It was the day before Christmas eve, and many stayed up to catch FSU play Butler, a trip to the Diamond Head Classic Finals on the line. Everything seemed to be working out in FSU's favor to win the tournament- Baylor had lost, so Washington State was awaiting the winner of their game with Butler instead of the 15th ranked Bears. Just one problem- The 'Noles completely looked past the defending national championship runner-up team, who was one basket away from winning the title.
Florida State fans who watched the game had to come out of it very disappointed with how their team looked. Because, even though the final score was 67-64, if there wasn't a scoreboard, I would have thought FSU lost by 20. So when Seminoles fans saw we were playing in the third place game against Baylor, who was advertised as a much better team then Butler, nobody was really expecting good things about the results.
But Coach Hamilton's squad must have had their eyes opened at how bad they played against Butler, because they came to play against Baylor. Our defense met our high standards again. We actually had an offense! And the result was FSU's first quality win of the season, a 68-61 win over the 15th best team in the college basketball land.
Chris Singleton played like the player who was attracting NBA scouts everywhere he went. He scored 17 points, including a huge 3 at the end of the game to put it away, as well as 10 rebounds for the double-double. While there are plenty of other capable players that need to step up this season, he's the key to this team. He has to be the leader and be ready to play like this every game if he and his Seminole teammates are expecting to make some noise in the tournament this year.
Derwin Kitchen led all Seminoles with 19 points, which is a very positive sign. Ever since Kitchen took the court two years ago and was able to insert himself into the starting lineup, people have seen his ability to score. But when he started taking over point guard responsibilities a lot of the time last year, he has become very hesitant to score. So to see him leave this tournament with games where he had 20 and 19 is good. We've struggled with offense this year, and to see him reverting back to his offensive self that he truly is will help us a lot this season.
But the player that encouraged me the most with his performance against Baylor was Bernard James. He also got a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. His defense is outstanding, but his problem all season has been his lack of a post game on the offensive side of the ball. So to see him be able to be as good as he was on offense is great. We're going to need him now that Gibson might be out for a while.
I'm still waiting for Jon Kreft to have the game I keep telling everyone he is capable of having. He seems nearly unstoppable when he gets the ball, and having a 7 foot presence in the post always intimidates someone going to the basket. I saw what his weakness was against Baylor, though- he has trouble staying out of foul trouble. If he can get that problem under control, there's no reason why he shouldn't start.
Luke Loucks isn't making much noise on the stat sheet, but I think he makes a huge difference to this team. He gives our offense a flow that it needs, and can knock down a shot when he's open. He's a true point guard, unlike Kitchen, which is probably why our offense has been struggling. Also, by taking Kitchen off of point, it allows him (Kitchen) to be able to score, which I already talked about.
Those five players I just named are who should be our starting lineup, in my opinion. Loucks, Kitchen, Singleton, James, and Kreft. If Hamilton comes out with this lineup against Auburn on January 3rd (our next game) I'll literally start jumping for joy. Because I think that is a very hard lineup to beat. Hopefully Coach Hamilton reads ACC Rivals.
Until next time, 'Noles fans.
