Florida State Seminoles
ACC (25-6, 13-3)
Florida State has once again put together a strong season under the direction of head coach Sue Semrau. The Seminoles nearly shocked Connecticut in the season opener as they narrowly lost to the Huskies 78-76. This narrow defeat for Florida State turned into a confidence booster that allowed the Seminoles to contend for the ACC Championship all season long before falling at Notre Dame in the regular season finale in South Bend. There is plenty of experience and talent on this team and that will make them very dangerous in the NCAA Tournament.
Big Wins: 12/29 at Miami FL (81-66), 1/8 Duke (69-45), 1/12 Louisville (72-65)
Bad Losses: 1/2 N.C. State (61-70), 2/13 Texas (88-92), 2/16 at Virginia (51-60)
Coach: Sue Semrau
Why They Can Surprise:
Leticia Romero leads a senior class that is going to be the heart and soul of a deep tournament run this March. Romero is an excellent distributor of the basketball and has the international experience from playing for Spain in the 2016 Summer Olympics that has been invaluable for the Seminoles. Shakayla Thomas is a force offensively at forward and she should draw her share of double teams and open things up for everyone else to create and make plays. Ivey Slaughter joins Thomas in the frontcourt and if Slaughter can step up offensively, Florida State will be that much more dangerous. Brittany Brown is another senior in the backcourt that plays excellent lockdown defense that can put opposing teams out of their comfort zone very quickly. The ability to win a game at just about any tempo will also benefit the Seminoles as their draw could dictate having to play games in the 50’s or in the 80’s.
Why They Can Disappoint:
In the loss to Miami in the ACC Tournament it was the inability to knock down shots at key moments that cost Florida State a trip to the ACC Tournament Semifinals. Also, if the Seminoles don’t control the offensive boards, it will be a problem. They have done an excellent job against quality teams like Texas of controlling the offensive boards and creating second chance opportunities. Bench play is going to be another thing to watch as there is going to come a point in the NCAA Tournament where foul trouble is going to be an issue. Thus, Florida State is going to have to be able to hold its own off the bench in order to go deep in the postseason.
Probable Starters:
Leticia Romero, Senior, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 4.0 rpg
Brittany Brown, Senior, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 4.8 apg, 5.8 rpg, 2.5 spg
Imani Wright, Junior, Guard, 10.5 ppg, 1.3 apg
Shakayla Thomas, Junior, Forward, 14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Ivey Slaughter, Senior, Forward, 9.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Key Role Players:
Nicole Ekhomu, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg
Maria Conde, Sophomore, Forward, 3.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Ama Degbeon, Junior, Center, 3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Chatrice White, Junior, Center, 8.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.5 (11th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 57.9 (44, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.5 (13, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.0 (90, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (194, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.8 (32, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.4 (113, 4)
Rebound Margin: 9.4 (11, 1)
Assists Per Game: 15.8 (43, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.3 (76, 6)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Middle Tennessee State
2016 NIT First Round win over Davidson
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Texas A&M
2016 NIT Second Round loss to Valparaiso
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Baylor
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama State
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Florida Gulf Coast
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Arizona State
2015 NCAA Regional Final loss to South Carolina
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iowa State
2014 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Stanford
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Princeton
2013 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Baylor
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Stamford
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Georgia
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Louisiana Tech
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over St. John's
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Mississippi State
2010 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over North Carolina A&T
2009 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Arizona State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over Ohio State
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Oklahoma State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Old Dominion
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Stanford
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to LSU
*all team stats through 3/2
