The Florida State women’s basketball team will begin the ACC Tournament on Friday with a game against Virginia Tech. Florida State had a high enough seed (2) to avoid playing in the first two rounds. The same could not be said for the Hokies, who came into the tournament as the lowest seed, having suffered nine straight losses to end the regular season. They had just one win over an ACC opponent, but have two so far since arriving in Greensboro.
Key Players for FSU:
1. Adut Bulgak (C) – 13.0 Points Per Game, 10.1 Rebounds Per Game, 1.6 Blocks Per Game. The lone first team All-ACC selection, Bulgak will be needed to set up a consistent threat in the paint. With all due respect to Virginia Tech, there is quite simply no one that can reasonably contain Bulgak. In order to stop another signature double-double, the Hokies would have to focus on her and hope that the other Seminoles have an off night. That isn’t likely. Expect another great performance from her.
2. Leticia Romero (G) – 10.1 Points Per Game, 5.5 Assists Per Game, .433 3-Point Percentage. As a second team All-ACC selection despite only starting half the season, Romero looks to be leading the offensive charge on Friday. Romero will need to attack early and often while looking to get teammates involved and this one could become a laugher in a hurry.
3. Maegan Conwright (G) – 11.7 Points Per Game, 3.2 Assists Per Game, 1.4 Steals Per Game. Conwright will be the guard expected to disrupt Virginia Tech the most. She will need to put pressure on the talented Hokie backcourt to force them into mistakes and prevent them from getting any into sort of a rhythm. Conwright is also regarded as the vocal leader of the team — an aspect that will be put into focus from here on out. She makes everyone around her better and her veteran mindset will hopefully be able to keep the team in check, should they encounter difficulties.
Everyone is aware of what this team can do by this point. Tight defense with a consistent offense has been the motto for almost the whole year and will continue to be in the ACC Tournament. Don’t expect too many surprises with this FSU team. Virginia Tech on the other hand has already delivered two.
Key Players for Virginia Tech:
1. Vanessa Panousis (G) – 13.4 Points Per Game, 3.1 Assists Per Game, 3.2 Rebounds Per Game. Panousis has been the single most important player to the Hokies this season. She has upped her game in a major way for the postseason, averaging 19.5 points and 4.5 assists in contests versus N.C. State and Pittsburgh. If she gets going, she could cause serious problems for the Seminoles. It’s up to FSU’s guard unit to limit her effectiveness.
2. Hannah Young (G) – 6.2 Points Per Game, 4.5 Rebounds Per Game, .825 Free Throw Percentage. At first it seems like Young would be the odd one out on a list like this. But the fact of the matter is that Young, like Panousis, has become a serious threat in the tournament. Against N.C. State, she scored 9 points in the final seven minutes, including the game-winning shot with half a second left to upset the Wolfpack. She played all 40 minutes in the Pittsburgh game as well, showing resiliency and a relentless motor.
3. Sidney Cook (F) – 5.9 Points Per Game, 5.4 Rebounds Per Game, .420 Total Shooting Percentage. The interesting factor with Cook is that if she can become a threat, it will be hard to deny her. FSU will probably put Shakayla Thomas on her and attempt to shut her down. She’s yet another Hokie that has performed better in the postseason. She has averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds so far in the conference tournament.
Virginia Tech was supposed to lie down and get knocked out in the first round. That has obviously not been the case. In the regular season, the Hokies gave up on average 60.1 points-per-game to opponents. Against N.C. State and Pittsburgh? 56 and 45, respectively. This upward trend is also noticeable with the players, especially the three listed above. They seem to have hit their stride at just the right time to knock off a couple of favored teams.
Basketball fans will know that when it comes to postseason tournaments, it is better to be hot than talented. A team that gets going at just the right time can be incredibly hard to stop and is prone to upsetting favored teams that may not have taken them seriously. Despite how good this FSU team is, this is still an issue that the players have almost certainly picked up on. The Seminoles need to come out clicking on all cylinders and avoid a slow start, which could bring confidence to a heavy underdog in Virginia Tech.
Prediction: While the Hokies have certainly stunned a lot of people with their unexpected run, FSU is quite simply a better team than either N.C. State or Pittsburgh. The Seminoles have a great mix of leadership and skill that can snuff out any upset-minded team. Expect FSU to take the lead early and never look back from there, as the defense will stifle the Hokies and lead the ‘Noles to a sound victory. 64-47, Seminoles.
