Dec 7, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Daquan Davis (5) controls the ball against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second half at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images Florida State has played well through its first 11 games, but there is still plenty the Seminoles (8-3) can improve on.
Coach Leonard Hamilton would like to see that improvement manifest when FSU hosts Winthrop (9-3) on Tuesday night.
In particular, the Seminoles have gotten tremendous production out of Jamir Watkins and Malique Ewin. But no one else on the roster boasts a double-digit scoring average, and Hamilton is after more scorers stepping up.
“We have two guys, Malique and Jamir, that are really scoring, but we need eight points over here, 11 points over here, six over there, and so we have to find a way to balance everything to where we win games by committee,” Hamilton told The Osceola. “We’ve never been able to win games by just two people, but we like to have nine different guys lead us in scoring over the course of the year, and we need more people to be involved in producing and being productive.”
Watkins is the leading scorer and go-to guy for the Seminoles at 18.7 points per outing while Ewin is averaging 12.2 points per contest and has reached double figures in eight consecutive games.
FSU is averaging 76.0 points per game and allowing 69.8 but is shooting just 28.4 percent from beyond the arc. The Seminoles are coming off a 77-64 win over Tulane on Saturday.
“We need more consistency and that comes with confidence and being able to react as opposed to thinking,” Hamilton said.
Winthrop rolls into Tallahassee, Fla., feeling good about the way it is playing. The Eagles have won five in a row, including a 103-55 victory over Bob Jones on Thursday, and their 9-3 start is tied for the best start through 12 games in program history.
Kelton Talford poured in 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in that game for the Eagles, who are set to face their third ACC opponent of the year.
The Eagles lost 58-52 to Virginia Tech on Nov. 11 and dropped a 76-61 decision to Louisville 11 days later.
“We haven’t been the best version of ourselves yet,” Winthrop coach Mark Prosser said following the loss to Louisville.
Talford is averaging a team-leading 15.3 points per game while K.J. Doucet (14.9) and Kasen Harrison (13.9) are also averaging in double figures for the Eagles, who are averaging 94.2 points over their last five games.
–Field Level Media
