Florida State hung tough with second-ranked Virginia on Sunday, but ultimately fell 51-41 to drop to 15-13 on the season and just 7-8 in ACC play. While the loss likely put an end to any slim hope the Seminoles may have had of snatching up an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament, postseason is not out of the realm of possibility for Florida State.
An appearance in the NIT is rarely something that fans rave about and for Florida State, who has spent so many Selection Sundays on the bubble over the last decade, it has served as a reminder that the team again failed to make the tournament. The NIT can be difficult to watch, much less get excited for, but for this Florida State team, a trip to the NIT could be a very good thing.
The 2014-15 season for Florida State has been a topsy turvy one that the Seminoles began just 1-3. They were only 4-4 when they learned their best player Aaron Thomas would no longer be eligible. Florida State was handled by Notre Dame 83-63 in its first game without Thomas and sat at just 4-5 with losses at home to Northeastern and Nebraska and defeats at the hands of Providence and Notre Dame by a combined 46 points.
It appeared Florida State was destined for its first losing season in a decade and postseason of any sort seemed like a long shot. Since however, the Seminoles have played much better, going 11-8. The loss of Thomas forced Florida State players to take on new roles and the Seminoles perhaps as a result, have become a more resilient bunch.
Whereas FSU rolled over early in the season against the likes of Providence and Notre Dame, the Seminoles have fought to the bitter end since. Against ranked teams in North Carolina and Duke, Florida State stayed in the game until the final seconds, ultimately losing both games by just a combined 7 points. On Sunday, the Seminoles actually led the second-ranked Cavaliers in Charlottesville with just over 10 minutes to play.
While the Seminoles have failed to beat the ACC’s elite, they did manage to rally from 16 points down to beat Miami, from 15 points down to top Wake Forest and from 11 down to defeat Boston College. That “never die” spirit even helped erase a 17-point home deficit against N.C. State to draw even on January 17th, before ultimately falling to the Wolfpack.
A 10th straight winning season and NIT appearance would certainly be a nice way of salvaging what looked to be a dismal season early on, but more games could have a long term benefit as well.
Many have raved about Florida State’s incoming recruiting class, but the NIT could give the Seminoles a chance to continue to develop a rapport and chemistry for next season as FSU will lose just one senior in center Kiel Turpin, who averages 5.1 points and two rebounds in just 12 minutes of action per contest.
Though some on the Florida State roster have not progressed as the team had hoped, a number of young players have the Seminoles already looking to a bright future.
Freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes has had to carry the offensive load with Thomas ineligible and has done so by leading the team in scoring. He is also on pace to average more assists than any Seminole since Delvon Arrington averaged 6.3 per game during the 2001-02 season.
Fellow freshman Phil Cofer may be the shortest front line player for Florida State at 6’8″, but despite sharing time with three more experienced 7-footers, Cofer has been the Seminoles’ best big this season. Cofer is averaging better than seven points and ranks second on the team with just under five rebounds-per-game.
Sophomore Jarquez Smith has quietly made significant strides in year number two. Smith has nearly tripled his scoring average while shooting better than 50 percent from the field and becoming a more consistent jump-shooter. Smith also ranks second on the team in blocked shots.
Extra games in the NIT would allow Rathan-Mayes, Cofer and Smith to continue to mature and rid themselves of some of the growing pains that come with making the transition to the college level.
Assuming everyone returns, next season’s Florida State roster is set to have four scholarship seniors including Montay Brandon and Devon Bookert. The team’s second leading scorer and top rebounder, Brandon has been without a doubt Florida State’s most improved player while Bookert has brought a calm to the offense after an early season injury and has been the only player capable of consistently stretching the floor.
It’s true that an NIT appearance is hardly a prize for a team from a major conference to cherish, but for a Florida State team that lost its best player and has relied on younger players to be major contributors, it could be a very good thing.
To get there however, will not be easy. The Seminoles currently sit at 15-13 and will need to finish with a .500 or better record just to be eligible. Florida State’s final three games are against two teams fighting for their tournament lives in Miami and Pittsburgh as well as a ranked Louisville team that’s just two years removed from a national championship. Though the prize of an NIT appearance isn’t one to be cherished, the journey should the Seminoles get there should be one to be applauded.
