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FSU: Reasonable doubt

The basketball coach in him was somewhere else now. Leonard Hamilton had turned into a lawyer pleading a case, and more than anything, he wanted a little order in the court.

By GARY SHELTON
Published March 10, 2007

TAMPA - The basketball coach in him was somewhere else now. Leonard Hamilton had turned into a lawyer pleading a case, and more than anything, he wanted a little order in the court.

Hamilton leaned forward into the camera lights, his tie loosened, his jacket open, as he made his summation. His voice was firm, quiet but convincing, as he presented his evidence. His eyes did not blink. He made it sound as if his was the only reasonable verdict available to the jury.

What a shame it was, then, that his team's closing arguments had gone so poorly.

In the case of FSU vs. the NCAA Selection Committee, Friday's proceedings could have gone a little better. The Seminoles were spanked by North Carolina 73-58 in a game that was a 40-minute counter-argument to every statement that FSU had made a day earlier.

Considering how close the case seems to be, the safest thing to say about FSU's chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament is this: It didn't help itself any.

The Seminoles were scattered, sloppy. They turned the ball over, they missed easy shots and their best players turned ordinary. Not that FSU seemed to be playing its way into the NIT, but any replay of the second half should be accompanied by New York, New York.

For FSU, this was a great day to make a statement. An upset of a talented North Carolina team would have made the tournament an automatic for the Seminoles. A close loss would have made it probable.

Instead, FSU was handled easily. So who knows? If this game was the determining factor, then the answer would be a resounding "no." Feel free to say that as loudly as you wish.

When you consider the entire canvas, things are a little more complex. When you listen to Hamilton argue his point, you think "maybe."

Today, that is the truth of the FSU situation. The program is a ball teetering on the rim. It could fall in. It could fall out. Either way, the decision will not be a miscarriage of justice.

It was hard to blame Hamilton, then, for presenting every bit of evidence on hand. He stood in a concrete hallway, his back to the wall, and he talked about strength of schedule and depth of conference and that go-to statistic of RPI factor. He talked about vague criteria and quality losses and overcoming adversity. His voice never raised, but his conviction never wavered.

"I don't want to sound like I'm begging," he said. "You asked for my opinion. But I think we meet most of the criteria the committee would want."

The thing is, Hamilton isn't sure, because as he says, the criteria are a moving target. There are no legal precedents here. One member of the committee might bring up that FSU hasn't lost to anyone with an RPI outside the top 50. Someone else might point out that in 17 games against teams with such a lofty RPI, the Seminoles are only 5-12. Someone might mention Al Thornton's greatness, and someone else might mention that he only had 12 points Friday.

And so it goes. FSU has presented evidence both pro and con.

If Hamilton needs a witness in his case, he could always subpoena Roy Williams, who considers FSU a tournament team.

"No question," Williams said. "I have a hard time believing they're not one of the top 65 teams in the country."

Hamilton wants the invitation, of course. He wants it for his team, which he thinks was robbed last year when the committee thought FSU's schedule had a soft gooey center, and he wants it for his resume, which says he is in his fifth year at FSU without a NCAA appearance.

"I think we're a very good basketball team, and if we got into the tournament, I think we could hold our own."

As Hamilton puts it, however, the NCAAs are a moving target. A lot of it will depend on how many teams the ACC gets in - it has never had more than six teams invited, but this year, the talk is eight or nine - and how many other upsets force a second invitation from smaller leagues.

Some of the debate, too, may go beyond what FSU has done and into the notions of what it might have done if not for the injury to point guard Toney Douglas. FSU had won five out of six games when Douglas was hurt; afterward, it lost five in a row. If that hadn't happened, Hamilton will tell you, his team would have won enough to convince everyone.

Perhaps. Other teams have had injured players, too. Other teams had players turn pro early, as FSU did when Alexander Johnson jumped toward the NBA and wound up with the Arkansas Rimrockers. Hamilton's program, however, has yet to progress to the level where it can withstand injury and defection. An NCAA appearance might help FSU get there.

Hamilton will tell you his team belongs.

What a shame his team didn't join in the closing argument.

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

UNC 73, FSU 58

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 00:45:59]