Florida State will host NC State this Wednesday night at 7 o’clock with coverage on ESPN2. The Seminoles are 20-4 and ranked 14th in the most recent rankings. Leading the Noles is Dwayne Bacon averaging 17.6 PPG. The super sophomore has been outstanding for coach Leonard Hamilton leading a talented group that currently sits 8-3 in ACC play. What do you need to know before NC State migrates south?
Florida State’s last game.
The Noles beat the Clemson Tigers 109-61 behind Dewayne Bacon’s 29 points on 10-14 shooting (6-9 3FG). Bacon’s 29 points matched his career high. Not only was Bacon great but the Noles forced the Tigers into 22 TO’s which they converted into 35 points. Florida State has plenty of athletes who get after it on the defensive end as they force 15.2 turnovers per game. Their plus 2.82 turnover margin leads the ACC. Joe Lunardi of ESPN recently had the Tigers seeded as a 10 in his NCAA Tournament projections. Florida State has not lost at home this season a fact they will look to continue come Wednesday.
Florida State is as talented as any team in the NCAA.
Coach Leonard Hamilton spoke about how he is challenging his team each day to take that step to become a great team. He feels that they are getting closer to their potential but still have work. Throughout Florida State’s lineup, they have guys capable of playing well on both ends of the court. Defensively they are among the best at forcing turnovers and using them to propel their offense. As a whole, they are allowing 72.9 PPG, 42.7 FG%, and 33 3FG% making life difficult for opposing teams.
Offensively Bacon is the complete package; however, he is not alone. Supporting Bacon is Jonathan Issac and Xavier Rathan-Mayes who average 12.8 and 10.3 PPG respectively. Issac is a 6-10 freshman with the versatility to score inside as well as outside. Xavier Rathan-Mayes is averaging 10.3 PPG although he capable of exploding on any given night. This season Rathan-Mayes has done a better job at playmaking for his teammates averaging 4.7 APG. The Noles are averaging 80 PPG in ACC games this season, good enough for a plus 7.1 scoring margin in conference play.
What lies ahead for Florida State?
The Seminoles are 20-4 on the season with an 8-3 record in ACC play trailing UNC by one game for first place. The Noles host NC State on Wednesday night before traveling to Notre Dame on Saturday. Leonard Hamilton’s group have their eyes set on winning the ACC regular season crown and have a favorable schedule to accomplish this feat. With seven games remaining only two are aginst ranked opponents although both are on the road. Dwayne Bacon is one of the premiere players in the NCAA as he is getting more comfortable each game. Florida State has the talent and ability to make plays on both ends of the court to make a deep run this March.
I disagree with the assertion that this team has talent. Sure they can shoot sometimes and rebound once in a while. But talent is more than playing offense.
You can have talent and still lose. Talent is not the same as well coached, plays hard, disciplined, etc. DSJ is a talent. He is currently not well coached. Torin Dorn is a talent. He is also not well coached. Wait there’s a theme here.
wolfpack74
6 years ago
What SPF are the basketball players going to use at the beach? That is the important question.
This confirms everything I’d been hearing about the return of Burns. Burns was the key to the Wolfpack offense running effectively this past year. He averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 2022-23, but he elevated his game in ACC play, averaging 16.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in conference games.
Burns is celebrating his return to run with the Wolfpack by dropping his own Big 30 merch. Go over and snag something.
Miranda (7’1″/225) joined the Wolfpack back in December, deciding to forgo the remainder of his prep season. Miranda didn’t see the court for NC State, resulting in a redshirt season.
ON3 ranked Miranda as the #16 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.
It makes perfect sense for a player like Miranda, with his height and athleticism, to go through the draft process to be evaluated on what he needs to continue to work on. As an early entrant, Miranda has the ability to pull his name out of the draft and remain a collegiate athlete.
I don’t expect Miranda to keep his name in the hat when the time comes. From what I hear his game has tons of potential, but he still needs to fine tune his craft. Also, Miranda shared this on social media, implying he will be back in the Red and White next year.
NC State picked up their 5th transfer today. Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) committed to run with the Wolfpack today while in Raleigh on an Official Visit.
Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.
In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
With news breaking today that Dusan Mahorcic entered the Transfer Portal, the Wolfpack found his replacement. NC State’s frontcourt in 2023-24 currently will be made up of D.J. Burns, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra and Ernest Ross.
Check out these highlights of Diarra.
🇫🇷 6-10 F Mohamed Diarra has committed to NC State
There is a lot to like in Diarra’s game. He is athletic, can hit a jump shot, put the ball on the floor, can play defense on the perimeter, block shots, and is an aggressive rebounder.
Missouri Transfer Mohamed Diarra (6’10″/215) is on an Official Visit to NC State today. Diarra originally spent his first two seasons at Garden City Community College, averaging 17.8 points and 12.6 rebounds per game in his second season. He landed at Missouri last year, after being rated as the #1 JUCO prospect in the 2022 class according to JucoRecruiting.com.
In his only season at Missouri, Diarra averaged 11.7 minutes per game in 25 games played (6 starts), averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds. Because of the extra year due to Covid, Diarra has 2 years of eligibility remaining.
This FSU team is talented like the Pack but they are playing like I had wished the Pack would play before the season started.
I disagree with the assertion that this team has talent. Sure they can shoot sometimes and rebound once in a while. But talent is more than playing offense.
You can have talent and still lose. Talent is not the same as well coached, plays hard, disciplined, etc. DSJ is a talent. He is currently not well coached. Torin Dorn is a talent. He is also not well coached. Wait there’s a theme here.
What SPF are the basketball players going to use at the beach? That is the important question.