'Noles need to reduce mistakes in ACC play

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State's basketball season has so far been one of turnover and turnovers.

The Seminoles have struggled to find consistent scoring options after the departures of forward Chris Singleton (a junior who left early and was a first-round pick of the Washington Wizards) and point guard Derwin Kitchen (who graduated and is playing in Israel).

And despite returning a deep and talented roster, FSU has turned the ball over an average of 18.4 times per game — placing the Seminoles 333rd out of the 338 Division I programs.

There have been nights when FSU (9-5) has put all of the pieces together, as the Seminoles did in double-digit wins over Central Florida, Massachusetts and Loyola Marymount.

But there have also been nights where FSU fell well short, as the Seminoles did in losses to Top 25 teams like Harvard, Michigan State and Florida.

The Seminoles had a chance for a signature win over then No. 4 Connecticut but lost in overtime. And then there was a 10-point first half against Princeton, but even a comeback couldn't help FSU win the game in triple overtime. Not when FSU was going 11-for-22 from the free-throw line.

If FSU picks up those wins, things look better with an 11-3 record. But FSU is instead 9-5, albeit with four losses to Top 25 programs.

The Seminoles may have turned the corner with Wednesday's 85-56 win over Auburn. FSU went on a 20-0 run and led 50-16 at halftime — just five days after trailing Princeton 27-10 after 20 minutes.

That kind of inconsistency troubles FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who had hoped that a roster filled with seven juniors or seniors would be more stable — especially one that has been to the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons and was in the Sweet 16 in 2011.

"That's the kind of team we should be on a consistent basis," Hamilton said after Wednesday's victory. "As pleased as I am that we were able to bounce back, I'm still concerned that we have to continue to keep putting back-to-back-to-back games together before we realize what our true identity really is."

FSU's identity is rooted in defense: The Seminoles led the nation in field-goal percentage defense the past few seasons and are again among the top teams in the country.

But it's a nightly mystery on the other end of the floor. Five players have led FSU in scoring, although in seven games it has been shooting guard Michael Snaer, who leads FSU with a 13.6 average.

While FSU often goes to Snaer as part of its offense, he's not a typical go-to scorer, something Hamilton is OK with.

"We may not be a one-on-one type of team," Hamilton said. "We have to move the ball. We have a team that has to execute the offense so that we can give everybody the best opportunity. We don't have a go-to guy. Maybe the go-to guy is the open guy."

FSU was also thought to be a team that would use its height to its advantage, and at times the Seminoles have been able to do that. On Wednesday against Auburn, FSU's frontcourt of Xavier Gibson, Bernard James, Okaro White and Jon Kreft shot 10-for-11 from the floor.

James is third on the team in scoring (9.6 points) and leads in rebounding (8.7), while Gibson and White are both contributing about eight points per game.

The loss of forward Terrance Shannon to season-ending shoulder surgery in November has forced FSU to adjust its frontcourt rotations and go without his defense. But while Shannon is forced to sit and watch, FSU has received a lift with the return of Ian Miller the past three games.

The sophomore guard scored 17 points in the loss to Princeton and added 15 points against Auburn.

"I feel like it's really helped me out a lot," Snaer said. "It takes a lot of pressure off me. If you have one defensive stopper, you can't guard both of us. Ian coming back opens a lot of stuff for everybody."

And it couldn't come at a better time. While FSU built a tough non-conference schedule, the real challenge begins when the Seminoles open Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday at Clemson.

The question now becomes this: After playing so much Top 25 competition, how prepared for the ACC is FSU? The Seminoles will likely find out in the next two weeks as they play back-to-back road games against Clemson and Virginia Tech, followed by home games with No. 4 North Carolina and Maryland before playing at No. 3 Duke on Jan. 21.

"Now that we realize that this is what we need to be successful, now that we understand it, we're going to bring it every night," Snaer said. "Every time we play."