# 2019–20 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team represented Florida State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seminoles were led by head coach Leonard Hamilton, in his 18th year, and played their home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center on the university's Tallahassee, Florida campus as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Seminoles completed the best regular season in school history, finishing with a record of 26–5 and a 16–4 record in the ACC, the most conference wins in school history; the Seminoles also won their first ACC regular season title. As the top seed, Florida State had a bye to the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament, however, the tournament was cancelled after the second round. The NCAA tournament was subsequently canceled as well due to the coronavirus pandemic. On March 14, 2020, the Florida State Senate declared the Florida State Seminoles as the national champions for the 2019–2020 season.

## Previous season

The Seminoles finished the 2018–19 season with a record of 29–8, 13–5 in ACC play, to finish in fourth place. The Seminoles defeated Virginia Tech and Virginia in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the ACC tournament, advancing to the championship where they lost to Duke. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Vermont and Murray State to reach the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Gonzaga.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

In July 2019, assistant coach Dennis Gates was hired as the new head coach at Cleveland State. Hamilton hired Steve Smith as Gates' replacement in August 2019.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Phil Cofer | 0 | F | 6'8" | 230 | RS Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| P. J. Savoy | 5 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Las Vegas, NV | Graduated |
| David Nichols | 11 | G | 6'0" | 185 | Senior | South Holland, IL | Graduated |
| Terance Mann | 14 | G | 6'7" | 215 | Senior | Lowell, MA | Graduated |
| Christ Koumadje | 21 | C | 7'4" | 268 | Senior | N'Djamena, Chad | Graduated |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | 25 | F | 6'10" | 250 | RS Sophomore | Burlington, ON | Declared for the NBA draft; selected 27th overall by the Brooklyn Nets. |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| RayQuan Evans | 0 | G | 6'4" | | Junior | Billings, MT | Junior college transferred from North Idaho College |
| Nathanael Jack | 11 | G | 6'5' | 195 | RS Sophomore | Mississauga, ON | Junior college transferred from Eastern Florida State College |
| Dominik Olejniczak | 15 | C | 7'0" | 260 | Graduate Student | Toruń, Poland | Transferred from Ole Miss. Will be eligible to play immediately since Olejniczak graduated from Ole Miss. |

### 2019 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Patrick Williams SF | Charlotte, NC | West Charlotte High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Oct 6, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Balša Koprivica C | Belgrade, Serbia | Montverde Academy | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Oct 26, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Naheem McLeod C | Plymouth Meeting, PA | Plymouth-Whitemarsh Sr. High School | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 19, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Zimife Nwokeji PF | Tallahassee, FL | Maclay School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 8, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2019. ||||||

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Scottie Barnes PF | West Palm Beach, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 14, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Malachi Wideman SG | Sarasota, FL | Riverview High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | N/A | May 6, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Sardaar Calhoun SG | Tappahannock, VA | Missouri State University - West Plains | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 10, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2019. |||||||

