The Daily Nole

Hot Take Tuesday: FSU is a Basketball School, Embrace It

Mike Olivella/FSU athletics

Florida State is a March 7 victory over Boston College away from finishing undefeated at home for the second time in four years and just the fourth time ever.

The No. 6 Seminoles had one of their best showings of the season on Monday night, running away from No. 11 Louisville, 82-67. FSU trailed by 11 early in the second half, but closed the game on a 42-16 run.

With the win, FSU improved to 14-3 in ACC play, surpassing the program record for ACC wins set last season. FSU currently holds a half-game lead over Duke for the best record in the ACC.

While the FSU football program has suffered through consecutive losing seasons and is a combined 18-20 over the last three seasons, Leonard Hamilton’s hoops program is in the midst of an era that may not be paralleled at Florida State in a long time. There’s no telling whether Mike Norvell will be able to return the football program to national prominence, but for the time being, FSU is a basketball school.

After setting a program record with 29 wins last season, the Seminoles are well on their way to tying another by making the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year. This is also a program record fifth straight season where FSU has won at least 20 games.

As the football program reported the lowest attendance in more than three decades this past season, ESPN’s Jay Bilas left Monday night’s contest raving about the atmosphere at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The results suggest that Bilas is on to something as the Seminoles have just three losses at home over the last four seasons.

Hamilton offered similar sentiments.

Unranked in the preseason, few knew what to expect out of FSU coming into the 2019-20 campaign. FSU was losing 64 percent of its points, 61 percent of its rebounds, 44 percent of its assists and 80 percent of its blocks from last season. Instead, the Seminoles are enjoying what may be their best regular season ever.

Picked fifth in the ACC in the preseason, it may be fair to call FSU a “surprise” this season. The truth however, is that basketball success is the new normal at Florida State.

Entering the 2016-17 season, Florida State had missed the NCAA Tournament in four straight seasons. It had won more than 25 games just once in its history.

Over the last three seasons, FSU has averaged 26 wins per season. At 24-4, it doesn’t take a wide-eyed optimist to believe that the Seminoles will hit that threshold yet again.

Earlier this season, FSU made an appearance in the AP top 5 for the first time in 47 years. But over the last four seasons, FSU has made an appearance in the top 10 in three of them. In the other, it was a 4-point loss to Michigan away from the Final Four.

The 14 ACC wins this season is as many as FSU had in the three seasons combined prior to Hamilton’s arrival. With stifling defense, a deep bench, length, athleticism and a team-first mindset, Hamilton has truly built something special in Tallahassee. The reality however, is that at 71 years old, Hamilton has more days behind him than in front.

It isn’t impossible, but given the program’s history of playing second fiddle to the football team, it isn’t a slam dunk that FSU’s basketball success continues under Hamilton’s successor. For the time being, FSU has a number of excellent athletic programs, but as far as revenue sports go, we’re in the midst of a golden age in Florida State basketball.

This is what being a basketball school feels like. Let’s savor it while we can.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.

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