No. 11 FSU dazzling in romp over St. Louis in Orange Bowl Classic
The Florida State Seminoles are deeper than a poet, and that’s an assessment that did not escape St. Louis men’s basketball coach Travis Ford.
“They keep running guys at you,” Ford said. “There’s really not much of a break.”
That’s the way they like it at FSU.
On Saturday afternoon, the tireless and 11th-ranked Seminoles swarmed all over St. Louis Billikens 81-59 in the first half of the annual Orange Bowl Basketball Classic at the BB&T Center.
The Seminoles (11-1) won their season-best sixth straight game, flashing depth that includes 10 players who logged double-figure minutes.
FSU was led by reserve guard David Nichols’ game-high and season-best 19 points as the Seminoles bench outscored their St. Louis counterparts 43-13.
Starters Terance Mann (17 points) and Trent Forrest (10 points) were also in double figures. Defensively, FSU was led by Anthony Polite (four steals) and Forrest (three steals).
About the only negatives for the Seminoles – who led 40-25 at halftime and cruised from there – were the six turnovers on Nichols’ ledger.
But FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said that Nichols, a graduate transfer from Albany whose main role is as a shooter, had to play some point guard late in the game, and that altered role helps explain the turnovers.
“He got a little fatigued toward the end,” Hamilton said of Nichols, who played 25 minutes. “Trent (Forrest) got bumped in the eye (and had to come out).
“David extended his minutes. But that doesn’t worry me at all. He’s very smart. Nothing rattles him.”
Nichols, assuming he gets his turnovers under control, could provide the missing piece with his shooting on a team that has everything else – size, depth and athleticism.
He started 31 games last season for a 22-win Albany team, averaging 14.6 points and shooting 36.5 percent on three-pointers. He then joined the Seminoles, who return seven of their top nine scorers after winning 23 games and making it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
On Saturday, Nichols made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including 4-of-7 on three-pointers. With Nichols hitting, FSU as a team shot 10-of-18 on three-pointers and 55.4 percent overall, which was comforting to Hamilton after the Noles had some poor shooting performances earlier this season.
“I think we’re a pretty good perimeter shooting team,” Hamilton said. “But I was beginning to wonder.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ St. Louis fell to 8-4, shooting just 30.2 percent from the floor, including 3-of-14 on three-pointers.
▪ FSU starting guard M.J. Walker played just one minute before leaving the game. “He bumped his knee,” said Hamilton, who added that the injury wasn’t serious.
▪ FSU standout forward Phil Cofer, who is returning from a foot injury, played 17 minutes off the bench and scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting.
This story was originally published December 22, 2018 at 7:37 PM.