3 Takeaways From FSU Basketball's Season-Opening Win Over Northern Kentucky

Florida State started the season with a double-digit win over a pesky Northern Kentucky team

Oct 9, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State player Jamir Watkins during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Florida State and Leonard Hamilton started their regular season Monday night against a pesky Northern Kentucky team. Their tricky matchup zone defense would've provided issues for FSU in the past so it was a good early test for the Seminoles.

FSU rolled out a starting lineup of Chandler Jackson, Bostyn Holt, Jamir Watkins, Taylor Bol Bowen, and Malique Ewin, answering some questions on how Coach Hamilton would handle early rotations.

READ MORE: Game Preview: FSU Basketball vs. Northern Kentucky

Jamir Watkins picked up right where he left off from last season, scoring FSU's first five points, but NKU held the early 10-5 lead. It took the 'Noles a few minutes to get used to NKU's defense, but once the lights came on, it was an onslaught for a few minutes, especially on defense.

FSU held NKU without a made field goal for more than six minutes of action, which allowed the 'Noles to take a 27-15 lead midway through the first half. The rest of the game would be in their control from there, with the lead bouncing between eight and twelve for most of the game, leading by as much as 17 late.

Taylor Bol Bowen was the early stand-out in the first half, scoring 15 points in the first 20 minutes, already his career-high for a game. His length was a huge issue for the Norse, and he looked more confident in his abilities.

The three-point shot wasn't really falling for anybody on Florida State's side, but they were seeing lob attempts, playing with energy, and willing to put their head down and draw contact. Those were things we didn't see last year.

Watkins started to put his mark on the second half, playing passing lanes, finishing with power and finesse around the basket, including this flying alley-oop finish from the Bostyn Holt feed.

Jamir Watkins took off so far away from the basket that StatBroadcast classified this as a jumper lmao

Also great steal by Bowen to stop the transition #Noles pic.twitter.com/Q9n46SJ00b

— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) November 5, 2024

Florida State would go on to win 74-62, forcing 22 NKU turnovers for a turnover rate of 30.1%. I said their goal should be to force a turnover rate north of 20%, and FSU smashed that. Those 22 turnovers led to 22 points, and 14 of those were steals. The points off turnovers could be better, but it was a good showing nonetheless.

Jamir Watkins and Taylor Bowen led FSU with 17 points each, as Chandler Jackson and Watkins each had four steals, and Bol Bowen had three. NKU's Josh Dilling led all scorers with 18 points.

Here are three takeaways from FSU's season-opening win.

1. Three-Point Shooting Is Still In Development

Outside of Jerry Deng, who was 3/7 from three, FSU didn't shoot well from outside, just 4/22 as a team. They're a more talented shooting team than in years past and didn't really showcase that in this game. It's a tough defense to play against, and they did a good job of finding open looks, but they need to start falling.

2. Taylor Bol Bowen Looks MUCH Improved

Taylor Bol Bowen was arguably the biggest X-factor on the team heading into the season after playing here and there as a freshman. He looks so much more confident and stronger, something FSU needs if they want more success. His 7/7 shooting from the free-throw line was the clearest indication of improvement. The 17 points help too.

3. This Team is Scrappy

Florida State felt like they were going through the motions the last few years, not willing to do all of the little things necessary to win basketball games. That wasn't the case here. They did a great job of fighting on the glass and going after loose balls, forcing 22 turnovers with 14 steals. Northern Kentucky is a solid team; they'll make noise in the Horizon League this year. While we'd like to see FSU turn down their own turnovers, this was a good start for the Seminoles.

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