Preston Scott has been host of The Morning Show with Preston Scott since its inception in March 2002. Recently, we spoke with Scott to get his take on Syracuse’s upcoming matchup with Florida State. Here’s what he had to say:
The Juice Online: What is the biggest storyline behind the 2017-18 FSU basketball team?
Preston Scott: The departure of NBA Draft picks actually made the Florida State basketball team better. A lot of people thought the loss of talent, Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Isaac, most notably, would hurt them because they wouldn’t have a go to guy. I think it’s just the opposite. I think at times, Florida State relied on those guys too much, especially Dwayne Bacon. This year, they can literally score deep into double figures, meaning 14-16 points from 6-7 different guys. And I think that makes scouting them very difficult because they don’t have a specific go to guy. They have several.
TJO: Florida State is coming off a tough loss to Louisville. What happened there?
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PS: Well the good news is that Florida State has shown the ability to not hang their heads when things go south for a while. The bad news is, I think they’ve become a little too reliant on outside shooting, and it’s not necessary. They have the size and skill to go inside and go to the rim. But I also think part of that is part of a problem because they’re a poor free throw shooting team. If you go to the rim, the recipe might be foul them, put them on the line, and take your chances.
TJO: Syracuse has really struggled to score the ball this season, what is the scouting report on Florida State’s defense?
PS: They’re going to guard you most of the court. They’re going to come at your in waves. They’re going to dare you to break them down on the outside because they’re going to have two 7-footers at the rim blocking shots on the inside. That’s the recipe for Florida State. They’ve got 2-3 really good shot blockers at the rim and that’ll allow them to take chances on the perimeter by risking the occasional back door or getting beat off the dribble because they’ve got guys at the rim.
TJO: What are your predictions for Saturday’s game?
PS: I expect them to play with a little more focus with regard to turning over the basketball. They have, in a couple games lately, been very loose with the basketball. It did not cost them against North Carolina. It did cost them against Louisville. I expect them to take care of the basketball much much better. I expect them to be very focused. Candidly, I expect them to win this game on their home floor. If this was at the Carrier Dome, I’m not sure. But I think at Florida State, they’ll win the game.
Be sure to check out more of The Morning Show with Preston Scott for more on Florida State basketball.
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