SB Nation Tampa Bay: All Posts by David Lavigne

NCAA Tournament: No. 3 Florida State vs No. 14 St. Bonaventure, Game Preview

2012-03-16T13:28:20Z

Florida State’s basketball team opens up the 2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament as a 3 seed. Their first game is against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies who are the A10 Conference Champions, winning over Xavier in the final, 67-56. Without that win, the Bonnies would not be participating in the NCAA tournament. Xavier and Temple are the other A10 schools who made the tournament field. They are a 10 and a 5 seed respectively.

Two things that St. Bonaventure dues well are getting offensive rebounds and getting to the free throw line. They also have one of the slower tempos of division I basketball teams. If they do these things, they should give themselves the best chance they have to stay in this game.

St. Bonaventure is led by Andrew Nicholson, a 6’9” senior power forward. He leads the team with 18.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 2.0 bpg. Nicholson, who should be drafted in the upcoming NBA draft, will see the ball a lot when he is on the floor. The forward can score any number of ways when he has the ball, so look for Seminole defenders to try to keep the ball out of his possession whenever possible.

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Other players who will contribute for the Bonnies are Demitrius Conger, 12.1ppg and 6.1rpg, Da’Quan Cook, 7.6ppg and 4.6rpg, and Matthew Wright, 7.0ppg and 2.8apg.

Florida State’s star shooting guard, Michael Snaer is coming into this game on fire. He went 9 for 12 from behind the 3 point line in the ACC tournament and his floater from inside 10 feet seemed like it went in every time he shot it. On a team full of 5th year seniors and 27 year old Air Force Sergeants, Mike Snaer’s leadership and competitiveness has stood out. Coach K went as far as to call Snaer “the best competitor in the ACC”. With Snaer’s performance on the elevated stage, NBA scouts have begun to take notice. This could be FSU’s last chance at the dance with Michael Snaer as well as the 6 seniors, so they should try and take advantage of this opportunity.

The beauty of this Florida State team is that if Michael Snaer has an off night shooting, any number of other players has an opportunity to turn it on and elevate their play and elevate this team offensively. If Deividas Dulkys can get open looks from behind the 3 point line, or if Luke Loucks can continue to limit turnovers and play at the level he played in the ACC Tournament where he was named to the All-Tournament team, the Noles should find the offense to overcome the Bonnies. Another player that is a game changer for the Seminoles is Ian Miller. Miller comes off the bench with the mindset of getting the ball in the basket any way he can. He is the second leading scorer on this team, but can sometimes get into foul trouble.

Bernard James is the star below the basket for Florida State and he will be looked to have a big game defensively on the boards against one of the best teams in the nation when it comes to offensive rebounds. Jon Kreft and Okaro White are viable options off the bench and will come in to spell starters Xavier Gibson and James, when need be.

Look for Florida State’s big men to have their hands full the entire game with Andrew Nicholson. Also, look for this to be a fairly close game, closer than you’d like your opening round 3 vs 14 matchup to be.

For more on this matchup and the impending March Madness season, check out SB Nation's college basketball hub. For more news, analysis, and discussion on the Seminoles and their tournament run, visit Tomahawk Nation.

Seminoles Lead Tigers 49-33, at the Half

2012-03-04T17:56:36Z

On Senior Night at the Donald Tucker Leon County Civic Center, the Seminoles started the game with only seniors on the floor for the first 4 minutes of the game. The lineup was a little unorthodox with Jeff Peterson starting in place of Michael Snaer. Snaer would get into the game and make his presence known. He has 12 points and is 4-4 from 3-point range.
Clemson Started the game with a couple of 3-pointers to take the early lead, but the Florida State seniors would take the lead with 18 minutes left in the game. The Seminoles haven’t looked back yet.
Xavier Gibson has 9 points and 6 rebounds. Luke Loucks has 7 points. Bernard James has contributed 8 points and 3 rebounds.
The leading scorer for the Clemson Tigers is Andre Young with 11 points.

Florida State hosts Duke; Seminoles Look to Knock off Blue Devils

2012-02-23T15:09:12Z

When Duke (23-4, 10-2) takes the court at the Donald Tucker Civic Center tonight at 7pm on ESPN, it will mark the biggest home game in the history of Florida State Men's Basketball. Never has there been a game the Seminoles (19-7, 10-2) have played this late in the season with the team has showed this much potential to compete deep into March. Whichever team wins this game clinches a crucial bye in the ACC tournament in two weeks.

