As the selections for the NCAA Tournament loom, Florida State coach Link Jarrett believes his squad should be in line for a top-eight national seed just one year removed from missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 44 years.
He believes that with a good deal of conviction, too.
“This team is one of the best eight teams in the country, there’s no question in my mind,” Link Jarrett said after an ACC Tournament loss to eventual champion Duke. “They’ve responded time and time and time again. That’s not ultimately my decision. You guys study it, the committee clearly watches everything that’s going on this weekend more closely than I can. These guys have earned it.”
Florida State boasts a 42-15 overall record, with a 27-4 mark at home and a 17-12 record in ACC play.
While not all the metrics favor the Seminoles, Jarrett pointed to his team’s impressive bounce-back as evidence his squad is plenty deserving of a top-eight host slot. Tallahassee was announced as one of 16 regional host sites on Sunday night.
“The response by our guys all year, people ask about last year and the response to start this year by winning 19 games in a row probably set the wheels in motion for how you want to evaluate this team,” Link Jarrett said. “That’s a heck of a response. And they’ve answered and answered and answered this schedule.”
Florida State will be on the borderline of earning a top-eight seed when they are revealed on Monday. On3’sJonathan Wagner had the Seminoles as the No. 8 seed in his final Field of 64 projections.
The metrics will make it close.
“The strength of schedule and the numbers, I get it,” Link Jarrett said. “I just encourage anybody to have to deal with what we deal with in the middle of the week. Playing Florida three times in that series is tough.”
Moreover, his team is built for success in the postseason, he said.
The Seminoles have answers up and down the lineup, something that is crucial to postseason success, as evidenced by a deep run at the ACC Tournament.
“They’ve performed all phases of the game,” Link Jarrett said. “The depth on the mound, we might have nine guys now with saves, 10. And that’s not easy to do. The depth of this, the athleticism of the team, the versatility offensively, the balance offensively, they’ve earned the right.”
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