Unranked.
That was where the 2014-15 season started for the Seminoles.
Everyone knew who Coach Semrau was. Some even knew who FSU was. The team was a mix of upperclassmen and talented underclassmen that could, at some point, potentially star. This team had the look of one that could potentially crack the polls and would probably make the tournament since it was a Sue Semrau coached team after all. But no one knew just how far this team would propel itself by season’s end.
It all started on November 14th when the Seminoles faced off against the UAB Blazers in the then newly-renovated Tucker Civic Center.
As became customary, the Seminoles blew them out. It was quite unfortunate for the Blazers, who would be the first casualty of the talented FSU team, but that’s how it had to be. The game displayed some positive signs for the Seminoles: Good guard play, a legitimate post presence, and a balanced attack. But then again, it was UAB.
The 92-62 win brought reason for optimism, but this was just UAB and FSU was competing in the ACC. The level of competition would be much higher from there on out and the Seminoles would have to fight their way through the talented conference.
An early season loss to Washington was slightly discouraging, but it was still early in the season. Shakayla Thomas was making an impact as a freshman and the whole team seemed to be figuring out their roles. Semrau was still working out the kinks, so it wasn’t too shocking to see a poor performance or two to begin the season.
But then something happened.
The Seminoles rattled off nine straight victories that included five wins by 20 points or more. The team had gelled fast and looked to be running like a well-oiled machine. It had out-rebounded its first 14 opponents en route to a 13-1 start. Alas, the team had yet to be ranked in either the Coaches or the AP poll.
At this point, Leticia Romero and the team were under the impression that she would be sitting out the whole year. Originally a Kansas State standout, Romero tried to transfer once the team fired its head coach and didn’t seem to have a clear path forward. Here was a foreign-born freshman that had little knowledge of NCAA transfer rules and was trying to take the next step in her career.
Matters were only made worse after Kansas State seemed to handle the situation in the apparent worst manner it could. Thankfully for Romero, she finally landed in Tallahassee, but the idea of her playing this year was not taken very seriously. That was, until the NCAA called Semrau and informed her that Romero was eligible to play immediately.
She made an impact right away. Her debut came against Jacksonville on December 29th as she played 20 minutes and contributed with 6 points and a game-high 6 assists. Her arrival helped the team immensely for a couple reasons. The obvious was that she’s just a great player — a scorer, passer, and willing rebounder all wrapped in one. The other is that her insertion into the starting lineup pushed Maegan Conwright to her more natural position of shooting guard, allowing her to better showcase her skill set and settle into a comfort zone. This would be crucial in the coming games.
Florida State’s 9-game win streak would come to an end against the fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. But for some reason, the loss didn’t feel that bad. The Seminoles had just pushed a top-5 team to the brink by leading for a majority of the game. By now, Thomas was regularly playing at a high level while forward Adut Bulgak was starting to get notoriety for what she was doing in the post. The Seminole team that the fans would become accustomed to was showing itself early.
“I don’t know who’s on the top 25 poll, but they’re missing something here,” said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw following the 74-68 Irish victory. “I think they’re a top 15 team. I don’t know why they’re not ranked.”
The wins over ranked opponents began coming for the Seminoles soon after. FSU would beat 13th-ranked Duke, No. 4 Louisville, and 25th-ranked Syracuse in a 7-game stretch that proved Florida State was a serious contender in the talent-laden ACC. The team finally cracked the polls at No. 20 after the Duke win on January 11th.
The ‘Noles came into the January 22nd match-up with Louisville ranked 17th, but their impressive win that evening would vault them into the top-10 in both polls. Perhaps it was the fact that FSU at one point led the Cardinals 21-1 after an endless stream of successful shot attempts. Maybe it was the realization that this Seminole team had something special going for it, as signaled by the 18-2 record. Either way, the ‘Noles were ranked ninth by the time they faced Syracuse and seventh when they played North Carolina.
At this point, the hype train was unstoppable. The No. 7 ranking was the highest ever attained by Florida State. The team looked elite in almost every facet and had the wins to back it up. Word got around campus and all of the sudden the road to the ACC championship had a lot more FSU fans traveling on it.