In my mind there is more on the line in this game for the Noles.

This team has played 5 games against universities that hail from the state of North Carolina this year. The North Carolina schools are particularly known for their basketball prowess. These schools have combined for 11 National Championships. These teams take their basketball seriously.

FSU is a perfect 5 for 5 against these North Carolina schools this year, defeating UNC-Greensboro(75-60), University of North Carolina(90-57), Duke(76-73), Wake Forest(75-52), and most recently, NC State(76-62).

With these victories, in my mind, the Seminoles of Florida State deserve special recognition. They deserve the State of North Carolina Championship Belt(this would be trademarked if it were a real thing), and they're wearing it proudly.

Now that the Noles have the Belt, Duke's gunning for us. They remember how they were taken down in their own building on a Michael Snaer 3 as the backboard flashed bright red. The Blue Devils would like nothing more than to come into our building and tarnish our perfect record against North Carolina schools. They remember, and they want their belt back.

Coach Leonard Hamilton must be preaching to this team before this game that they have to protect their home court. There must be a level of focus on the fundamentals the minute this Seminoles basketball team takes the court. They can't afford to come out slow. There's very little chance at a second half comeback if they get down by too much in this one.

If Florida State wants the inside track to the number 1 seed in the ACC tournament for the first time ever, if they want to keep this unprecedented run going, they must retain the mythical State of North Carolina Championship Belt. They must beat Duke

For more Florida State basketball coverage and a live game thread, head over to Tomahawk Nation.

Florida State Travels to NC State; Noles Try to Down Wolfpack

2012-02-18T15:44:10Z

The No. 21 Florida State Seminoles (18-7) are on the road today in Raleigh, North Carolina, to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack (18-8). After starting the ACC conference season at 7-1 (including a school record 7 game ACC win streak), the Noles dropped a heartbreaker to in Chestnut Hill to the Boston College Eagles. Since then, the Seminoles have defeated Miami in a rivalry game, and most recently stole a victory versus the Virginia Tech in which they in no way should have won.

Regardless, this basketball team owns a 9-2 ACC record and a clear shot at making the NCAA tournament for the 4th year in a row. With that said, FSU needs to take each of their remaining games at face value. The only game they should be thinking about right now is the NC State game which they're playing today. They can start thinking about their rematch against Duke at 3:30 when today's game is over.

North Carolina State is a different team than the Virginia Tech team they were able to forget about for 38 minutes and start playing with 2 minutes to go. This Wolfpack team is coming off their own game on Thursday where they squandered their own double digit lead against Duke. It will be interesting to see how NCSU responds in this game. Will they be hungry and play with an intensity to actually finish this game? Or will their attention be on Thursday night when they had the win in their hand and just couldn't hold on. How they respond will be up to North Carolina State Head Coach Mark Gottfried.

Florida State's offense looks to rebound after only putting up only 48 points against Virginia Tech. The leading scorer in that game was Ian Miller. He had 11 points off the bench. Michael Snaer had 9 points with the last 3 points seemingly being worth more than the previous 6. The next highest scorers for FSU were Jeff Peterson and Okaro White with 5 points each off the bench.

North Carolina State's team is pretty evenly matched on the offensive side of things with all 5 of their starters averaging double figures. Junior Scott Wood leads the teamwith 13.2 ppg, but Sophomore C.J. Leslie is not far behind averaging 13.0 ppg. Junior Richard Howell is the man to watch close to the basket. He is averaging 11.3 ppg and 9.2 rpg.

This game will only be televised on the ACC network through Fox, or ESPN3, if you are so lucky to get that. NC State is favored by a point and a half in their own building, and with that said I'm going to hold off on a prediction. I can't really figure this team out. They can keep up with any team in division 1 basketball, but you never know which team will show up until the game starts.

For everything Florida State Basketball including a live game thread, head over to Tomahawk Nation. For perspective from the other side, visit Backing the Pack. For all things College Basketball, head over to SB Nation's College Basketball Hub.

#15 Florida State Travels to Boston College; Seminoles Look to Stay Hot.

2012-02-08T18:04:54Z

The Florida State University Men's Basketball team (16-6, 7-1) travels to Boston College (7-16, 2-7) tonight for an ACC matchup. The Seminoles are coming off of their school-best 7th straight conference win over then 16th ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The Boston College Eagles are coming off of a loss against Georgia Tech.

