Columns

Is impressive good enough?

By Gary Shelton
Published March 9, 2007

TAMPA - It was fairly impressive, as these come-from-behind, one-point victories in a prestigious conference tournament games tend to be.

But was it enough?

It was fairly dramatic, considering the was-he-fouled-or-not-with-1.8-seconds-to-play element that surrounded the finish.

But was it convincing?

It was fairly loud, in a please-look-at-us sort of statement that always seems to echo across college basketball in early March.

But was it conclusive?

For the rest of us, FSU's 67-66 victory over Clemson looked just fine. The Seminoles showed a bit of star quality, a bit of grunt work and a lot of resilience against the Tigers. Considering that Clemson had beaten FSU twice this year, including a game last month in which they treated the Seminoles the way Naomi Campbell treats the hired help, it was a snapshot worth keeping.

Here on Coppertone Road, however, the question isn't how the game looked to you. Or to them, for that matter.

The question is how it looked to those guys. You know the guys, the 10 men in smoking jackets who sit around with John Wooden biographies and slide-rulers as they watch games. They are the NCAA selection committee, the Supreme Court of college basketball, and if they missed this, well, Leonard Hamilton would be happy to ship them the DVD.

For FSU, that's what Thursday's game amounted to. It was an audition tape disguised as a game, a screen test masquerading as a little five-on-five. It was a plea that the same guys who turned down the Seminoles last year, when they felt they were deserving, shouldn't turn them down this year, when they also feel they are deserving.

Al Thornton hit a big free throw, guys. Were you watching?

Toney Douglas knocked down a key 3-pointer when his team was on the ropes. Were you impressed?

Hamilton broke his four-game losing streak in the tournament. Were you dazzled?

"My point is that I just don't have a feel for the criteria," Hamilton said. "I don't know if there is more interest this year in one criteria or the other. Last year, I thought I had a pretty good feel.

"Anything I say is my opinion, but I thought we deserved to go last year. This year, we've withstood some adversity and overcome it, and I think we deserve to go. I just don't have a vote. If I did, I would put us right there."

Of course, about 85 college coaches would say the same about their own teams, which is where things get complicated. The truth is that FSU is one of those teams in the large no-man's land between being firmly in the NCAAs and firmly out of it. The Seminoles needed a splash in this tournament for legitimate consideration.

Whether Thursday's game was enough, no one knows. The safest thing to say about FSU's chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament is that the odds are considerably better than they were Thursday morning. Had the Seminoles lost this game, they were, as Thornton said, "NIT bound."

Oh, if invitations came because of individual brilliance, Thornton would be going. He was terrific Thursday with 25 points and 11 rebounds, even if he did get a bit of 277-miles-from-home cooking in the last couple of seconds of the game.

Thornton had the ball, going one-on-one against the world in the final moments, when he drove into the lane and ended up on his back. It looked like a slip. The officials called a foul. Which just goes to show: A team such as Clemson has to be happy when it comes within a five-hour drive of its opponents' territory. Even Thornton said he was shocked at the call.

If you are an attorney arguing FSU's case to the committee, you would start with Thornton, who would have the Naismith committee on speed dial if he played at North Carolina or Duke. Thornton is a sensational player, the only reason anyone should dissect FSU's RPI instead of declaring it RIP.

It was Thornton who kept his team upright when Alexander Johnson strangely declared for last year's NBA draft, when 7-foot recruit Jon Kreft was charged with felony cocaine possession, when Toney was injured earlier in the year. It is Thornton who gives the 'Noles whatever chance it has of upsetting North Carolina today.

More than anyone, Thornton also has silenced the boosters who have begun to snipe in Hamilton's direction. Hamilton is in his fifth year with no NCAA appearances, and suddenly, a big victory here or there doesn't seem like enough.

That could change today when the Seminoles play North Carolina. As Hamilton said, "what could be better for a team trying to make a statement."

In other words, if the 'Noles win today, even the tournament committee will hear.

Gary Shelton can be reached at (727) 893-8805.

[Last modified March 8, 2007, 23:18:01]