As FSU surpasses expectations early, the sky is the restrict

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Up to now, one of many largest surprises within the ACC this season has been the success of the Florida State Seminoles. They’re at the moment 7-1 and fifth within the ACC standings, far above their preseason predicted ninth-place end.

They began the season 5-0, and not too long ago went 2-1 within the Cancun Problem in Mexico. FSU has managed to do all of this regardless of the lack of 4 gamers to the switch portal in Morgan Jones, Sammie Puisis, Bianca Jackson and River Baldwin, and longtime affiliate head coach Brooke Wyckoff taking up this system after the retirement of Sue Semrau.

The largest shepherd for the Seminoles this season has been freshman guard Ta’niya Latson, who’s averaging 24.4 factors, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per sport. Most significantly, she is doing this all whereas capturing effectively from the sector at 49.7 p.c, and from 3-point vary at 48.1 p.c. I might undoubtedly say that thus far, she is certainly the front-runner for ACC Rookie of the Yr. I predicted within the preseason that she would make the all-freshman workforce based mostly on her recruiting rating, and she or he has lived as much as the hype.

I’ve particularly been impressed with FSU’s protection, which I consider has been the important thing to their success. They’re permitting simply 69 factors per sport, whereas scoring 85. They lead the ACC in blocked pictures with virtually seven per sport.

The protection is anchored by gamers corresponding to Makayla Timpson (13.1 factors, 9.6 rebounds and a couple of.5 blocks per sport) and Erin Howard (seven rebounds and 1.8 steals per sport). The duo has helped allow their workforce to carry opponents to 36.1 p.c capturing from the sector and 32 p.c from 3-point vary.

The workforce has seen some returners step up this yr. Ahead Mariana Valenzuela is giving extra essential minutes off of the bench, growing her scoring common from 2.1 to 7.3 factors per sport and her rebounding common from 2.3 to five.6 rebounds per sport. 

Guard Sara Bejedi has elevated her scoring common from 6.4 to 10.3 factors per sport, and her assists common from 2.1 to 2.9. Bucknell switch Taylor O’Brien in three video games has averaged 16.3 factors, 4.7 rebounds, two assists and three.3 steals. Kentucky switch Jazmine Massengill can also be an essential position contributor with 6.7 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per sport.

I used to be utterly unsuitable about this workforce coming into this season. I had them ranked eleventh in my preseason ACC rankings, stating that the participant losses is perhaps an excessive amount of to beat, and I wasn’t utterly positive if the opposite gamers may actually step up and assist this workforce. However with the contributions of each newcomers and returners – to be utterly sincere – the Seminoles actually are a darkish horse contender within the ACC.

We gained’t be capable to get a way of simply how good this workforce is till convention play begins in December, however given their capacity to defend at a excessive stage and their secure of dependable position gamers, this shall be a workforce that everyone ought to preserve their eye on.

If FSU continues because the tempo they’ve been on, and in the event that they proceed to play a workforce sport, they may go far not solely in convention play, but additionally within the NCAA Match.

The submit As FSU surpasses expectations early, the sky is the restrict first appeared on Ladies’s Hoops World.

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