Florida State Basketball: Early 2015-16 Outlook

Last season, the Miami Hurricanes exceeded expectations by finishing sixth in the ACC despite being picked in the preseason polls to finish 10th. Next season, the team that will exceed expectations out of the ACC will be none other than the Florida State Seminoles.

Florida State finished No. 11 in the ACC with a 17-16 record, but six of its total losses came by two possessions or less. If the Seminoles had won those six games, they would have likely made it to the 2015 NCAA tournament.

Close losses are a great sign for a young team, because it shows a lack of experience and composure in late game situations – something that can easily be coached up for the 2015-16 season.

When you take a look at the roster that FSU is returning, things look even brighter. The Seminoles lose just one player who played in 30 or more games last season. Their three leading scorers, who averaged a total of 36.8 points per game, all return. Xavier Rathan-Mayes is the go-to scorer, but with so many returning faces on this roster, any player could step up.

As if their current roster could be any more dangerous, the Seminoles bring in the No. 2 SG in the country, five-star freshman Dwayne Bacon. Bacon will be joined by three four-star recruits in Malik Beasley, Terance Mann and Jean Marc Christ Koumadje. With another five-star and two four-star recruits already lined up for the 2016 season, Florida State is shaping up to be a good team in the ACC for years to come.

One heavily underrated aspect of this team from last season was its all-around ability to rebound. Whereas most teams have just one or two players who grab most of the rebounds, Florida State had six different players who averaged at least 2.5 rebounds per game. Every player on this team seems to give maximum effort on the little things, which could translate to big wins against elite opponents.

Florida State will not win the ACC next season, but the big time teams in the conference will not want to face this team on the road. FSU should easily cruise to a berth in the 2016 NCAA tournament and be the marquee giant slayer in college basketball.

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.