Florida State Seminoles
2020-21 record: 18-7, 11-4 in the ACC
Head coach: Leonard Hamilton
Tenure at Florida State: 20th season
Career coaching record: 578-438
Starters: G RayQuan Evans, G Caleb Mills, G Anthony Polite, F Malik Osborne, C Tanor Ngon
Bench: G Jalen Warley, G Cam’Ron Fletcher, G Wyatt Wilkes, G Matthew Cleveland, F John Butler, C Naheem McLeod, C Quincy Ballard
Overview: The effect that the loss of Scottie Barnes will have on this team cannot be overstated. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft was amazing for the Seminoles last season, carrying the program to yet another impressive year in the ACC. Luckily for Florida State, the new starting lineup is full of experienced players that should be able to keep the team competing at a high level.
Transfer guard Caleb Mills comes in from Houston as a player who primarily saw his time off the bench but led his team in scoring as a freshman. Mills, who was the AAC Preseason Player of the Year in 2020-21 before suffering an ankle injury, has the potential to elevate this Florida State team.
The rest of the roster should provide a solid rotation for long-time coach Leonard Hamilton, as this projected starting lineup is not yet finalized. Hamilton finds himself with a few other options that have the quality to start, such as guards Wyatt Wilkes and Jalen Warley. It will be interesting to see how they start the season and what changes are made along the way.
This team does have some high expectations, though. They ranked second in the preseason ACC media poll and certainly have the talent to back it up. Losing three players to the NBA always hurts, but the returners should be able to maintain the success Florida State saw on the court last year. It will be up to the transfers to pick up some of that slack, too. Expect a lot of scoring from Anthony Polite and Caleb Mills and even more paint domination from a team with multiple seven-footers.
Team ceiling: It is easy to say that this team could compete for another ACC title, even with the competition being much higher this year. As for the tournament, they should put themselves in a position to make it to the second weekend. Hamilton's teams have struggled to make deep runs in the past, but this roster has the experience to turn that around.
Team floor: If the team's new additions are not what the Seminoles expect them to be, this team could have a weak spot at the guard position and stronger teams like North Carolina and Virginia could overtake the Seminoles. There is no reason this team shouldn’t be in the top half of the ACC, but their floor should stand around the middle of the conference.
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