Florida State Seminoles
2015-16 record: 20-14, 8-10 in the ACC
Head coach: Leonard Hamilton
Tenure at Florida State: 15th season
Career coaching record: 456–397
Home court: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center
Starters: G Dwayne Bacon, G Xavier Rathan-Mayes, G Terance Mann, F Jonathan Isaac, C Michael Ojo
Bench: C Christ Koumadje, F Phil Cofer, F Braian Angola-Rodas
Overview: Even with the loss of freshman phenom Malik Beasley, who was taken 19th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Draft, Florida State has the potential to improve on last season’s 11th-place finish in the ACC.
Without Beasley and four others from last year’s team, head coach Leonard Hamilton will be left with a very young, albeit talented team. Sophomore Dwayne Bacon will lead the way for Florida State and could emerge as one of the best players in the country after being named to the Freshman All-America team a year ago. The guard averaged 15.8 points per game—the highest ever by a Seminole freshman—and also led the team on the glass with 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Bacon will be joined in the backcourt by junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes and classmate Terance Mann. But the player that could really help take Florida State to the next level is freshman Jonathan Isaac. The forward has drawn comparisons to NBA All-Star Kevin Durant and provides some serious athleticism and scoring potential at his position on the perimeter.
If the Seminoles can get 7-foot-1 center Michael Ojo healthy and jell as a unit, Florida State could have a complete roster from top-to-bottom and enough talent to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.
One thing that needs to go right: Bacon steps up as the team's vocal leader and helps guide the young Seminole squad through any adversity they may face during the season, en route to a return to the top half of the ACC standings.
One thing that could go wrong: With four of their first five conference games against Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, and Notre Dame, a rough start demoralizes Florida State and the team struggles to come together as a unit all season.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.