Leonard Hamilton can coach.
Those four words say something that is probably common knowledge, but they bear repeating. Time and time again, he reminds us of that reality. He has to, really, because we don’t talk about that enough through his team’s success.
We have to change that now. After Monday night, Hamilton has Florida State on top of the ACC. They swept Louisville with two convincing wins, including Monday’s 82-67 win in Tallahassee.
This one certainly didn’t come easily – then again, none of them really do. The Cardinals led by eight at the half, so it took a big second half to turn this into such a convincing win. The Seminoles used a 15-0 run to take the lead for good, as they took better care of the ball and were better at the defensive end, at one point holding the Cardinals without a field goal for over seven minutes.
Let’s remember what this team has. They lost six of their top eight scorers from a year ago, including a big intangibles guy in Terance Mann. Their top three rebounders are among the departed. A great deal of winning experience went out the door as well, as last year’s senior class was the winningest in school history with 98 wins. By conventional wisdom, this should be a rebuilding year, or close to it. And while it’s a down year in the ACC, the top of the conference is still strong; it lacks the depth it has had in recent years but not the strength at the top.
Hamilton has constantly stacked his teams with a lot of length, athleticism and overall size. This edition still has that, with two seven-footers and four more players who stand 6’8″ or taller. Despite the personnel losses, they are holding opponents to 40.5 percent shooting, force over 13 turnovers a game and out-rebound opponents by more than two a game.
It’s gotten to the point that the names and faces may change, but the end result is still the same. Instead of Mann and Mfiondu Kabengele, it’s guys like Devin Vassell and Trent Forrest leading the way as stars. They have put forth 24 wins, including two double-digit wins over Louisville, and are even with Duke in the loss column. Hamilton should be very much in the conversation for national coach of the year.
The Seminoles may not win the regular season title in the ACC. But no matter. This season, as much as any, should remind us of what has become a fundamental truth in college basketball. It should remind us that Leonard Hamilton can coach. And he can do it well.
Side Dishes
Tragedy struck on Sunday night in the college basketball world as Chattanooga State assistant coach Volonte Bell was killed in a traffic accident on Interstate 24. Bell is the older brother of New Orleans Saints safety Vonn Bell and was in the accident before 10 p.m. on Sunday night and pronounced dead at the scene. We send our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Volonte Bell at this difficult time.
Monday was the memorial for NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and a heartwarming story came from the world of college basketball. Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu became the first Division I player ever with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in her career on Monday night. But hours earlier, she spoke at the memorial, then flew to Palo Alto so she could compete in their game at Stanford, which they won.
You can say that Texas is not dead yet, but the Longhorns still have a good deal of work to do. They handled West Virginia 67-57 in Austin five weeks after the Mountaineers embarrassed them 97-59 in Morgantown. The Longhorns have now won three straight after losing four in a row, and they need to keep that going with a trip to Texas Tech ahead on Saturday before having to play the Oklahoma schools to close the regular season. Also in the Big 12, Kansas rolled over Oklahoma State 83-58 in Lawrence.
The MEAC race has gone through quite a chance over the past couple of days, including Monday night. North Carolina A&T, one of the leaders most of the way, is still on top at 11-3 after blowing out Maryland-Eastern Shore 83-62, and NC Central continues to come on as they handled Howard 80-65 to go to 10-3. But Norfolk State has now lost two in a row to fall to 9-4, the latest being a 78-55 thrashing at Bethune-Cookman, who is suddenly 9-5 and has won three in a row and five of six. Florida A&M is also right there at 10-5 after beating South Carolina State 62-56 for their sixth win in seven games. Morgan State, who beat Delaware State 90-80 on Monday night, is an interesting team to consider as well, as they are 9-5 with their final two games coming at home, including the finale against Norfolk State.
Other results of note: Illinois took care of Nebraska 71-59 behind 18 points from Ayo Dosunmu and 15 points and 10 rebounds from Kofi Cockburn; Prairie View A&M won their six straight by a score of 88-69 at Mississippi Valley State, and they are now two games up on Texas Southern, who lost in overtime at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 74-72.
In Florida State’s win, Louisville went most of the game without big man Malik Williams, as he injured his left foot early on. He was done for the evening, but was on the bench later in a boot.
Tonight’s Menu
The night isn’t full of big games or a large number of them, but it’s not a ho-hum night, either. Here are the highlights.
- Early SEC action includes Kentucky traveling to a Texas A&M team that is playing well of late, while Auburn hosts Ole Miss (7 p.m.), while Mississippi State hosts Alabama later (9 p.m.)
- In the Big East, Xavier hosts DePaul (7 p.m.)
- A big one in the Big Ten is on tap early as Michigan State hosts Iowa (7 p.m.)
- First place in the MAC East (and overall in the conference) is on the line as Bowling Green hosts Akron (7 p.m.) as the headliner of a full slate of action.
- Big 12 action is highlighted by Baylor trying to rebound from Saturday’s loss as they host Kansas State (8 p.m.) and Oklahoma hosting Texas Tech (9 p.m.)
- NC State heads over to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina (8 p.m.)
- An important one among the teams chasing the top three in the American Athletic Conference is on tap as Memphis travels to SMU in a battle of 8-6 teams (8 p.m.)
- The night closes out with Mountain West action as San Diego State hosts Colorado State and Utah State hosts San Jose State (11 p.m.)
