Like everyone else on the team, Florida State forward Chris Singleton jumped in the cold tub after a Friday victory over Texas A&M, then returned to the hotel, ate dinner and moved on. No groundbreaking therapy for his foot after a month-plus layoff. No ill effects at all.
"I felt I could have played another game," Singleton said Saturday.
It's not the best news for No. 2 seed Notre Dame, which likely hoped the freakishly athletic ACC Defensive Player of the Year would have that right foot swollen to the size of a zeppelin after his return. No such luck -- though coach Leonard Hamilton said Saturday that Singleton won't play much more than the 16 minutes he logged against the Aggies, and maybe even less.
"It feels good," Singleton said. "I feel like I can play more minutes. I feel I can play every minute if coach wants me to. It's up to him and what the doctors are telling him. That's the only thing we can go off of, man."
So Florida State's already suffocating defense -- the Seminoles enter the game allowing opponents to shoot just 36.2 percent, the best figure in the country -- has a key component back. But on the flipside, the difference with Singleton and without Singleton hasn't been that stark.
Opponents averaged 64.8 points and shot 38.5 percent in six games Florida State played without Singleton. In 25 games with him pre-injury, the numbers were 61.6 points and 35.9 percent. And offensively, the Seminoles actually shot better without their leading scorer in the lineup, hitting 46 percent without Singleton and 43 percent with him.
Still, Irish coach Mike Brey said he saw a relief set in for Florida State once Singleton returned to the floor Friday, after sitting out since Feb. 12.
"Singleton being back has given them a lift," Brey said. "I'm impressed with his basketball IQ. He was telling guys where to go -- it was almost like having a coach back on the court (Friday). I'm really impressed with his leadership as well as being a great talent."
Source: http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2011/03/florida-states-singleton-ready-for-more-sunday.html
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