Despite ups and downs over the years and throughout the current season, the Florida State University (FSU) Men’s basketball team is heading in the right direction with their recent wins and improved performances. FSU’s head basketball coach, Leonard Hamilton, has witnessed the roller coaster of Florida State basketball over the past 21 seasons firsthand and recently hit an incredible milestone as one of only four ACC coaches to have 600 overall wins, (over 400 being with FSU). Currently, FSU sits 5-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and is 7-14 overall.
Among the team’s wins this season, was their nail-biting match against the University of Notre Dame, with FSU winning 73-72 on Dec. 21 and 84-71 on Jan. 17. The team also managed to register recent wins against the University of Louisville, the University of South Carolina Upstate, Mercer University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. They continued a strong run with a big victory against the perennial powerhouse, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), with a score of 71-64 on Jan. 21. The Seminoles’ season started slow, with a losing record of 1-9 over their first ten games. However, the team began to build momentum after their win against Louisville, leading them to a winning record of 6-5 over their next 11 games.
The team’s biggest victories of the season so far have been against Pitt and Notre Dame. Playing in an away game in Pittsburgh, the Seminoles were down by one point with two minutes left in the second quarter, but according to ESPN, FSU managed to get the lead and pull away to win the game. Darin Green Jr. scored a whopping total of 24 points in the game, and Matthew Cleveland and Caleb Mills also stood out, scoring 11 points each and leading the team in rebounds for the game. Pitt currently sits in the fifth spot in the ACC standings, while FSU sits in 10th, making this quite an exciting win for the Seminoles. FSU has also beaten Notre Dame twice so far this season, first winning against them in Tallahassee on Dec. 21, where Matthew Cleveland led FSU scoring a total of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Their second win was away at Notre Dame on Jan. 17, where Darin Green Jr. led FSU, scoring 20 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Â
The standout players of this season are without a doubt Darin Green Jr., Matthew Cleveland and Caleb Mills. Darin Green Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina came to FSU in 2022 from the University of Central Florida. He plays guard and has an average of 14.1 points per game. Matthew Cleveland, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, also plays guard and has been playing for FSU for the past two seasons. Although only a sophomore, Cleveland has an average of 14 points per game. Finally, Caleb Mills previously played for the University of Houston, but transferred to FSU in 2021 and has played guard ever since. Mills has an average of 13 points per game.
The main question that Seminole fans around the country are asking is, “Will it last?” FSU basketball took a tough 83-63 loss against the No. 20 nationally ranked Miami Hurricanes on Jan 24. The team faced another challenge, playing the top team in the ACC, No. 24 nationally ranked Clemson, on Jan. 28. FSU lost by just one point, and are still fighting. Go Noles!
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