Florida State's men's basketball team won the ACC regular-season title for the first time in its history and was fourth in the final AP poll of 2019-20.
Get used to it, says Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton.
"Yes, I think we'll be a top-10 team," he tells Andy Katz on the latest episode of March Madness 365. Hamilton said the Noles don't get the attention that other ACC competitors do, but sees Florida State as a national contender once again.
Hamilton's interview begins at about the 22- minute mark. This episode also features interviews with Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, National Defensive Player of the Year and Kansas guard Marcus Garrett and Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert.
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Andy Katz also reveals his way-too-early edition of his Power 36 rankings for the 2020-2021 season on this episode. Katz has FSU at No. 14.
Florida State will lose sophomore guard Devin Vassell and freshman wingman, Patrick Williams, to the NBA draft, two players Hamilton says can be first-rounders. But this shouldn't quell expectations for the Noles heading into next season, according to Hamilton.
"If you go back and look at the last four or five years, every year we've gotten better regardless of who we've lost," Hamilton said.
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FSU lost six players last season, including two drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers — Mfiondu Kabangele and Terance Mann. Florida State has produced NBA players Malik Beasley, Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac over the past five years. They've still made the tournament four times in that time, including two trips to the Sweet 16 and one to the Elite 8. They were a contender to win the ACC tournament and were projected to be a 2-seed in Andy Katz's final March Madness bracketology.
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"We had unbelievable chemistry," Hamilton said. "I thought that chemistry, because of the culture ... has been at an all-time high."
The Seminoles are known for playing with pace with an intense style of defense backed up with a deep bench.
"Our guys have confidence," he said. "They believe in each other, they believe in the system and we are quietly developing a culture that we believe that if we play together as a team and defend well and play unselfish that we can be successful."
