My prediction for Sunday afternoon is Cal 77, FSU 74. I watched most of the Fla St-Stanford game and it gave me the courage to make my pick. The Seminoles (13-3) are second in the nation in scoring with an average of 94.3 points per game. They have blown out many of their opponents. They have also lost three of their four road games to date. Their dynamic offense has been held down into the seventies 3x out of 16 games played. FSU lost at Illinois (83-74) and at Tennessee (79-77). Then, they fell to Stanford last Thursday night in a wild offensive shootout (89-84). The Seminoles are an incredible offensive machine, but I was not impressed with their size or their defense.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Florida State University
TRIO OF STARS: Ta'Niya Latson (#00) leads the nation in scoring @ 27.7 ppg. She is a 5-8 junior who is lightning fast. She was rated the #1 shooting guard in the country in the Class of 2022. She was selected the Florida POY, too. The quarterback of this offense is O'Mariah Gordon (#3). She was the 2021 Florida POY. This 5-4 senior PG leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio with an amazing 3.76. Makayla Timpson (#21) is their inside force. She is a 6-2 senior PF with hops. She was rated the #46 best player in the Class of 2021. Timpson averages a double-double per game: 18 points & 10.5 rebounds. She leads the nation in shot blocks w/50!
Florida State University
I'm not going to give a detailed breakdown of the other five players in Florida State's eight player rotation. However, there is a potential secret weapon that returned against Stanford in 6-4 post, Malea Williams. She is a grad transfer from Cincinnati who was starting early in the season before she was injured vs Florida. She was MIA for nine games. Last season, Williams was 2nd on the Bearcats with 35 treys made, had 34 blocks, 8.3 points & 5.9 rebounds per game. Fortunately, she picked up two quick PFs and was a non-factor. Cal fans may want to watch for #22 tomorrow.
If the results do not match my forecast, it probably will be because of the Seminole's team speed. They force 20 turnovers per game that helps jump start their running game. Gordon leads Florida State in steals w/ 47, followed closely by Latson w/ 42 & Timpson w/ 36. The team generates 11.6 steals per game. The benefit can clearly be seen when one compares their low TO number of 10.7 per contest.
FSU outrebounds their opposition by 1.9 boards / g. However, the Cardinal crushed the Seminoles on the boards in Palo Alto by a count of 52-35. If the Bears are to triumph, they will also have to control the boards.
Although both Fla State and Stanford connected on ten treys, the Cardinal benefited from lax defense and hit 40% (10-25). I'm anticipating that the Bears should benefit in a similar fashion on their three-point accuracy if they are to emerge victorious. GO BEARS!
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2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Florida State University
TRIO OF STARS: Ta'Niya Latson (#00) leads the nation in scoring @ 27.7 ppg. She is a 5-8 junior who is lightning fast. She was rated the #1 shooting guard in the country in the Class of 2022. She was selected the Florida POY, too. The quarterback of this offense is O'Mariah Gordon (#3). She was the 2021 Florida POY. This 5-4 senior PG leads the nation in assist/turnover ratio with an amazing 3.76. Makayla Timpson (#21) is their inside force. She is a 6-2 senior PF with hops. She was rated the #46 best player in the Class of 2021. Timpson averages a double-double per game: 18 points & 10.5 rebounds. She leads the nation in shot blocks w/50!
Florida State University
I'm not going to give a detailed breakdown of the other five players in Florida State's eight player rotation. However, there is a potential secret weapon that returned against Stanford in 6-4 post, Malea Williams. She is a grad transfer from Cincinnati who was starting early in the season before she was injured vs Florida. She was MIA for nine games. Last season, Williams was 2nd on the Bearcats with 35 treys made, had 34 blocks, 8.3 points & 5.9 rebounds per game. Fortunately, she picked up two quick PFs and was a non-factor. Cal fans may want to watch for #22 tomorrow.
If the results do not match my forecast, it probably will be because of the Seminole's team speed. They force 20 turnovers per game that helps jump start their running game. Gordon leads Florida State in steals w/ 47, followed closely by Latson w/ 42 & Timpson w/ 36. The team generates 11.6 steals per game. The benefit can clearly be seen when one compares their low TO number of 10.7 per contest.
FSU outrebounds their opposition by 1.9 boards / g. However, the Cardinal crushed the Seminoles on the boards in Palo Alto by a count of 52-35. If the Bears are to triumph, they will also have to control the boards.
Although both Fla State and Stanford connected on ten treys, the Cardinal benefited from lax defense and hit 40% (10-25). I'm anticipating that the Bears should benefit in a similar fashion on their three-point accuracy if they are to emerge victorious. GO BEARS!
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