NCAA Tournament: Dwayne Bacon Powers Florida State Past Florida Gulf Coast

College Hoops Player of the Day for Thursday, March 16, 2017

There was plenty of hype to go around concerning the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles playing Florida State in the first round of the NCAA tournament's West region, but, thanks largely to the effort of Seminole sophomore Dwayne Bacon, the #3 seed Seminoles had their way.

Bacon, a 6'7" guard from Lakeland, Florida, had his way with the FGCU backcourt, making 11 of 17 shots despite missing on all three of his 3-point attempts. Adding three of four free throws, Bacon, who averages 17.1 points per game, led Florida State in scoring with 25 while pulling down nine rebounds and dishing a pair of assists.

The Seminoles nearly let a double digit lead slip away in the late stage of the game, but managed to make free throws and enough defensive plays to keep the Eagles at bay, winning, 86-80, and advancing to the second round against #11 seed Xavier on Saturday.

Florida State will have something of a home court edge against the Musketeers being that the game is being held in Orlando, Florida. Xavier defeated Maryland, the #5 seed in the West, 76-65, to advance.

ESPN Tournament Bracket Page

NCAA Tournament Conference Scoreboard
Through Thursday (3/16) Games

Conference (# of teams)	Record	Winners (# of Wins)
ACC (9)	3-2	Notre Dame (1), Florida St. (1), Virginia (1)
Big East (7)	3-1	Villanova (1), Butler (1), Xavier (1)
Big Ten (7)	3-2	Purdue (1), Wisconsin (1), Northwestern (1),
Big 12 (6)	3-0	Kansas State (1), West Virginia (1), Iowa St. (1)
SEC (5)	1-1	Florida (1)
PAC 12 (4)	2-0	USC (1), Arizona (1),
Atlantic 10 (3)	0-1	---
American (2)	0-0	---
West Coast (2)	2-0	Gonzaga (1), St. Mary's (1)
All Others (23)	(3-13)	Mt. St. Mary's (1), UC Davis (1), Middle Tennessee (1)

Dwayne Bacon Leads Florida State to 109-61 Rout of ACC Rival Clemson

College Hoops Player of the Day for Sunday, February 5, 2017

With the vast majority of sports fans preoccupied with the Super Bowl, it's quite possible that some may have missed Florida State's dismantling of ACC rival Clemson on Sunday afternoon.

The Seminoles overwhelmed the Tigers in the first of two meetings of the teams. The rematch - if that's what anyone will consider it to be - is at Clemson, on Saturday, February 25. It's the second-last game of the season for Florida State, a team well on its way to the NCAA tournament.

Florida State drove to a 25-point lead at the half, fueled by sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon's 18 points. Unrelenting in the second half, the Seminoles strolled to a monstrous, 109-61, victory on their home court.

Bacon tied his career high with 29 in total, with six 3-pointers and 10 of 14. Florida State hit 17 threes, the most they've ever had in an ACC contest.

With subs coming in early, often and throughout the game for Florida State, the time for the starters was limited. Bacon played just 26 minutes, adding three boards and a pair of assists.

The 14th-ranked Seminoles improved to 20-4 overall and 8-3 in conference play, the conference losses all occurring on the road, at North Carolina, Syracuse and Georgia Tech. Florida State, second in the ACC behind North Carolina (9-2), hosts NC State Wednesday night.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes Goes for 35, But Seminoles Fall Short; Hopeful Hurricanes

College Hoops Player of the Day for Wednesday, February 25, 2015

In a heroic effort, freshman guard, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, scored 30 points in the final 4:38, but the Florida State Seminoles still fell to Miami, 81-77.

Rathan-Mayes scored 26 straight points for the Seminoles without missing a shot, as they rallied furiously against the 'Canes. The freshman was 8-for-10 in the final five minutes, pumping in six threes. He finished with 35 points, tying his career high.

Florida State's loss, their second straight, left them with a record of 15-14 (7-9 in the ACC) and more than likely out of the NCAA tournament. The Seminoles lost to Virginia, 51-41, on Sunday.

For Miami, hopes for an at-large invitation still seem a possibility, with their third win in their last four games. The Hurricanes stand at 18-10, with an 8-7 mark in the conference. Their remaining schedule has them hosting North Carolina on Saturday, then they take to the road for their final two, at Pitt (March 4) and Virginia Tech, March 7. Wins in two of three would - considering a good showing in the ACC tournament - give them a fighting chance at a bid.