## Schedule

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 22, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Barry | W 95–66 | – | 19 – Forrest | 9 – Williams | 5 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| November 1, 2019* 7:00 pm | | Columbus State | W 84–54 | – | 18 – Vassel | 10 – Osbourne | 7 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Pittsburgh | L 61–63 | 0–1 (0–1) | 19 – Forrest | 9 – Osbrone | 2 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (9,016) Pittsburgh, PA |
| November 10, 2019* 1:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 6 Florida Rivalry | W 63–51 | 1–1 | 13 – Vassell | 8 – Forrest | 7 – Forrest | O'Connell Center (10,851) Gainesville, FL |
| November 15, 2019* 7:00 pm, ACCNX | | Western Carolina | W 79–74 | 2–1 | 18 – Tied | 9 – Osbrone | 2 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,490) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 20, 2019* 6:30 pm, ACCRSN | | Chattanooga Emerald Coast Classic campus site game | W 89–53 | 3–1 | 17 – Vassell | 8 – Vassell | 7 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,572) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 23, 2019* 2:00 pm, ACCN | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 80–65 | 4–1 | 14 – Wilkes | 7 – Polite | 5 – Evans | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,595) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 25, 2019* 7:00 pm, ACCNX | | Chicago State Emerald Coast Classic campus site game | W 113–56 | 5–1 | 16 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,102) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 29, 2019* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. No. 17 Tennessee Emerald Coast Classic semifinals | W 60–57 | 6–1 | 13 – Vassell | 6 – Osborne | 4 – Forrest | The Arena at NWFSC (2,500) Niceville, FL |
| November 30, 2019* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Purdue Emerald Coast Classic finals | W 63–60 | 7–1 | 17 – Forrest | 7 – Gray | 2 – Tied | The Arena at NWFSC (2,500) Niceville, FL |
| December 3, 2019* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | at Indiana ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 64–80 | 7–2 | 13 – Forrest | 4 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| December 8, 2019 2:00 pm, ACCN | No. 17 | Clemson | W 72–53 | 8–2 (1–1) | 14 – Vassell | 9 – Vassell | 5 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,834) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 17, 2019* 8:30 pm, ACCN | No. 19 | North Florida | W 98–81 | 9–2 | 15 – Koprivica | 5 – Osborne | 5 – Gray | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,542) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 21, 2019* 12:00 pm, FS2 | No. 19 | vs. South Florida Orange Bowl Classic | W 66–60 | 10–2 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Gray | 4 – Polite | BB&T Center (8,927) Sunrise, FL |
| December 28, 2019* 2:00 pm, ACCNX | No. 17 | North Alabama | W 88–71 | 11–2 | 14 – Osborne | 4 – Tied | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,636) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 31, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 18 | Georgia Tech | W 70–58 | 12–2 (2–1) | 14 – Vassell | 9 – Vassell | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,837) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 4, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | at No. 7 Louisville | W 78–65 | 13–2 (3–1) | 23 – Walker | 9 – Osborne | 5 – Forrest | KFC Yum! Center (17,786) Louisville, KY |
| January 8, 2020 7:30 pm, ACCRSN | No. 10 | at Wake Forest | W 78–68 | 14–2 (4–1) | 17 – Vassell | 10 – Forrest | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (5,277) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 15, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 9 | Virginia | W 54–50 | 15–2 (5–1) | 18 – Vassell | 7 – Forrest | 7 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,725) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 18, 2020 1:00 pm, ACCN | No. 9 | at Miami (FL) | W 83–79 $^{OT}$ | 16–2 (6–1) | 23 – Vassell | 11 – Vassell | 5 – Tied | Watsco Center (6,212) Coral Gables, FL |
| January 25, 2020 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 5 | Notre Dame | W 85–84 | 17–2 (7–1) | 19 – Wilkes | 7 – Vassell | 7 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 28, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at Virginia | L 56–61 | 17–3 (7–2) | 17 – Vassell | 6 – Vassell | 3 – Forrest | John Paul Jones Arena (13,869) Charlottesville, VA |
| February 1, 2020 4:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 5 | at Virginia Tech | W 74–63 | 18–3 (8–2) | 27 – Vassell | 9 – Forrest | 5 – Forrest | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| February 3, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 8 | North Carolina | W 65–59 | 19–3 (9–2) | 14 – Tied | 9 – Williams | 3 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,015) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 8, 2020 12:00 pm, ACCN | No. 8 | Miami (FL) | W 99–81 | 20–3 (10–2) | 14 – Tied | 8 – Polite | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 10, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 8 | at No. 7 Duke | L 65–70 | 20–4 (10–3) | 18 – Forrest | 9 – Forrest | 4 – Forrest | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 15, 2020 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 8 | Syracuse | W 80–77 | 21–4 (11–3) | 17 – Williams | 10 – Gray | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 18, 2020 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 8 | Pittsburgh | W 82–67 | 22–4 (12–3) | 16 – Williams | 7 – Koprivica | 4 – Walker | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,014) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 22, 2020 4:00 pm, ACCN | No. 8 | at NC State | W 67–61 | 23–4 (13–3) | 12 – Tied | 12 – Osborne | 3 – Tied | PNC Arena (17,444) Raleigh, NC |
| February 24, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 6 | No. 11 Louisville | W 82–67 | 24–4 (14–3) | 16 – Forrest | 7 – Osborne | 3 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 29, 2020 2:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 6 | at Clemson | L 69–70 | 24–5 (14–4) | 14 – Vassell | 7 – Osborne | 3 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,095) Clemson, SC |
| March 4, 2020 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 7 | at Notre Dame | W 73–71 | 25–5 (15–4) | 21 – Walker | 7 – Tied | 3 – Forrest | Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,165) Notre Dame, IN |
| March 7, 2020 4:30 pm, ACCRSN | No. 7 | Boston College | W 80–62 | 26–5 (16–4) | 15 – Koprivica | 7 – Gray | 6 – Evans | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,500) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 12, 2020 12:30 pm, ESPN | (1) No. 4 | vs. (8) Clemson Quarterfinals | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | 17 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Coaches | RV | RV* | RV | RV | 19 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
*Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

## Awards

* John Wooden Citizenship Cup finalist
** Trent Forrest
* Julius Erving Award finalist
** Devin Vassell
* Naismith Coach of the Year Award semifinalist
** Leonard Hamilton

### Watchlists

* Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year
** Devin Vassell

### Honors

Weekly awards :
| Player | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. |
| Devin Vassell | ACC Co-Player of the Week | January 20, 2020 | |
Yearly awards :
| Player | Award | Ref. |
| Leonard Hamilton | ACC Coach of the Year | |
| Patrick Williams | ACC Sixth Man of the Year | |
* All-ACC Second Team
** Trent Forrest
** Devin Vassell
* All-ACC Defensive Team
** Trent Forrest
* All-ACC Freshman Team
** Patrick Williams
* All-ACC Freshman Team
** Patrick Williams
* All-American Defensive Team
* Trent Forrest