March Madness is upon us. The Florida State men’s basketball team has entered the postseason and for the fourth time in a row, the team is going dancing.
Although the Seminoles have known they were going to be in the NCAA tournament for weeks, it became official on Sunday when they were announced as a No. 4 seed in this year’s tournament. Their first game will be on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. against the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNC Greensboro) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The entire tournament will be played in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
FSU has played and won against the Spartans four times in program history, the most recent matchup being a 75-60 win in 2011. The Seminoles’ potential second-round opponents would be either No. 5 seed Colorado or No. 12 seed Georgetown. That game would be held on Monday, March 22. If the Seminoles win their first two games, No. 1 seed Michigan will likely be waiting for them in the Sweet 16. FSU’s fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance ties the program record for consecutive appearances set between 2009 and 2012. If last year’s tournament had not been canceled due to the global pandemic, they would have made a new record for the program for their fifth consecutive appearance.
After their loss against Georgia Tech on Saturday night in the ACC Tournament Championship, the Seminoles lost their potential to join the 3-seed line. They played well enough to win in many ways by shooting 56 percent from the floor and 53 percent from the three-point line but were doomed by a season-high 25 turnovers. Leonard Hamilton, the head coach of the team, had this to say: “Sure, we’re disappointed, got a lot of kids with tears in the locker room, but that’s part of the pain of losing a game when you don’t play as well as you think you’re capable of playing. But, I feel very confident with the character we have on the team, the culture that we’ve been able to develop, that we’ll bounce back and come together as a team and be prepared for the NCAA Tournament.”
This is FSU’s eighth March Madness appearance under the direction of Leonard Hamilton. This is three times more than any other coach in program history. It’s quickly approaching the combined 10 NCAA appearances that past FSU coaches have made between them. The ‘Noles are on a fantastic run of high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, with FSU being a No.4 seed or higher in four of the last five tournaments. This counts last year’s canceled tournament where FSU was expected to be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed. As of right now, the players are in Indianapolis and have entered the NCAA bubble. The team is doing their best to follow all guidelines to be healthy enough to play at their best performance ability.
If you’re a big Seminole basketball fan and are looking for where you can watch, the first game of the tournament will be shown on Saturday, March 20 at 12:45 on truTV.
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