Examining FSU’s Road to the Sweet 16

For the first time in five years, Florida State will take part in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Committee handed the Seminoles a No. 3 seed in the West Region on Sunday and they’ll open the tourney against 14th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday in Orlando.

FSU’s road to the Sweet 16 features two games in Orlando. That’s a good thing for Florida State, because it was a perfect 21-0 this season in the state of Florida. Should the Seminoles beat the Eagles and advance on Thursday, they’ll move on to face either Maryland or Xavier in the round of 32 on Saturday.

Here’s a look at the three teams potentially standing in Florida State’s way as it looks to advance past the first weekend for the first time since 2011:

(14) Florida Gulf Coast

Record: 26-7 (12-2 Atlantic Sun), Atlantic Sun champions
Vs. Common Opponents: FGCU lost to Florida 80-59 on Nov. 11, FSU defeated Florida 83-78 on Dec. 11;
Strengths: Florida Gulf Coast is a team that can light up the scoreboard and the Eagles are very efficient in doing so. For the season, FGCU ranks fifth in the country in field goal percentage. Florida Gulf Coast has four different players who average at least 10 points per game.
Weaknesses: Florida Gulf Coast has been a very good team inside, but against FSU, is rather small. The Eagles have only one player of the team taller than 6-9 and that’s transfer Ricky Doyle who is ineligible to play this season.
Player to Watch: Guard Brandon Goodwin is an incredibly talented player and fun to watch. For the season, the 6-2 junior is averaging better than 18 points and four assists. He also rebounds very well for a guard with 4.6 per game and should put a lot of pressure on FSU’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Goodwin has scored at least 20 points in six of his last 10 games.

(6) Maryland

Record: 24-8 (12-6 Big Ten), NCAA at-large
Vs. Common Opponents: Maryland lost to Pittsburgh 73-59 on Nov. 29, FSU lost to Pittsburgh 80-66 on Feb. 18; Maryland beat Illinois 84-59 on Dec. 27 and 62-56 on Feb. 14, FSU beat Illinois 72-61 on Nov. 25; Maryland beat Minnesota 85-78 on Jan. 28 and lost to Minnesota 89-75 on Feb. 22, FSU beat Minnesota 75=67 on Nov. 28;
Strengths: Maryland is one of the few teams in the NCAA Tournament who can match Florida State’s size and depth. The Terrapins have 11 players who average at least 10 minutes per game, but the tallest, Michael Cekovsky, a 7-1 junior, has been out since mid-February. Maryland is a good shot blocking team and have a handful of players it can run the offense through.
Weaknesses: Like FSU, Maryland is a sporadic free throw shooting squad. As a team, the Terrapins shoot less than 70 percent from the charity stripe. Maryland also has a tendency to get careless with the basketball. Despite a decent amount of size, Maryland is not a very good rebounding team.
Player to Watch: Junior guard Melo Trimble is cat quick off the dribble and a very good finisher around the rim. Trimble is also excellent when it comes to getting to the foul line. At 6-3, Trimble averages 17 points, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. When Trimble scores at least 20 points, Maryland is 10-3 this season.

(11) Xavier

Record: 21-13 (9-9 Big East), NCAA at-large
Vs. Common Opponents: Xavier beat Clemson 83-77 on Nov. 18, FSU beat Clemson 109-61 on Feb. 5 and 76-74 on Feb. 25; Xavier beat Wake Forest 69-65 on Dec. 17, FSU beat Wake Forest 88-72 on Dec. 28;
Strengths: Despite not having much size, Xavier is a very good rebounding team. The Musketeers limit second-chance opportunities and get plenty of their own. Xavier led the Big East this season in defensive rebound percentage and ranked second in offensive rebound percentage.
Weaknesses: While Xavier is a good rebounding team, the Musketeers don’t have a real enforcer around the basket to block or alter shots. Xavier is also a mediocre offensive team without a lot of range or athleticism.
Player to Watch: Averaging better than 18 points per game, Trevon Bluiett is Xavier’s best all-around player. Bluiett can score inside or out and rebounds and defends well. He’s one of the most athletic players on the team and one of the few who can take a game over.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson