# 2017–18 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team represented Florida State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seminoles were led by head coach Leonard Hamilton, in his 16th 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.
Florida State finished the season 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 in the first round, upset Xavier and Gonzaga before losing to Michigan.

## Previous season

The Seminoles finished the 2016–17 season with a record of 26–9, 12–6 in ACC play, to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They defeated Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament before losing to Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the #3 seed in the West Region. There, they defeated #14 Florida Gulf Coast in the First Round before being upset by #11 Xavier in the Second Round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Jonathan Isaac | 1 | F | 6'10" | 210 | Freshman | Naples, FL | Declare for 2017 NBA draft |
| Dwayne Bacon | 4 | G | 6'7" | 221 | Sophomore | Lakeland, FL | Declare for 2017 NBA draft |
| Xavier Rathan-Mayes | 22 | G | 6'4" | 208 | RS Junior | Scarborogh, ON | Declare for 2017 NBA draft |
| Jarquez Smith | 23 | F | 6'9" | 236 | Senior | Haddock, GA | Graduated |
| Michael Ojo | 50 | C | 7'1" | 304 | RS Senior | Lagos, Nigeria | Graduated/Went undrafted in 2017 NBA draft |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| M. J. Walker #5 SG | Jonesboro, GA | Jonesboro High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | May 24, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ikechukwu Obiagu #12 C | Atlanta, GA | Greenforest Christian Academy | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Nov 28, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| RaiQuan Gray #23 PF | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Dillard High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Aug 8, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Wyatt Wilkes #35 PF | Winter Park, FL | Winter Park High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 31, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Anthony Polite #36 SG | Boca Raton, FL | St. Andrews School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 30, 2016 |
| 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: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 3, 2016. ||||||

