In a previous article, it was said that the Seminoles could finish out the year strong and give a preview of what can be expected next year as more talent comes in.
Things haven’t turned out that way so far.
The Seminoles have dropped their last three games in disappointing fashion, with Saturday’s 81-59 loss to Louisville being perhaps the worst of the three. FSU was simply outclassed in almost every category Saturday, unable to ever really make it a competitive game. The loss guaranteed Florida State’s first losing season in conference play since the 2007-08 campaign.
Louisville, a team that has struggled from deep this season, shot the deep ball at a clip of 44 percent from 3-point land on Saturday. But FSU couldn’t just go all out on the guards, because Montrezl Harrell was terrorizing it on the inside. One not-so-fun fact for the Seminoles was that Louisville scored over 70 points for the first time in February. That speaks more to FSU’s mistakes than it does Louisville’s ability.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – FEBRUARY 28: Quentin Snider #2 of the Louisville Cardinals drives to the basket during the game against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center on February 28, 2015 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quentin Snider
For instance, FSU had 20 turnovers. Louisville had 32 points off of those turnovers. For as good as a player Xavier Rathan-Mayes, or XRM, is, he was contained by Louisville for most of the game. That’s not too bad considering how good the Cardinals are defensively, but the inability for any other FSU player to take over is the problem everyone feared. Devon Bookert, Boris Bojanovsky, and Montay Brandon all had decent to good games. But for FSU, that’s not going to cut it when facing a top 25 team that holds a solid lead for most of the game.
Originally it looked like the ‘Noles would provide some good defensive battles in the closing stretch of the season. They held Virginia to 51 points, well below the Cavaliers’ season average. Before that, FSU was on a defensive tear, putting up some of its better numbers of the year. That seems to be crashing to the ground of late. Sloppy transition defense and a pandemic of turnovers have forced FSU to defend while backpedaling.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 22: Darion Atkins #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers and Michael Ojo #50 of the Florida State Seminoles fight for a loose ball during a college basketball game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 22, 2015 in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Cavaliers won 51-41. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Really it would seem that the offense is the huge issue lately. Michael Rogner of Tomahawk Nation pointed out how bad the offense was against Virginia. Florida State had .71 points per possession in the game and 41 points total, which was its worst offensive output in almost two years.
Conversely, against Miami, the ‘Noles scored 77 — good enough for their third highest output in ACC play. The issue with that game is that FSU was struggling mightily until XRM went on his absurd 30-point streak in five minutes. While it’s great to see such a young talent showcase his skills, it doesn’t speak to the Seminoles’ offense. Their weakest area is still weak, but it had been covered up. It was unmasked again Saturday by Louisville.
It should be stressed that these aren’t bad defenses by any means. Indeed, both Virginia and Louisville are ranked in the top 10 of adjusted defensive efficiency by Ken Pomeroy. When taking that into consideration, it certainly lessens the blow a little. But FSU fans are craving just a glimpse, a little teaser of what this team could be in the coming year or so. Instead, it seems that they just might have to wait a little longer.
