Florida State men's basketball 2017-18 season preview

Overview: Led by the trio of Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, last year’s Seminoles were an offensive beast that won 26 games and easily earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Florida State fell out of the Big Dance early in a 91-66 shocker at the hands of 11th-seeded Xavier, adding to the body count of ACC teams not living up to their own hype. To make matters worse, last year’s top three scorers are gone, leaving far more questions than answers for a team that was a national title contender just a year ago.

For the Seminoles, the crux of this season will come down to how well they can build off of—and learn from—last year’s run. Much like last season’s 'Boom Squad' led by then-freshman C.J. Walker and Trent Forrest, Florida State will have some talented rookies, such as M.J. Walker, who could add considerable depth to a high-energy team. 

However, the biggest question lingering over the Seminoles is how they will fill the scoring void left by Bacon, Isaac and Rathan-Mayes. Last year’s offense focused on getting to the rim and getting out in transition—at the cost of shooting consistency. With so many new faces, it’s unlikely this year’s Florida State will look much like last year's.

One thing that needs to go right: M.J. Walker lives up to the hype, and coupled with Mann leading the Seminole offense, Florida State channels last season’s energy to remain a serious ACC threat.