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| 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 October 3, 2017. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Jamaican Foreign Tour |||||||||
| Aug 10, 2017* | | vs. Jamaican Select Team | W 117–65 | | – | – | – | Montego Bay Convention Center Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| Aug 14, 2017* | | vs. Minto 79ers | W 116–78 | | – | – | – | National Indoor Sport Center Kingston, Jamaica |
| Aug 16, 2017* | | vs. Jamaica Select Team | W 107–51 | | – | – | – | National Indoor Sport Center Kingston, Jamaica |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 26, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Central Missouri | W 116–68 | | 19 – Savoy | 9 – Kabengele | 4 – Polite | Donald L. Tucker Center (150) Tallahassee, FL |
| Nov 7, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Thomas (GA) | W 122–52 | | 12 – Tied | 7 – Obiagu | 4 – Angola | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 14, 2017* 7:00 pm, RSN | | George Washington | W 87–67 | 1–0 | 17 – Mann | 8 – Mann | 5 – Angola | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,455) Tallahassee, FL |
| Nov 17, 2017* 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Fordham Jamaica Classic | W 67–43 | 2–0 | 15 – Kabengele | 9 – Kabengele | 5 – Forrest | Montego Bay Convention Center (235) Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| Nov 19, 2017* 5:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Colorado State Jamaica Classic | W 90–73 | 3–0 | 22 – M. Walker | 9 – Mann | 8 – Angola | Montego Bay Convention Center (278) Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| Nov 22, 2017* 2:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Kennesaw State | W 98–79 | 4–0 | 21 – Tied | 9 – Cofer | 6 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,284) Tallahassee, FL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 8:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | The Citadel Jamaica Classic | W 113–78 | 5–0 | 21 – Tied | 12 – Kabengele | 8 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (6,021) Tallahassee, FL |
| Nov 28, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Rutgers ACC-Big Ten Challenge | W 78–73 | 6–0 | 24 – C. Walker | 10 – Obiagu | 4 – Tied | Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,853) Piscataway, NJ |
| Dec 4, 2017* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 5 Florida Rivalry | W 83–66 | 7–0 | 25 – Mann | 12 – Cofer | 4 – C. Walker | O'Connell Center (10,425) Gainesville, FL |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Loyola (MD) | W 96–71 | 8–0 | 18 – Angola | 7 – Mann | 6 – C. Walker | Donald L. Tucker Center (7,323) Tallahassee, FL |
| Dec 10, 2017* 12:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Tulane Heritage Insurance Classic | W 72–53 | 9–0 | 18 – Angola | 8 – Tied | 4 – Forrest | Amalie Arena (3,975) Tampa, FL |
| Dec 16, 2017* 2:00 pm, FS2/FSS | No. 19 | vs. Oklahoma State Orange Bowl Classic | L 70–71 | 9–1 | 22 – Cofer | 14 – Mann | 6 – Forrest | BB&T Center (9,152) Sunrise, FL |
| Dec 18, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 24 | Charleston Southern | W 69–58 | 10–1 | 19 – Cofer | 6 – Tied | 7 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,836) Tallahassee, FL |
| Dec 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 24 | Southern Miss | W 98–45 | 11–1 | 17 – Savoy | 7 – Savoy | 12 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (5,003) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30, 2017 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 24 | at No. 4 Duke | L 93–100 | 11–2 (0–1) | 28 – Cofer | 8 – Angola | 5 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Jan 3, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 24 | No. 12 North Carolina | W 81–80 | 12–2 (1–1) | 20 – Angola | 9 – Mann | 5 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (8,931) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 7, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 24 | at No. 15 Miami (FL) | L 74–80 | 12–3 (1–2) | 16 – Angola | 12 – Kabengele | 4 – Angola | Watsco Center (5,347) Coral Gables, FL |
| Jan 10, 2018 9:00 pm, RSN | No. 23 | Louisville | L 69–73 | 12–4 (1–3) | 25 – Mann | 10 – Cofer | 2 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,604) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 13, 2018 2:00 pm, ACCN | No. 23 | Syracuse | W 101–90 | 13–4 (2–3) | 24 – Angola | 11 – Forrest | 8 – Angola | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,938) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 15, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Boston College | L 75–81 | 13–5 (2–4) | 21 – Mann | 9 – Tied | 6 – C. Walker | Conte Forum (5,867) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Jan 20, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Virginia Tech | W 91–82 | 14–5 (3–4) | 24 – M. Walker | 8 – Kabengele | 7 – C. Walker | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 24, 2018 7:00 pm, RSN | | Georgia Tech | W 88–77 | 15–5 (4–4) | 30 – Mann | 5 – Mann | 5 – Mann | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,879) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 27, 2018 4:00 pm, ACCN | | Miami (FL) | W 103–94 | 16–5 (5–4) | 21 – Cofer | 8 – Cofer | 6 – Angola | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 31, 2018 8:00 pm, ACCN | | at Wake Forest | L 72–76 | 16–6 (5–6) | 23 – Cofer | 8 – Koumadje | 5 – Forrest | LJVM Coliseum (7,809) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Feb 3, 2018 4:00 pm, ACCN | | at Louisville | W 80–76 | 17–6 (6–5) | 16 – Cofer | 9 – Forrest | 5 – Forrest | KFC Yum! Center (18,305) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 7, 2018 7:00 pm, RSN | | No. 2 Virginia | L 55–59 | 17–7 (6–6) | 10 – M. Walker | 6 – Kabengele | 4 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Center (10,657) Tallahassee, FL |
| Feb 10, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Notre Dame | L 69–84 | 17–8 (6–7) | 16 – C. Walker | 8 – Mann | 4 – Forrest | Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 14, 2018 7:00 pm, RSN | | No. 11 Clemson | W 81–79 | 18–8 (7–7) | 17 – Cofer | 8 – Mann | 3 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,131) Tallahassee, FL |
| Feb 18, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Pittsburgh | W 88–75 | 19–8 (8–7) | 18 – Savoy | 6 – Tied | 4 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,123) Tallahassee, FL |
| Feb 25, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 25 | at NC State | L 72–92 | 19–9 (8–8) | 16 – Forrest | 8 – Koumadje | 7 – Forrest | PNC Arena (17,037) Raleigh, NC |
| Feb 28, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at No. 18 Clemson | L 63–76 | 19–10 (8–9) | 21 – Cofer | 7 – Cofer | 4 – Mann | Littlejohn Coliseum (7,242) Clemson, SC |
| Mar 3, 2018 2:00 pm, ACCN | | Boston College | W 85–76 | 20–10 (9–9) | 21 – Tied | 12 – Obiagu | 5 – Forrest | Donald L. Tucker Center (9,825) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 7, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | (8) | vs. (9) Louisville Second Round | L 74–82 | 20–11 | 14 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 6 – Forrest | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2018* 9:45 pm, TBS | (9 W) | vs. (8 W) Missouri First Round | W 67–54 | 21–11 | 14 – Kabengele | 12 – Kabengele | 8 – Forrest | Bridgestone Arena (17,549) Nashville, TN |
| Mar 18, 2018* 8:40 pm, TNT | (9 W) | vs. (1 W) No. 3 Xavier Second Round | W 75–70 | 22–11 | 16 – Angola | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Bridgestone Arena (17,552) Nashville, TN |
| Mar 22, 2018* 10:10 pm, TBS | (9 W) | vs. (4 W) No. 8 Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | W 75–60 | 23–11 | 18 – Mann | 6 – Tied | 6 – Forrest | Staples Center (19,181) Los Angeles, CA |
| Mar 24, 2018* 8:49 pm, TBS | (9 W) | vs. (3 W) No. 7 Michigan Elite Eight | L 54–58 | 23–12 | 16 – Cofer | 11 – Cofer | 2 – Tied | Staples Center (19,665) Los Angeles, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Awards
### Watchlists

* Jerry West Award
       M.J. Walker

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked 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 | — | — | — | — | RV | 19 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | N/A |
| Coaches | RV | RV^ | — | RV | RV | RV | 19 | 25 | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 18 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings