# 2018–19 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team represented Florida State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seminoles were led by head coach Leonard Hamilton, in his 17th 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 finished the season with a school record twenty-nine wins as well as a school record thirteen ACC wins, finishing in fourth place. Florida State reached the finals of the ACC tournament, finishing as runner-up; they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a four seed, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in program history. They ended up losing to Gonzaga. The senior class, including Terrance Mann, Christ Koumadje, P.J. Savoy, and Phil Cofer, also became the winningest class in school history.

## Previous season

The Seminoles finished the 2017–18 season with a record of 23–12, 9–9 in ACC play, to finish in a tie for eighth place. The Seminoles lost in the second round of the ACC tournament to Louisville. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Missouri, Xavier, and Gonzaga to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993, where they lost to Michigan.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| CJ Walker | 2 | G | 6'1" | 195 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to Ohio State |
| Braian Angola | 11 | G | 6'6" | 195 | Senior | Villanueva, Colombia | Graduated |
| Ike Obiagu | 12 | C | 7'0" | 240 | Freshman | Anuja, Nigeria | Transferred to Seton Hall |
| Brandon Allen | 40 | F | 6'6" | 209 | RS Senior | Milton, FL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Malik Osbourne | 10 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Sophomore | Matteson, IL | Rice |
| David Nichols | 11 | G | 6'0" | 190 | Senior | South Holland, IL | Albany |
* Under NCAA transfer rules, Osbourne will have to sit out for the 2018–19 season, and will have three years of remaining eligibility.

