{"id":92317,"date":"2024-08-27T10:30:56","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T14:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=92317"},"modified":"2024-08-26T23:31:36","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T03:31:36","slug":"florida-state-basketball-preview-seminoles-may-surprise-acc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/27\/florida-state-basketball-preview-seminoles-may-surprise-acc\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida State Basketball Preview: Seminoles May Surprise ACC"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ACC may be in for a surprise with FSU\u2019s fresh roster. Presenting a Florida State Basketball preview as Leonard Hamilton<\/a> leads his new squad. In the 2020-21 season, the Seminoles managed to finish second in the ACC Standings and advanced to the Sweet 16 where they fell to Michigan<\/a>. Since then, the team has failed to finish better than eighth in the conference standings. Hamilton is the winningest active coach in the ACC, but in order to become one of the elite he\u2019ll need another Regular Season or Tournament Title under his belt.<\/p>\n

Florida State Basketball Preview: Seminoles May Surprise ACC<\/h2>\n

Middle of the Pack<\/h3>\n

The Noles have been fighting in the fray that is the ACC, but these last few seasons they haven\u2019t exactly ended up on top. Finishing eighth in the conference in both 2021-22 and 2023-24, clearly FSU isn\u2019t the worst team on the Atlantic Coast. Hamilton is a solid, experienced coach who has his team competing year in and year out. So, what\u2019s the team missing that\u2019ll elevate the Seminoles to the next level? Perhaps Coach Hamilton\u2019s 2024 freshman class, ranked 21st<\/a> nationally by 247, will change things up.<\/p>\n

Incoming FSU Freshmen<\/h3>\n

Daquan Davis<\/a>, AJ Swinton<\/a>, Alier Maluk<\/a>, and Christian Nitu <\/a>will headline the 2024 Florida State Freshmen Class. Davis comes from Overtime Elite where he played for RWE. The Baltimore native averaged 17.9 points per game and six rebounds during the 2023-24 OTE season. Swinton is ranked 156th nationally and eighth in the state of Virginia<\/a>\u00a0and chose FSU over offers from Maryland<\/a> and Virginia Tech<\/a>. Maluk, a cousin of Bol Bol<\/a>, reclassified from 2025 to 2024 to begin his collegiate career sooner rather than later. Nitu is the sixth-ranked player in the province of Ontario. According to the Florida State Men\u2019s Basketball website<\/a>, Nitu watched a lot of film of Kristaps Porzingis<\/a> and Kevin Durant<\/a> while developing his game. Standing at 6-foot-11 and weighing 220 lbs. the Canadian has the necessary frame to emulate Durant\u2019s and Porzingis\u2019s playing style.<\/p>\n