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2015-16 FSU men's basketball preview

 
Florida State's Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Duke's Matt Jones battle for a rebound in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Tallahassee, Fla., Monday, Feb. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser) FLMW102
Florida State's Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Duke's Matt Jones battle for a rebound in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Tallahassee, Fla., Monday, Feb. 9, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser) FLMW102
Published Nov. 8, 2015

The skinny

Florida State and Miami will likely battle each other for the unofficial title as the state's top team. The Seminoles received votes in the preseason Associated Press and coaches polls. A quick look at the roster shows why: FSU returns all five starters, 87 percent of its scoring and 89 percent of its rebounding. G Xavier Rathan-Mayes tops the list of returners; he had one of the best freshman seasons in school history, which helped him earn preseason All-ACC honors. Add to that a top 15 recruiting class led by five-star F Dwayne Bacon Jr., who scored 16 points in last week's exhibition win against Division II Lynn.

Who's in charge?

Coach Leonard Hamilton is one victory away from becoming FSU's all-time wins leader (237), and he has taken the 'Noles to 10 postseason appearances in his previous 13 seasons. Rathan-Mayes is FSU's undisputed returning talent as the ACC's leading returning scorer. The senior leadership comes from G Montay Brandon, last season's top rebounder, and G Devon Bookert, who hit 53 3-pointers as a junior. C Michael Ojo could finally be due for a breakout season as a senior, and F Phil Cofer showed flashes as a freshman, including a highlight-reel dunk over Duke star Jahlil Okafor.

Who's missing?

One of the only real losses was F Kiel Turpin, who started 12 times last year and averaged 4.9 points per game. The bulk of the roster is intact and bolstered by a highly decorated recruiting class. Two other prospects among Rivals' top 100 nationally joined Bacon: four-star G Malik Beasley and F Terance Mann. No Seminole has ever stood taller than C Chris Koumadje (7 feet 4).

Bracketology

Given the returning firepower and strong recruiting class, the 'Noles received one preseason vote as the top team in the ACC. ESPN's way-too-early bracketology projections peg FSU for a No. 9 NCAA Tournament seed. Regardless, the 'Noles figure to be in for their best season since they won the ACC tournament in 2012 and expect to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in eight seasons. Consider the Jan. 4 showdown with North Carolina as an early test to see where the 'Noles are.

The last word

"We just went with what we had, and I thought we played really solid (last year). But having quality veterans returning and talented youngsters coming in, I think that it really gives us the right blend that hopefully this will be a year we will be back to where we've been in the past." — coach Leonard Hamilton to the Tallahassee Democrat

Roster

No. Player Pos. Ht. Cl.

0 Phil Cofer F 6-8 So.

1 Devon Bookert G 6-3 Sr.

3 Benji Bell G 6-4 Jr.

4 Dwayne Bacon G 6-7 Fr.

5 Malik Beasley G 6-5 Fr.

14 Terance Mann G 6-6 Fr.

15 Boris Bojanovsky C 7-3 Sr.

21 Chris Koumadje C 7-4 Fr.

22Xavier Rathan-MayesG 6-4 So.

23 Jarquez Smith F 6-9 Jr.

24 Robbie Berwick G 6-4 So.

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31 Michael Saxton G 6-5 Sr.

32 Montay Brandon G 6-8 Sr.

40 Brandon Allen F 6-6 Jr.

50 Michael Ojo C 7-1 Sr.

Schedule

November — 9 Southeastern University, 7; 15 Nicholls State, 3; 17 Jacksonville, 9; U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam: 20 Hofstra, 3:30; 21 South Carolina/DePaul, TBA; 23 TBA, TBA

December — 2 Iowa, 9:15; 6 VCU at Atlanta, 2; 13 Southeastern Louisiana, 3; 16 Mississippi State, 9; 19 Florida Atlantic at Sunrise, 5; 21 Charleston Southern, 2; 29 at Florida, 7

January — 2 at Clemson, 12*; 4 North Carolina, 7*; 9 at Miami, 5*; 13 at N.C. State, 9*; 17 Virginia, 6:30*; 20 at Louisville, 9*; 23 Pitt, 4*; 26 at Boston College, 7*; 30 Clemson, 12*

February — 1 N.C. State, 9*; 6 at Wake Forest, 12*; 11 at Syracuse, 7*; 14 Miami, 6:30*; 17 Georgia Tech, 9*; 20 at Virginia Tech, 3*; 25 at Duke, 7*; 27 Notre Dame, TBA*

March — 5 Syracuse, TBA*; 8-12 ACC tournament

* ACC game

Matt Baker, Times Staff Writer