Florida State advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Gonzaga to end its 2018-19 season in March, but with a high turnover in bodies on the roster, the Seminoles could see a change in identity and be left vulnerable in a non-conference game slated for early December.

Key losses: Terance Mann, Phil Cofer, Mfiondu Kabengele, David Nichols, Christ Koumadje, PJ Savoy

Key returners: Trent Forrest, M.J. Walker

Newcomers: Dominik Olejniczak, RayQuan Evans, Nathanael Jack, Patrick Williams, Balsa Koprivica

2018-19 record: 29-8 (13-5 ACC)

2018-19 result: 72-58 loss to Gonzaga in Sweet Sixteen

Series: Indiana leads 4-0

Florida State is coming off of one of the most impressive seasons in program history, and certainly one of the most impressive seasons of Leonard Hamilton’s 17-year tenure as the head basketball coach.

Just to the naked eye, it didn’t take long to realize Florida State was a team to reckon with, as the Seminoles finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the AP Top-25, tied for the program’s best finish in the poll. Landing a four seed in the NCAA Tournament after its third ACC Championship appearance under Hamilton, Florida State beat Vermont and Murray State before pushing No. 1-seeded Gonzaga against the wall in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Seminoles were certainly not known for having an explosive offense, as they were ranked No. 113 in the country in points per game, though they were rated No. 43 by KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency. Florida State just likes to slow the pace down and rely heavily on defense, which is nothing new with Hamilton as the head coach.

The way that Florida State defends is fairly similar to the way Indiana head coach Archie Miller would like his teams to defend, with a good defensive backcourt – Trent Forrest, MJ Walker, Anthony Polite, and RayQuan Evans – and stretch defenders with length – Patrick Williams, Devin Vassell, RaiQuan Gray, and Malik Osborne.

By the time Indiana plays Florida State, it will have played teams like Princeton, Louisiana Tech and South Dakota State, so De’Ron Davis and Trayce Jackson-Davis will have begun carving out roles on the inside, which will be crucial to the way Indiana can defeat Florida State’s defense.

While Florida State might be able to keep up its performance on defense, it’s tough to determine where its offensive production will come from, as five seniors and former sophomore leading scorer Mfiondu Kabengele have all left the program. Senior Trent Forrest, who averaged nine points per game last season is the clear leader on both ends, but the Seminoles will be learning a lot as they go. How much they learn about their many talented newcomers – No. 19 2019 recruiting class in the country, minus Naheem McLeod – will determine the difficulty of Indiana’s first competitive non-conference contest.

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