FSU would only suffer one more loss before the ACC Tournament started. In a fitting fashion, FSU had multiple awards and distinctions at the end of a regular season it finished 27-3. Adut Bulgak was named first team All-ACC, Leticia Romero second team, and Shakayla Thomas to the conference’s All-Freshman team. Sue Semrau received Coach of the Year honors from both the ACC, ESPNW and recently, the Associated Press, while Thomas also got Sixth Player of the Year. Add those to the legacy and there was little doubt that the Seminoles had done something special, but they weren’t finished just yet.
The time had come for the postseason. Florida State rammed through Virginia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament to set up a rematch with a Louisville team still ranked in the top 10. The result was the same. After holding the Cardinals to just two made field goals in the last five minutes, Florida State had achieved yet another milestone as it became the first Seminole team to ever reach the ACC Championship.
After years of women’s sports fighting to get notoriety, it was clear that a populace was rallying around this team. There’s no doubt that FSU is known for its football program, with the other sports tailing behind in terms of revenue and national acclaim, but what the Seminoles did this season by winning consistently on the national stage brought much-needed attention to a very worthy and impressive program. Getting over 2,800 in attendance per home game was double the average rate across the country.
The Seminoles’ next opponent was now second-ranked Notre Dame. This results however, were the same as another hard-fought battle ended in a Notre Dame win. Florida State wasn’t able to claim an ACC crown, but against one of the nation’s best teams, the Seminoles stood toe-to-toe with the Fighting Irish before falling just shy of winning one of the nation’s best conferences.
When the Seminoles were awarded a No. 2 seed with home court advantage for the NCAA Tournament, it was almost expected. A 29-4 ACC team with so much talent deserved no less. The team learned it would face off against the Alabama State Hornets to open its tournament run in Tallahassee. The result? A 42-point drubbing in which Romero nearly recorded a triple-double.
Then came what was portrayed as a tricky match-up for FSU as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles rolled in to town. FGCU was known for the sheer volume of 3-pointers attempted and how quickly it could pile up points. At 31-2, the Eagles owned a better record than FSU and were ranked to start the tournament.
There was an underlying fear that they could be a team to pull an upset with its unorthodox style of play. Those fears were unfounded, as the Seminoles once again awed the crowd with their play. An 8-0 run to begin the game brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous roar. It was the loudest the Tucker Center had been in a while as the Seminoles won, 65-47.
It was just the third time in program history that the Seminoles had made it to the Sweet 16. Now they were slated to go up against the third-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils in Greensboro with a chance to advance to the Elite 8.
Coming into the game, many expected it to be a thrilling blow-for-blow match-up. They got what they expected: a mix of inconsistent officiating, huge shots from Arizona State, and an unwavering FSU team gave us one of the more entertaining games of the season.
There were more commonalities between the teams than there were differences and at several points, it looked like the game was going to be won by whoever had the ball last. In fact, the Sun Devils had that chance as they pushed the ball down by one with a few seconds remaining — only for Conwright to steal the ball and Arizona State’s Elite 8 hopes just before the final buzzer sounded.
Now it was time to face the top-seed, South Carolina. At the beginning of the year, this game would have been a blowout. But the Seminoles were ready this time, and they played one of the better games of the year.
But Florida State just wasn’t enough to overcome the hyper-talented Gamecocks, who pulled through for a 80-74 victory after a back-and-forth second half. At the end of the game, FSU just made too many mistakes versus such a great team as the season closed in disappointment. Florida State wasn’t happy just to be there. The Seminoles had expected to win.
In a season that began with Florida State unranked, it was hard to imagine that it would end with a heartbreaking loss with a trip to the Final Four on the line. As tough as the loss to South Carolina was, it pales in comparison to all that this team accomplished. In several years, this season may not be looked back on only for the exceptional year it was, but as the beginning of something truly special. This was the greatest season in the history of the program and the numbers are there to back up that claim:
- Best record in FSU history
- Most ACC wins in FSU history
- Highest poll ranking ever
- Tied for FSU’s highest ACC Tournament seeding ever
- Three All-ACC selections
- ACC/ESPNW/AP Coach of the Year
- Highest NCAA Tournament seed in FSU history
It’s true that many FSU fans may not yet be over the pain of what was a very tough pill to swallow against South Carolina. This season however, was the greatest in program history as the Seminoles reached the Elite 8 for just the second time ever. While the future remains bright, it may be a bit early to think about next season. As far as this season goes, it will almost certainly be one Florida State fans remember many years from now.
