Jakob Beck

Seminole Playoff Preview

            Heading into the postseason, Florida State seems primed for a bid in the ACC Championship.  With three potential NBA Draft prospects on the roster, they have the talent to compete with anyone in the country.  Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes have proven they have what it takes to lead Florida State past other top-ranked teams.  They are 7-2 against ranked opponents this season, including wins against #12 Virginia, #7 Duke, and #12 Louisville.  However, out of the 7 losses, only 2 of them have come against ranked teams, one of them being North Carolina.  With 5 losses to unranked teams this season, they have shown their youth and inexperience that contributed to their inconsistency against inferior teams. 

North Carolina is the only visible threat to the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament, other than themselves.  With only two seniors on the roster, they don’t have the experience that North Carolina does with 5 seniors.  North Carolina is possibly the most impressive team in the ACC.  With the size and skill their wings possess, Florida State will have trouble guarding them across the court.  Justin Jackson will provide the Seminoles with one of their toughest tasks yet, stopping him.  Averaging 18.3 points per game, he can take over a game and pull Carolina ahead of FSU from just about anywhere on the court.  Roy Williams also provides an edge for the Tar Heels, since he holds 3 ACC Tournament Championships under his belt, while Leonard Hamilton of the Seminoles only holds one from back in 2012.  North Carolina is stacked with talent, but then again, so are the Seminoles.  Their stars match up well with North Carolina in a potential ACC Championship game, but the Seminoles still have 2 games to advance to the big game.

            Dwayne Bacon is clearly the leader of this Florida State team, leading the Seminoles in scoring over the past two seasons.  With a strong supporting cast around him, he has emerged as one of the premier scorers in the country, with his ability to shoot the three and relentlessly attack the basket.  Bacon is being projected as a first round pick by many experts, where he will be a solid impact player at the next level.  He is the key to Florida’s State success.

            Jonathan Isaac has seen his draft stock rise dramatically since stepping on the court this season.  At 6’10”, he has the height and length to compete for playing time right away at the NBA level.  Often compared to current NBA superstar Kevin Durant, he will most definitely be a lottery pick, bringing shooting and rebounding, along with athleticism uncommon for a player at his size.  In the past couple of weeks, Isaac has played an even bigger role than usual.  He has continued to play well recently and has shot the ball at an impressive .520% this season.

            Although his points per game average has dropped each year while at Florida State, Xavier Rathan-Mayes has continually shown his versatility to scouts.  Averaging almost 5 assists per game, he has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, one that Florida State was in desperate need of coming into the season.  His ability to distribute the ball has proven to be crucial to Florida State’s success because stars like Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac are able to free up and score at will.

            Looking ahead to the NCAA Tournament, the Seminoles will most likely find themselves as a top 4 seed, which makes them a contender to advance far into the tournament.  Their strength of schedule is there, and they have proven that they can beat title contending teams.  However, it is difficult to say they have what it takes to advance past the Elite Eight, due to the inexperience they possess across the board.  What it comes down to is playing to their potential in the biggest of games, which they have displayed over the course of the year.  Dwayne Bacon will need to put on a brilliant offensive performance for them to compete, but that is not out of the question.  If the Seminoles come into their own, they have the talent to beat any team in the country.