Florida State Preview: Seminoles will be ACC’s pesky third contender

In a year where it seems that all eyes are on Duke and North Carolina in the ACC, look for the experienced Seminoles to make some noise under the tutelage of longtime head coach Leonard Hamilton.

Two of the team’s seniors, Bernard James and Jon Kreft, are over 25 years old, and even the Seminoles’ talented pair of sophomores has seen its share of high-pressure game action.

Florida State left a sour taste in Duke’s mouth last season after pulling off a 66-61 upset in the teams’ only meeting last January. In that game, though, the Seminoles were led by senior Derwin Kitchen and junior Chris Singleton, who left school early to be an NBA first-round pick.

In their stead, the team’s primary offensive contributors will be junior shooting guard Michael Snaer and senior power forward Bernard James, who averaged 8.8 and 8.6 points per game last year, respectively.

Snaer shot a solid 37 percent from beyond the arc last season, but the real strengths of his game are his athletic tools and defensive prowess. He will be spelled primarily by former top recruit Ian Miller, who displays a purer shooting touch but has been plagued by recurring academic issues. Sophomore Okaro White, who is battle-tested after filling in when Singleton broke his leg in the middle of last season, will be an asset on the wing with excellent length and energy.

The Seminoles ranked first nationally in defensive efficiency, allowing just 86.2 points per 100 opponent possessions. They also led the conference in defensive field goal percentage, with opponents only shooting a staggering 36.3 percent from the field against them. Florida State also finished second in the ACC in offensive rebounding and rebounding margin and led the conference with six blocked shots per game.

The interior defense and rebounding should be fearsome again, thanks to three post players with excellent size. James, who spent six years in the U.S. Air Force before attending Florida State, stands 6-foot-10, senior Xavier Gibson brings length and inside-outside potential at 6-foot-11, and true 7-foot center Kreft could see an increased role.

Hamilton and his collection of athletic veterans project to give plenty of teams trouble in the conference, and they have the potential to make noise on the national scene as well.