Despite having 10 new players on the roster this season, the Florida State Seminoles have seen characteristics of some of their teams of old over their first two games.
On Tuesday night, Florida State will try to do something it hasn’t done since the 2020-21 season — the last time it made it to the NCAA Tournament — start 3-0. The Seminoles (2-0) have that opportunity when they host Tarleton State (0-2) in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Texans have lost their two games by 34 and 29 points, and they face their second Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, after losing at SMU 96-62 to open the season. Tarleton State then fell to visiting Sam Houston State 91-62.
Florida State is coming off a 73-65 win over Rice in Houston on Saturday.
Jamir Watkins scored 17 of his 30 points in the second half for the Seminoles, who never trailed but had to play solid defense down the stretch to hold off the Owls.
Florida State’s depth and defense, which have been staples of coach Leonard Hamilton’s most successful teams, were on display as nine players got on the scoresheet and 12 received playing time. The Seminoles’ defense totaled nine steals and seven blocks while scoring 23 points off Rice’s 17 turnovers.
“You know, up north, you don’t really play defense like how we play down here, especially at Florida State,” said Florida State big man Taylor Bol Bowen, a native of Vermont. “It’s more packed line and a little bit softer, and I definitely always got blocks and stuff, but just being more active on the ball and using my length was something that they taught me and developed here.”
Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie shook things up with a couple of lineup changes against Sam Houston State, as Izzy Miles and Joseph Martinez each started. However, the result wasn’t much different.
Bubu Benjamin led the Texans again, finishing with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. The sophomore scored a career-best 21 in the opener.
–Field Level Media
