-32 and took the Minutemen out of their halfcourt sets. Despite the big win, it didn’t come without its challenges. Despite Florida State’s strong start, UMass climbed their way back into the game in the first half. They made defensive adjustments where they shut down the Seminoles with their zone. They also continued to rebound the ball well, which resulted in extra opportunities on offense. 

How did the Seminoles overcome UMass’ zone defense? Having players move well without the ball and continue to find good quality shots on the perimeter. That formula openers up Florida State’s lead as they went into halftime with a 10-point lead and it continued to grow throughout the second half. 

It's early in the season but the way Florida State has responded to challenges has been very fascinating. They don’t put their head down when times are rough. Instead, they find a way to come together so they can get back on the same page. That’s what makes teams great. The Noles are showing good qualities as a team to begin the year and their chemistry will only continue to grow moving forward.