NIT Quick Hitter: Minnesota to play Florida State in semifinals

Having covered Maryland for much of the season in the award winning series Checking In With Maryland & Rutgers, I feel fully qualified to give a quick recap of Florida State's quarterfinal game against La. Tech. Hell, I wrote about the Seminoles twice, TWICE, in their games against Maryland. Anyways, enough tooting my own horn, there is a game to analyze.

FSU won 78-75 on Wednesday night in Tallahassee and are now setting their sights on Minnesota for a rematch from their ACC/B1G Challenge game back in December (which Minnesota won 71-61). The last time the Noles were in the NIT semifinals was 1997, which in a weird coincidence is the last time Minnesota was in a Final Four that they later had to vacate due to academic violations ('sup Clem)! FSU guard Aaron Thomas scored 21 points and snatched nine rebounds to lead the Seminoles in both categories. Thomas has scored over 20 points in all three NIT games for FSU, and will be a focal point in Minnesota's preparations for their semifinal showdown. Forward Okaro White had 20 points and eight rebounds to pace FSU in the front court.

The Noles shot a blistering 58.3% from beyond the arc (down from their 68.8% against Georgetown), which will be another area of concern for Minnesota to deal with. A place that the Gophers could gain in advantage is in the turnover department, where FSU has averaged over 15 turnovers per game in the NIT.

Minnesota takes on Florida State next Tuesday night in New York City. There will be much more coverage coming for you right here on BT Powerhouse.