‘Noles drop second straight to Syracuse

Redshirt senior forward Malik Osborne and Florida State struggled from the field as the Seminoles came up just short against the Syracuse Orange by a score of 60-63. The loss is FSU’s third of the year as Hamilton and the coaching staff are managing a young, inexperienced group of players and have had to deal with some early injuries. 

Osborne, who is in his fourth season within Hamilton’s system, has been one of the overarching positives on a shaky start to the season. He’s emerged as the unquestionable of the Seminoles’ basketball program, but that doesn’t make him, nor the team, immune to the struggles of poor shooting. 

Against Syracuse, Florida State only shot 35% (22-63) from the field and were even worse from behind the three point line, where they were open all game but couldn’t convert. The ‘Noles shot a dismal 13% from three, only knocking down four of their 30 attempts. 

“We had the shots that we wanted,” head coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Tonight was one of those unusual nights where the shots just didn't fall. I thought that we got really good looks.” 

Furthermore, the Seminoles forfeited a double digit lead in the second half, and while they fought back, a possible game-winning lay-up by redshirt senior guard Anthony Polite was spoiled as he dribbled the ball off his knee and out of bounds in the final seconds of play. 

“We knew how much this game meant not just for ourselves but just for the program trying to set the ACC record for most consecutive ACC home wins,” Osborne said. “I know there’s a lot of pressure, and some guys were in positions that they’ve never been in before.”

Throughout the season, Osborne has been a tone-setter for the Seminoles, especially on the interior where the team has been short-handed this season because of senior center Tanor Ngom’s knee injury. Typically, Florida State has had the luxury of being one of the tallest teams in the NCAA, but Hamilton and the ‘Noles are going to have to work around that in the coming weeks. 

Behind sophomore transfer Caleb Mills, Osborne is the Garnet and Gold’s second leading scorer, averaging 11.4 points per game. He’s also been crucial on the glass, collecting a team high 7.3 rebounds a game. In the team’s home opener against Penn, Osborne recorded a double-double with a season high 18 points and 13 rebounds. 

Osborne has smoothly come into his leadership role even though he’s not used to being in this position. While he’s currently the team leader in rebounds and has the team’s second highest per-game scoring average, last season he was fourth in rebounds and sixth in points. 

He’s the ‘Noles’ most experienced player hands down, playing in 86 collegiate games prior to this season and starting in 59 of those. Earlier this season, Osborne was named Most Outstanding Player at the Jacksonville Classic, which Florida State won. 

He transferred to Florida State from Rice University before the start of the 2018-2019 season. Osborne redshirted his first season but during that time he put on 25 pounds of muscle. Since then, he’s been the epitome of Hamilton’s system of gradually developing players. Prior to collegiate basketball, Osborne attended Bosco Institute for a season after his graduation from Rich South High School. 

Osborne will have to continue being a leader and tone-setter for the Seminoles if they’re hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. His vocal presence is palpable, especially when he’s on the bench. He can often be heard cheering or lending advice to younger players during games. 

The Seminoles have about a week long break before their next matchup against South Carolina.