FSU On Verge Of Elite Eight
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - If former Florida State Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward wanted to feel old, this will probably do it.
As the Noles basketball team battle for a trip to the Elite Eight, FSU's two youngest players this year had just been born when FSU last made it to the NCAA's Sweet 16 in 1993.
Freshmen Okaro White and Ian Miller were starting to teethe by the time the Kentucky Wildcats ended the Seminoles run in the 1993 NCAA tournament.
For the Noles, it's been a team effort all year long. The Noles only have two players, Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen, averaging more than 10 points per game. The Noles rode their team effort to an 11-5 ACC record and are standing on the cusp of the Elite Eight.
Standing in the Seminoles way is the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. VCU has been an upset machine after getting into the tournament in a play-in game. VCU has knocked off powerhouse basketball schools Georgetown and Purdue.
The Rams average 72 points per game and shoot 36 percent from behind the arc as a team. But, VCU has been prone to turning the ball over. VCU averages 3 turnovers a game more than their opponents for the season.
The Rams will be led by a foursome: Joey Rodriguez, Bradford Burgess, Jamie Skeen, and Brandon Rozzell. The four all average at least 10.7 points per game.
Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton has been on and off the hot seat for several years. But, his run this year is showing that he's turned the corner into building the Seminoles into a respected team in the ACC.
If the Seminoles get past VCU, then the squad likely faces a team that has made mince meat out of the competition this year, the Kansas Jayhawks.
But, if the Jayhawks lay an egg and get upset by the Richmond Spiders, that would mean FSU only has to go through 11th seeded VCU and 12th seeded Richmond to get to the Final Four.