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Devin Vassell SG | Suwanee, GA | Peachtree Ridge High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 2, 2017 |
| 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: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 25, 2018. ||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 26, 2018* 6:00 pm | No. 17 | West Georgia | W 96–56 | - | 20 – Koumadje | 8 – Koumadje | 4 – Wilkes | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| November 1, 2018* 7:00 pm | No. 17 | Valdosta State | W 99–77 | - | 15 – Forrest | 6 – Forrest | 5 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Florida Rivalry | W 81–60 | 1–0 | 20 – Savoy | 9 – Mann | 5 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,103) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 11, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 17 | at Tulane | W 80–69 | 2–0 | 21 – Mann | 10 – Mann | 5 – Forrest | Devlin Fieldhouse (2,351) New Orleans, LA |
| November 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 14 | Canisius AdvoCare Invitational campus game | W 93–61 | 3–0 | 18 – Kabengele | 9 – Koumadje | 6 – Forrrst | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,457) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 22, 2018* 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 14 | vs. UAB AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinal | W 81–63 | 4–0 | 17 – Mann | 11 – Forrest | 3 – Tied | HP Field House Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 23, 2018* 4:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 14 | vs. No. 19 LSU AdvoCare Invitational semifinal | W 79–76 | 5–0 | 21 – Walker | 12 – Mann | 5 – Forrest | HP Field House Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 25, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN | No. 14 | vs. Villanova AdvoCare Invitational final | L 60–66 | 5–1 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Kabengele | 2 – Tied | HP Field House Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| November 28, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 15 | No. 19 Purdue ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 73–72 | 6–1 | 13 – Walker | 8 – Mann | 3 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,978) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 3, 2018* 8:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 11 | Troy | W 83–67 | 7–1 | 16 – Savoy | 8 – Mann | 3 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,838) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 8, 2018* 6:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 11 | vs. UConn Never Forget Tribute Classic | W 79–71 | 8–1 | 20 – Mann | 11 – Koumadje | 2 – Nichols | Prudential Center (18,711) Newark, NJ |
| December 17, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 11 | Southeast Missouri State | W 85–68 | 9–1 | 23 – Forrest | 8 – Forrest | 4 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,726) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 11 | North Florida | W 95–81 | 10–1 | 24 – Kabengele | 7 – Kabengele | 7 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,209) Tallahassee, FL |
| December 22, 2018* 2:30 pm, FSS/FS2 | No. 11 | vs. Saint Louis Orange Bowl Classic | W 81–59 | 11–1 | 19 – Nichols | 7 – Tied | 5 – Forrest | BB&T Center Sunrise, FL |
| January 1, 2019* 2:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 9 | Winthrop | W 87–76 | 12–1 | 22 – Mann | 8 – Koumadje | 3 – Cofer | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,237) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| January 5, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 9 | at No. 4 Virginia | L 52–65 | 12–2 (0–1) | 9 – Cofer | 7 – Kabengele | 2 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, VA |
| January 9, 2019 9:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 13 | Miami (FL) | W 68–62 | 13–2 (1–1) | 13 – Nichols | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,531) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 12, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | No. 1 Duke | L 78–80 | 13–3 (1–2) | 24 – Kabengele | 10 – Kabengele | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 14, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 11 | at Pittsburgh | L 62–75 | 13–4 (1–3) | 19 – Forrest | 11 – Koumadje | 3 – Forrest | Petersen Events Center (6,780) Pittsburgh, PA |
| January 20, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 11 | at Boston College | L 82–87 | 13–5 (1–4) | 26 – Kabengele | 9 – Kabengele | 6 – Forrest | Conte Forum (5,533) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| January 22, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Clemson | W 77–68 | 14–5 (2–4) | 17 – Kabengele | 8 – Mann | 5 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (8,502) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 27, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Miami (FL) | W 78–66 | 15–5 (3–4) | 22 – Walker | 10 – Mann | 6 – Forrest | Watsco Center (7,122) Coral Gables, FL |
| February 2, 2019 12:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 25 | Georgia Tech | W 59–49 | 16–5 (4–4) | 12 – Tied | 8 – Koumadje | 3 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,181) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 5, 2019 8:00 pm, Raycom | No. 22 | at Syracuse | W 80–62 | 17–5 (5–4) | 22 – Mann | 9 – Mann | 10 – Forrest | Carrier Dome (21,553) Syracuse, NY |
| February 9, 2019 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | No. 16 Louisville | W 80–75 | 18–5 (6–4) | 22 – Kabengele | 7 – Kebengele | 4 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ACCRSN | No. 17 | Wake Forest | W 88–66 | 19–5 (7–4) | 20 – Koumadje | 12 – Koumadje | 6 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,806) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 16, 2019 2:00 pm, Raycom | No. 17 | at Georgia Tech | W 69–47 | 20–5 (8–4) | 11 – Vassell | 12 – Koumadje | 3 – Forrest | McCamish Pavilion (8,600) Atlanta, GA |
| February 19, 2019 9:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 16 | at Clemson | W 77–64 | 21–5 (9–4) | 19 – Kabengele | 11 – Kabengele | 4 – Mann | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,549) Clemson, SC |
| February 23, 2019 3:45 pm, CBS | No. 16 | at No. 8 North Carolina | L 59–77 | 21–6 (9–5) | 16 – Nichols | 6 – Kabengele | 10 – Mann | Dean Smith Center (21,520) Chapel Hill, NC |
| February 25, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | Notre Dame | W 68–61 | 22–6 (10–5) | 13 – Vassell | 7 – Vassell | 4 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,519) Tallahassee, FL |
| March 2, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | NC State | W 78–73 | 23–6 (11–5) | 16 – Kabengale | 6 – Forrest | 3 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,988) Tallahassee, FL |
| March 5, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 14 | No. 15 Virginia Tech | W 73–64 | 24–6 (12–5) | 17 – Kabengele | 9 – Kabengele | 4 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,611) Tallahassee, FL |
| March 9, 2019 12:00 pm, Raycom | No. 14 | at Wake Forest | W 65–57 | 25–6 (13–5) | 11 – Forrest | 10 – Koumadje | 5 – Forrest | LJVM Coliseum (8,873) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN | (4) No. 12 | vs. (5) No. 16 Virginia Tech Quarterfinals | W 65–63 | 26–6 | 14 – Vassell | 9 – Mann | 4 – Tied | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| March 15, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN | (4) No. 12 | vs. (1) No. 2 Virginia Semifinals | W 69–59 | 27–6 | 14 – Nichols | 9 – Koumadje | 3 – Tied | Spectrum Center (20,116) Charlotte, NC |
| March 16, 2019 8:30 pm, ESPN | (4) No. 12 | vs. (3) No. 5 Duke Championship | L 63–73 | 27–7 | 14 – Kabengele | 8 – Mann | 3 – Forrest | Spectrum Center (19,691) Charlotte, NC |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2019* 2:00 pm, TBS | (4 W) No. 10 | vs. (13 W) Vermont First Round | W 76–69 | 28–7 | 21 – Kabengele | 10 – Kabengele | 2 – Walker | XL Center (14,838) Hartford, CT |
| March 23, 2019* 6:10 pm, TNT | (4 W) No. 10 | vs. (12 W) Murray State Second Round | W 90–62 | 29–7 | 22 – Kabengele | 9 – Koumadje | 6 – Mann | XL Center (15,031) Hartford, CT |
| March 28, 2019* 7:09 pm, CBS | (4 W) No. 10 | vs. (1 W) No. 4 Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | L 58–72 | 29–8 | 20 – Forrest | 7 – Tied | 4 – Forrest | Honda Center (16,145) Anaheim, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Awards

* ACC Sixth Man of the Year
       Mfiondu Kabengele
* All-ACC
** Honorable Mention
       Mfiondu Kabengele
       Terrance Mann

## 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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 17 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 11 | RV | 25 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 10 | Not released |
| Coaches | 15 | 15^ | 13 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 23 | RV | 24 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.