The Seminoles just added the most cherished one to a season full of historic feats.
Playing in only their second ACC tournament championship game Sunday, the Seminoles (24-9) outlasted North Carolina 85-82 to claim their first league trophy since joining this conference 20 years ago. They earned the automatic NCAA Tournament bid, but most importantly rose from a projected No. 5 seed before the weekend began, into a No. 3 seed that matches the highest seed in school history.
They also got a couple other benefits -- getting an extra day of rest before playing Friday against St. Bonaventure in the East Regional in Nashville. That will enable more FSU fans to drive and attend the tournament and provide a better feel than if the Seminoles were shipped outside the Southeast and had to play Thursday.
"It gives us a new level of pride and I think it sets the standard by which you want the players who come behind them to be judged by," said FSU coach Leonard Hamilton "So this is a significant moment in the history of Florida State basketball and we want to continue to keep building on it."
That opportunity will arrive Friday. The game against St. Bonaventure will match FSU's acclaimed defense against the Bonnies' star power forward Andrew Nicholson, a Canadian player, who will be going against FSU's Bernard James in the one-on-one matchup Friday. Nicholson was named the tourney MVP in leading the Bonnies to the Atlantic-10 tournament title as the No. 4 seed.
The Seminoles will enter their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament -- the longest streak in school history -- with the added glitter of what they did this past weekend. They beat state rival Miami, then ACC bluebloods Duke and North Carolina in succession to make history. It was only the second time in the past 16 years that a team other than Duke or North Carolina won the tournament and one of the rare times a team from outside Tobacco Road has ever won it.
But it was the culmination of a mission that Hamilton sought when he took over the program 10 years ago. He has tried to recruit players with the idea of having them become pioneers, breakthrough achievers in the history of the program.
"He said, 'You can really change the culture of Florida State basketball,'" said guard Luke Loucks. "We're stepping in the right direction of doing that and making our mark. We're not just some random team from Florida. We're in the thick of things every year."
Still, to watch Hamilton and his players cut down the nets at Atlanta's Phillips Arena as ACC champions came with perspective of how far this program had advanced. It went through a decade of misery and mediocrity before Hamilton got the program going in the right direction. And FSU has suddenly capitivated its fans in a way normally reserved for the football or baseball teams.
NOTES, QUOTES
-In addition to winning the first ACC tournament championship in school history, Florida State enabled coach Leonard Hamilton to become the first black coach to win an ACC title in the league's basketball history.
-The Seminoles would go on to tie the program record for most ACC wins in a season with 12 before adding a bow to its postseason resume with a shiny new championship trophy
-G Michael Snaer, who averaged 18 points in FSU's three ACC tournament wins, was named the tournament MVP, giving another first to the Seminoles program. Snaer is a 6-foot-5 junior from Moreno Valley, Calif., who has shed his inconsistent play to become one of the top players in the ACC.
-When FSU returned to Tallahassee on Sunday night, a large crowd greeted the team when the bus arrived at FSU training facility from the airport. This scene, like so many others this season, gave pause when thinking how this program was once starved for support and relevance in the community.
-The Seminoles became the first ACC team since Georgia Tech in 1996 to defeat Duke and North Carolina twice apiece in the same season. That once seemed like pure fantasy for this team, especially in the ACC tournament.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This just caps off the day for us. To get a 3-seed is something amazing. In my mind, I probably thought we were a 4. That's what I was expecting. To see a 3 pop up is an accomplishment for our program and the coaching staff and the job they've done in turning this program around over the years." -- FSU G Michael Snaer, speaking to reporters a few hours after the Seminoles won the ACC tournament and learned their seed for the NCAA Tournament.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
SCOUTING REPORT: The Seminoles played more than half their season much like past years. They would out-defend opponents, seize upon turnovers, get points in transition and try to out-will everybody with their relentless defensive style. It often made for some ugly basketball. But in the final month, the backcourt got hot, led by junior guard Michael Snaer and suddenly this is a different team. FSU has developed into a solid 3-point shooting team with guards Ian Miller, Deividas Dulkys, Luke Loucks and Snaer all having signature games to prove they can hit shots. The team still works hard to remain one of the nation's best defensive teams, but it's the scoring punch from the perimeter that has changed.
FUTURES WATCH: The Seminoles will build next season around their backcourt tandem of star guard Michael Snaer and the emergence of sophomore Ian Miller. After regaining eligibility in late-December, Miller became a vital player in this team's offensive turnaround. He has scored in double figures in five of FSU's last six games, including matching a career high with 18 points in the ACC tournament quarterfinal win against Miami. He had 10 points in the title game win against North Carolina. Combined with Snaer, he gives the Seminoles the added backcourt, perimeter shooting threat they have sorely lacked in the last couple seasons.
The Seminoles are losing six seniors, including four starters off this team. But all is not lost. They will get forward Terrance Shannon back, who dislocated his left shoulder in a nasty fall against UConn on Nov. 26 and was lost for the season. He was one of the top players on last year's team. His return, along with Okaro White, will provide a solid front court. Hamilton will have to sign another big man or two, maybe from JUCO ranks. The toughest replacements will be the defensive stars, Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys.
REGULAR SEASON REVIEW: Even with lofty preseason expectations, the Seminoles exceeded anyone's forecast by winning the ACC Tournament and earning a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But how this all happened for FSU makes the achievement more noteworthy. On Jan. 7, following a 20-point road loss to Clemson in the ACC opener, the Seminoles were 9-6 and going nowhere. They had a soul-searching meeting that ignited motivation.
Their early-season schedule had gotten the best of them. First, they suffered through an anemic shooting performance in a loss to Harvard in a tournament in the Bahamas. The next day, they lost an overtime game to UConn (78-76). Four days later, on Nov. 30, they were blown out at Michigan State by 16 points in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. Before the New Year began, they looked bad in losses at Florida and a triple-overtime loss at home to Princeton.
The Clemson loss continued the despair. But from that point, a changed team emerged. The backcourt got better and FSU racked up a school-record 12 ACC wins, including signature wins against North Carolina and Duke. After a horrific effort in a road loss to Boston College, the Seminoles won their next three ACC games to seal an NCAA Tournament bid and winning record in the ACC. The ended the regular-season schedule with two wins and have now won five ACC games in a row.
ROSTER REPORT
-Senior G Luke Loucks set the ACC Championship game assist record with 13, complementing the 11 points he scored.
-Senior C Bernard James' five blocked shots against North Carolina in Sunday's championship game were the second-most in the history of the ACC tournament.
-The Seminoles do not have any injury issues heading into the NCAA Tournament. They were able to play 10 players in Sunday's ACC title game, including freshman G Terry Whisnant, who did not play at all in four of the previous five games.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This just caps off the day for us. To get a 3-seed is something amazing. In my mind, I probably thought we were a 4. That's what I was expecting. To see a 3 pop up is an accomplishment for our program and the coaching staff and the job they've done in turning this program around over the years." -- FSU G Michael Snaer, speaking to reporters a few hours after the Seminoles won the ACC tournament and learned their seed for the NCAA Tournament.
