Florida State Leads Wire-to-Wire in Dominant Win Over Central Michigan

It wasn't always the prettiest, but you wouldn't be able to tell it by the final score, as Florida State beat the Central Michigan Chippewas 94-67. It was a decisive victory, as FSU held a double-digit lead just three minutes into the ballgame, and the Seminoles never looked back from there.

This is Florida State's first 2-0 start since the 2020-21 season, and the first time that both wins came in regulation time (aka a game not going to overtime) since the 2018-19 season. With the Florida Gators on deck, it's good to see them having some momentum in the early season.

Jamir Watkins was as disruptive as it gets, with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals in just 18 minutes. Those per-40 numbers are going to look like a video game.

It was a good all-around game for the 'Noles, with six players finishing in double figures: Darin Green Jr with 16, Baba Miller with 11, Josh Nickleberry with 12, and Cameron Corhen and Cam'Ron Fletcher each having 10. That's a great balance, and even with the point guards not really scoring, they're doing their jobs and getting people in the right place. Still, six players in double figures and no one playing more than 24 minutes is exactly how Florida State wants to play basketball. Their 1.306 points per possession is their highest offensive output in more than two years.

There are still some of the same concerns coming after the last game: turnovers, fouls, and rebounding. The rebounding margin was closer than you'd like against Central Michigan, with FSU edging it out 31-27. They did a good job on the second-chance opportunities though, with just 9 offensive rebounds leading to 20 second-chance points. That's about as good as it gets. Compared to Central Michigan's 9 offensive rebounds leading to just 8 points, that's a massive margin. You can tell they're missing Jaylan Gainey desperately, and I'm going to keep saying it until he returns.

The turnovers were definitely a wart for FSU, coughing up 14 on the night. CMU started pressing in the second half and the 'Noles were a little shaky to start, so press offense may want to be something they emphasize this week. I know CMU shot above 50% from the floor, but when they're turning it over on 31.3% of possessions, I think it's okay to let them score half the time, and FSU took their foot off of the gas a little bit in the second half defensively. That's the best forced turnover rate for FSU since February 2022 against Wake Forest.

This wouldn't have been anywhere near as close as this if not for the fouling. Luckily, CMU wasn't able to take advantage of it, going just 17/31 from the free throw line, but that's a lot of free throws. Some of it is Teddy Valentine doing Teddy Valentine things as an official, but better teams are going to be better at the stripe, and it needs to be settled down.

Enough negativity; the 3-point disparity was impeccable. Florida State was 12/28 (42.9%) to Central Michigan's 4/19 (21.1%). You're going to win a lot of basketball games, no matter how many free throws are shot. They also forced 21 turnovers with 13 steals. I said in the preview that FSU should have 10-12 steals in this game, and they exceeded even that number.

Anthony Pritchard continued his hot scoring start to the season for the Chippewas with 16 points, but he also had 6 turnovers, and was a big reason FSU was able to get out in transition. Brian Taylor also returned to form with 15 points. Freshman Hunter Harding started the game at center as a 7-footer, but he was very quickly outmatched, with just 3 rebounds and 5 turnovers in 20 minutes.

It's a true test for the Seminoles on Friday, as they travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators, who lost a game to Virginia this past weekend. FSU has looked good early on, but a good performance against Florida will do wonders for the team's and fanbase's confidence.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State basketball throughout the 2023 season.

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