Every ACC win from here on out is a historic win for the Seminoles basketball program as they look to improve on their best ACC regular season in school history. Florida State already holds wins and tie breakers over North Carolina and Duke and their only conference blemish was a puzzling 20-point loss against the Clemson Tigers. With Duke already having their second ACC loss on Sunday against Miami, FSU could sit alone in first place in the ACC standings if Duke beats UNC when they play in Chapel Hill tonight. They need this, and, of course, their own win tonight against the Eagles.

Florida State's defense has been consistently elite over the past couple of years of Leonard Hamilton's tenure in Tallahassee. Now, the Seminoles offense is finally following suit and we're seeing the results from that. We're seeing fewer turnovers, which comes with more familiarity between the Seminoles, and a better 3-point percentage. The Noles lead the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage in conference, led by Michael Snaer bringing his 3-point percentage up to 41.0 percent.

The players to watch for the Boston College Eagles are Matt Humphrey (team leading 10.1 ppg), Ryan Anderson (6.8 rpg), and Jordan Daniels (2.3 apg). The Eagles have the worst offense in the ACC, averaging 59.3 ppg.

The player I'm interested in watching on the Seminoles is Okaro White. Okaro is coming off one of his best games in a Florida State uniform with 13 points and 5 rebounds. How will Okaro White perform following this performance?

This game tips at 7PM EST and will be airing on ESPN3.
Prediction: FSU 70 - BC 53

For more Florida State basketball discussion and a game thread, head over to Tomahawk Nation. For more on the Boston College Eagles head over to BC Interuption.

Georgia Tech Leading Scorer Out with Turf Toe

2012-02-02T00:22:17Z

Georgia Tech starting guard and leading scorer/rebounder/assist man/stealer Glen Rice Jr. was not in the starting lineup for the Yellow Jackets. He is missing the game due to a case of ‘turf toe’.
Sophomore Brandon Reed will replace Rice. Reed is averaging 7.0 ppg on the season.
This is a huge loss for Georgia Tech, the last place team in the ACC.

Speedster Marvin Bracy to Play Football, Run Track at Florida State

2012-02-01T15:20:52Z

Marvin Bracy has signed his Letter of Intent to play for Florida State University. He chose Florida State over the University of Florida, University of Georgia, and Notre Dame University. The star wide receiver out of Boone High School in Orlando, Florida has been committed since July. He runs a 4.39 40-yard dash.
Although, Marvin will mostly need some time to learn the wide receiver position, he should compete for playing time returning kicks early.

Florida State's elite track and field program factored into Bracy's decision. The Under Armor All-American football player is also an All-American track and field athlete. Now that the recruiting process is over for Marvin, his focus will turn to trying to qualify for the Olympics. Bracy has been timed at 10.02 in a wind-aided 100-meter dash last year. Most recently, Marvin ran the fastest time in the nation among anyone in the 55-meter race at the Jimmy Carnes indoor track and field meet held at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL, with a time of 6.08 seconds. How fast is he, exactly? I'll let you judge for yourself:

He's that fast. Bracy has said he would like to break the 6 second mark this year. Judging by this video, he definitely has a chance.

For extensive coverage of all Florida State recruiting information, head over to Tomahawk Nation. For information on National Signing Day join the conversation at the Recruiting page.

Florida State Surges In 2nd Half To Defeat Wake Forest, 75-52

2012-01-26T04:05:01Z

Number 23 ranked Florida State took a 29-23 lead into the half and came out ready to put Wake Forest away. The Noles went on an 18-2 run and never looked back. FSU ended up outscoring Wake 46-29 in this half. This is Florida State's fifth straight victory, helping them keep pace with Duke, North Carolina State, and North Carolina for the ACC lead with one conference loss.

Michael Snaer led the way with 18 points. He was 6-9 from the floor and was perfect from the 3-point line, sinking 4 shots. Okaro White contributed with 11 points, and Xavier Gibson had 10 points. Bernard James had 7 points and 9 rebounds.

The Seminoles had more assists than turnovers for the second straight game. They also shot 50 percent(8-16) from 3-point range. This, along with their normal dominant defensive performances is a recipe for future success for this team.

CJ Harris led the Demon Deacons with 16 points. For the most part, the Florida State defense shut down Wake Forest's other offensive threat, Travis McKie, holding him to 3 points and 9 rebounds. Ty Walker had 4 blocks in the first half but did not participate in the second half because suffered a concussion.

Florida State is off this weekend and returns to action on Wednesday, February 1st, against Georgia Tech at home.