FSU Hoops: Early Takeaways From the Opening Non-Conference Stretch

Florida State basketball has sufficiently made its mark on the national landscape for the 2017-18 season. The Seminoles are now 9-0 on the year and ranked 19th in the nation by the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Head coach Leonard Hamilton has surprised even his most ardent of supporters with the program’s best start in over a decade.

The competition hasn’t been all that impressive, but there is still a notable victory over the top 25 Florida Gators that demanded respect. Fans should still control their expectations for the next couple of months. The ACC remains a very tough conference and FSU has shown weaknesses.

What has become apparent in these past nine contests? A lot of good, and just a little bad. Take a look:

3-Point Shooting Is a Strength

Early this season, a source close to the program told The Daily Nole that this FSU team had five legitimate 3-point shooting options. This was initially scoffed as, but as the season goes on, it has become more and more evident that it is true. The top three in attempts are by Braian Angola, C.J. Walker, and M.J. Walker. All three of them are shooting above 36 percent. Oddly enough, junior marskman P.J. Savoy isn’t the best option from deep at this point in the season. He’s shooting at a similar clip (36 attempts in 82 minutes) but hasn’t been as efficient as he was last year.

It’s hard to understate how much this helps the FSU offense. Even with Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac last season, the Seminoles had scoring droughts. A big reason for that was the lack of consistent outside shooting. When Savoy and Angola were on, they were huge weapons. But teams knew where it was coming from. That made it much easier to defend and force other Seminoles to pick up the scoring load. This year? Florida State has enough options that it’s not nearly as easy to make the offense one-dimensional; that’s going to be key when ACC play begins.

Big Men Are Young But Talented

Few observers expected Mfiondu Kabengele and Ike Obiagu to play these many minutes early in the season. The injury to center Christ Koumadje necessitated it however. Luckily for FSU, it seems to be working out. Kabengele has chipped in nine points per game while Obiagu is becoming a defensive presence, who ranks in the top 25 nationally in blocked shots. There’s been a lot of rotation down low. Hamilton has also shown a few small ball setups with Phil Cofer as the big man, which has shown mixed results. That being said, with Koumadje still nursing that injury, there is a lack of a veteran presence that helps immensely on defense.

These minutes are still valuable for young talents like Kabengele and Obiagu. The increased competition as the season goes on will have the Seminoles facing much more capable big men. Koumadje’s return might mean that Florida State has three capable starters in the post.

They’re Physical

Being physical is obviously a trait that can’t truly be measured by statistics. Rest assured, Florida State has it this season. The Seminoles are aggressive with going for the ball and they’re not afraid to make contact down low. It’s not the most critical characteristic, but it can truly shift the tide of close games. Look at the Florida contest for reference on how physicality can dramatically shift a game. The Seminoles held one of the most prolific offenses in the nation to just 66 points, mainly because they were disruptive and pressured the Florida guards the whole game.

Terance Mann Really Can Be a Star

Everyone knew that junior Terance Mann was a leader. He’s a versatile guard who does everything his team requires of him. For the past couple of years, he’s been doing well in a supporting role. Few expected him to take the next step that he has in the 2017-18 season however.

Mann is currently the leading scorer at 15.6 points per game and the second leading rebounder with 5.6 per game. It was previously assumed that his lack of a deep range would cap his ceiling as a scorer, but it turns out that he’s simply too good to stop when slashing to the basket. Mann has truly turned into a reliable offensive option that cannot be ignored by other teams. If he keeps taking over games and stays on his current track, Mann will be in the running for end of the year awards and honors.

Rebounding Will Be An Issue

The double-digit wins have obscured some of the team’s weaknesses to this point. Have no doubt, rebounding is a problem and will be an even larger issue when ACC play starts. The Seminoles are currently giving up 30 percent of defensive rebounds, which ranks 263rd in the nation — not exactly a badge of honor. Contests against Rutgers and Loyola-Maryland saw the Seminoles give up far too many rebounds relative to their size/talent advantage. There’s no excuse for a team like the Greyhounds to get just one less total rebound than the Seminoles.

Koumadje’s return would alleviate some of these issues, but he’s not a total game-changer on the glass. Kabengele and Obiagu are still learning the ropes, and Cofer has never been consistent in this regard. What’s going to happen against teams like Duke and Notre Dame? It’s a small complaint now, but it will absolutely lead to losses down the road if Hamilton’s group can’t figure it out.