3 Takeaways From FSU Basketball's Exhibition Win Over Saint Leo

It started shaky, but Florida State controlled the second half in its first exhibition game of the season.

Mar 2, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Florida State played in its first exhibition game of the 2024-25 season against the Saint Leo Lions, a Division 2 school in Saint Leo, Florida, a little northeast of Tampa. It was the first chance of the season to see the new-look Seminoles in action.

It started out shaky, as Saint Leo hit six of its first nine attempts from three and led by as many as seven points early, but FSU outscored them 80-49 the rest of the way as they won 87-64. After their hot start from three, Saint Leo hit just six of its last 27 attempts, and most of those makes were in the final few minutes. There are still some things for FSU to clean up, and it's hard to take too much away from an exhibition game, but here are a few things I noticed.

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1. Jamir Watkins is Still Jamir Watkins

Jamir Watkins surprised a lot of people by coming back to Florida State for another season. In most of his recent interviews, he talked about improving his three-point shot and limiting turnovers as the biggest things he took away from NBA scouts. In 22 minutes of action on Thursday night, Watkins had 18 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and just one turnover while shooting 3/5 from three-point range. That's a great showing before the season starts.

2. Malique Ewin Could Be the Real Deal

Malique Ewin was the top-ranked JUCO player in the country this year and chose to come to Florida State. In his first showing in a Seminole jersey, he finishes with 19 points and five rebounds while shooting a perfect 8/8 from the floor. He'll need to limit his fouls, and I'd like to see his passing used more, but he's an athletic big man who has control over his game. It's been a long time since we've been able to say that about a Florida State center.

3. Offensive Rebounds Still a Concern

Florida State was one of the worst teams in the country last year in allowed offensive rebound rate, allowing a rate of 32.9%. Saint Leo snagged 11 offensive rebounds out of 44 missed shots for an offensive rebound rate of 25%. Shunta Wilson and Logan Ryan combined for seven, who are 6'6" and 6'3", respectively. FSU needs to shore up their defensive rebounding before the regular season starts.

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