From unranked to Final Four candidate, the FSU women’s basketball team has impressed not just its fans, but observers across the country. After getting off to the best start in school history, going 18-2 over the first 20 games, people have begun to take notice of just how strong the team is. Coach Sue Semrau has guided the team to 10 postseason appearances in her career yet this team might be the most talented (and capable) of them all. There’s a few big reasons why.
1. The Offense is Consistently Great
FSU ranks in the top 20 nationally in terms of points-per-game with 76.9. FSU has a force inside with center Adut Bulgak, a deep-range threat in guard Maegan Cartwright, and an all-around scorer in forward Ivey Slaughter. Balance clearly works in the Seminoles’ favor and teams are unable to focus on stopping just one of them. If one of them has an off-night, the next two can step up and carry the offensive load. In addition to these three, FSU also has had Leticia Romero since the Jacksonville game. Romero has only started eight games with the team, yet is already ranks in the top 5 on the team in points and rebounds-per-game.
Earlier in the season against Wake Forest, the Seminoles almost broke a school scoring record. They scored 110 points, second only to a 114-point outing against Stetson back during the 1990-1991 season. If FSU can keep up this trend and if Romero can continue to fit into her role on the team, it would go a long way in being able to endure some of the tougher defenses in the NCAA Tournament. While the ACC is regarded as a great conference, it currently doesn’t have a defense ranked in the top 25 nationally.
2. The Defense is Good Enough
While not the most resounding praise, the defense really is good enough to sustain FSU on a postseason run. It ranks in the top 40, only allowing opponents 57.4 points a game. While this isn’t elite compared to other teams, No. 9 Florida State’s offensive numbers are partly what makes this acceptable. This defense allows the Seminoles to have a scoring margin of +19.5, a better margin than three of the teams ranked ahead of them (Tennessee, Oregon State, and Louisville). In fact, FSU has held each of its ranked opponents below their season scoring average — a good sign that tougher competition won’t be as big a road block as it could.
Two key players known for their defense are Bulgak and Brittany Brown. Bulgak has the most blocks on the team with 48 and leads in defensive rebounds with 170 for the season. She averages a double-double and has established herself as a legitimate rim-protector. When opponents decide to stay outside the paint, they are met with Brown’s tenacious defense. She leads the team in steals with 46 and is in the top 5 in rebounds. The backcourt for the Seminoles is a superb unit and is their biggest strength heading into ACC tournament play and beyond.
3. Seeding Will Make Advancing Easier
Right now, the Seminoles are No. 2 in the ACC, right behind top-seeded Notre Dame, who is one of only three teams to beat FSU this season. If the seeding at the top stays the same over these last few games, FSU will be given an advantageous seed. Florida State wouldn’t have to play a game until the ACC quarterfinals and even then it would be against either the 7th, 10th, or 15th seed.
Perhaps the biggest upside to this is the fact that some of FSU’s tougher opponents would only appear later in the bracket. Two of FSU’s losses were to teams from the strong ACC and those were to Notre Dame and North Carolina. Notre Dame is on the other side as the 1-seed and could only be faced if FSU made it to the championship game. North Carolina is the 6-seed and would only appear if both teams reached the semifinals.
For the larger NCAA Tournament, FSU currently projects as a 2-seed. This means largely the same benefits as the ACC seeding would, except obviously it would face would different teams. Should Florida State reach the dance as a 2-seed, it would be the Elite 8 before FSU would even have a chance of being the lower seed.
4. Semrau has a Proven Track Record
Semrau is in her 18th year as head coach at Florida State and in the past 10 years, her team has only missed the postseason once, back in 2011-2012 season. It’s also one of only two times over the past decade that her team failed to record 20 or more wins in a season. She has a knack for getting the best out of her players.
As mentioned before, this year’s team truly might be the most talented Semrau has ever had. Nine of her players are averaging over 12 minutes a game and for many fans, it is the most dominant team they have seen in years.
Semrau’s teams have never advanced further than the Elite Eight and that high mark has a good chance of being broken this year. As a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, fans have good reason to trust her ability to lead the team to new heights. Basketball in general at Florida State is on the upswing and it’s the women’s team leading the charge.
