Florida State University Men’s Basketball team has become one of the break-out stories in this year’s "March Madness" NCAA Division 1 Basketball Tournament. The team is heading to the Elite Eight regional finals.
It’s the first time since 1993 that the FSU Men’s Team has shown up in the Elite Eight, and a feat basketball coach Leonard Hamilton tells the university he’s pleased with.
“Yes, it’s significant. But right now we have to stay focused. We can’t allow ourselves to get too ahead of ourselves," he said, following FSU's win over Gonzaga. That team had the nation's longest winning streak at 16 games and were national finalists last year.
This year’s March Madness college basketball tournament has been full of bracket-busting wins. FSU will take on Michigan this Saturday in a bid for the Final Four. Hamilton says where the team started the season and is ending it show both growth and maturity.
“We finished the season being one of the worst three-point defensive teams in the league. But I think our guys have learned, grown and gotten better.”
It’s been 10 years since a Florida men’s team won the Division 1 tournament. The University of Florida did it in 2007 and reached the Final Four in 2014. UF was in the Elite Eight last year; And both the University of Miami and Florida Gulf Coast University had Sweet 16 appearances in 2016 and 2013 respectively.
