65 - 60 Last evening, the Seminole basketball team suffered defeat at what has been described as possibly the worst basketball team in a major conference in college basketball, the Auburn Tigers. While the ‘Noles were not blown out, they played terribly and did so against a team that prior to last night was below .500 on the season. The Auburn basketball team has lost to the University of North Carolina-Asheville, Samford, Campbell, Jacksonville, Rutgers, USF, and Presbyterian. It’s fair to say that this was a game the Seminoles were expected to win and was conveniently scheduled after a more than week long lay off.
It should be understood that despite not starting off what could be an absolutely critical month of January on a bad note, the sky is not falling for the FSU Men’s Basketball program. That being said, last night’s performance brought more of the same disappointment on the offensive end of the court. The Seminoles started the game shooting 1 for 15 from three-point land and 25% from the field. By the night’s end, the Leonard Hamilton’s ‘Noles would finish shooting 19% from behind the arch and 35% overall from the field with another double digit turnover night (14). The Seminoles also didn’t do themselves any favors from the free throw line, missing 13 of their 26 free throws.
Things that should concern FSU fans:
One has to wonder why there are so few in-game adjustments. Why didn’t Hamilton call a timeout and advise his players to be more patient or selective in taking their shots after starting out so cold from behind the arch? FSU has long, versatile athletes and size that rivals any team in the nation. It would probably benefit them to attack the basket and go inside more than they have been. Fans have grown weary over the last two seasons in witnessing the extremely stagnant and inconsistent offense that’s placed on the court. The Seminoles have as much individual talent from player to player as most teams can hope for, but they continue to struggle in gelling together and establishing solid continuity. Michael Snaer’s play last night was particularly disappointing, going 2-11 from the field, 1-6 from three. The Sophomore shows flashes of the brilliance expected from him and is still learning the game. When he’s more assertive and attacks the basket, his game and the team overall typically benefits.
Reason to be encouraged:
As ugly as that performance may have been, one bright spot was the play and decision making of Chris Singleton. Usually, when the Seminoles have such a poor shooting night, you can see Singleton’s contribution by looking at his stat line. Last night, the blossoming Junior only took four of FSU’s 26 three-point attempts and connected on two of them. In the past, one of the biggest knocks on his game has been shot choice and it is an area that he continues to improve in. As of right now, Singleton is considered to be the face of FSU basketball and his continued improvement is something that is certainly needed. He finished last night with 20 points and 10 rebounds, notching his sixth double-double on the year.
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