Aaron Thomas Comes Off the Bench to Score 26 Points in 22 Minutes as Florida State Rolls

College Hoops Player of the Day for Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Florida State is loaded with talented athletes.

While the Seminole football team makes preparations to play Auburn for the national championship, there's no drop-off in the hoops program, where the 'Noles improved to 7-3 (5-1 at home) with an absolutely crushing defeat of Charlotte, 106-62.

Emptying the bench, Florida State put six players in double figures, led by sophomore Aaron Thomas, who hit the floor running, pumping in 26 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

The 6'5" guard hit 10 of 14 shots, nailing three of five from beyond the arc. Thomas didn't rest on the defensive end, either, snagging seven rebounds to go with a steal, a blocked shot and a pair of assists.

The Seminoles can hardly be shamed for their trio of losses. After stomping VCU (then #10), 85-67, they lost to Minnesota the following night, 82-80, in overtime. As their part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Florida State lost at Minnesota, 71-61. Their other loss was also on the road, to Florida, 67-66.

Next up for the Seminoles is UMass on Saturday, December 21.

Upsets Rule Selection Sunday: UNC, Kentucky, Xavier Defeated

ACC Final: Florida State 85 North Carolina 82 - Luke Loucks wasn't supposed to outplay Kendall Marshall, UNC's record-breaking point guard, but he did, scoring 10 points with nine assists and six rebounds, en route to Florida State's first ACC tournament championship since joining the conference in 1991. Under coach Leonard Hamilton - who was named ACC coach of the year - the Seminoles split two games with perennial powerhouse Duke and pummeled North Carolina, 90-57, during the regular season, then went out and beat them both in the conference tourney.

The Seminoles beat Duke, 62-59 in the semi-final Saturday, setting up their conquest of the Tar Heels and a potentially high seed (2 or 3) in the upcoming NCAA tourney.

SEC Final: Vanderbilt 71 Kentucky 64 - After losing twice to Kentucky during the regular season, the Commodores of Vanderbilt turned the tables on the Wildcats, winning the SEC tournament for the first time since 1951. Jeffery Taylor led all scorers with 17 points. Festus Ezile and John Jenkins each chipped in with 16 points.

Vandy's and Florida State's wins completed a weekend in which the improbable became reality, as the the four teams most likely to earn number one seeds in the NCAA tournament were defeated in their conference tourneys. On Friday, Kansas was taken to task by Baylor in the Big 12 semis and Syracuse was dumped by Cncinnati in the Big East semi-fianls.

Atlantic-10: St. Bonaventure 67 Xavier 56 - perhaps the most improbable victors of the day were the Bonnies, who knocked off an undisciplined Xavier squad to capture the A-10 championship. The Bonnies won four of their last five regular season games to finish 10-6 in the conference, then beat St. Joseph's, UMass and Xavier to grab its first Atlantic-10 title and the automatic seeding in the NCAA tourney, their first trip to the big dance since 2000. Conference Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson had 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots as he dominated the interior.

Conference Tournaments UPDATE, late afternoon games, 3/10/12

ACC: Florida State 62 Duke 59 - Florida State advanced to the ACC tourney final to face North Carolina Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles held on desperately as Seth Curry's potential game-tying heave at the buzzer clanged off the rim. The battle was a defensive one, with both teams shooting under 40% from the field. Michael Snaer led Florida State with 16 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Austin Rivers had 17 for the Blue Devils.

SEC: Vanderbilt 65 Mississippi 53 - The Commodores will play Kentucky Sunday in the SEC tourney final after handling Mississippi in the second semi-fianl of the day. John Jenkins led all scorers with 23 points and five three-pointers.

Big Ten: Ohio State 77 Michigan 55 - The Buckeyes romped to an early lead and never looked back, completely out-playing Michigan. Ohio State advances to the Big Ten final against Michigan State on Sunday. Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas led the way for the Buckeyes with 24 and 22 points, respectively.

Lamar won the Southland conference tourney with a 70-49 win in the tournament championship over McNeese State and Xavier advanced to the A-10 final against St. Bonaventure Sunday with a solid 71-64 win over St. Louis in the semi-final.