Noles win exhibition 95-73

Do exhibition scores matter? Well, Miami lost an exhibition game two years ago to something called St. Leo and then the Canes went on to win the ACC and earn a 2-seed to the dance. So no. Exhibition scores don't matter.

But we can learn things. For one, who gets the minutes? The top four in that category were Montay Brandon (26), Aaron Thomas (25), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (21) and Devon Bookert (21). For the centers, Kiel Turpin played 16, while Bojo and Ojo each played 12.

Second, how did the new kids look? Well, they looked fine to me on the radio, but hopefully Ariya and Matt can chime in with some player observations since they were sitting down low.

The game itself was neck and neck to 36, with Embry Riddle hitting 7-10 3s. But then they cooled off and FSU took a 49-40 lead at half. In the middle of the second half they built a 20-point lead and cruised the rest of the way, winning 95-73.

Aaron Thomas led all scorers with 18 points. Jarquez Smith had 13, Turpin had 12 points and 8 boards, and XRM had 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. For the other newcomers, Phil Cofer had 8 points and 7 rebounds (a good recipe for earning minutes), Dayshawn Watkins had 7 points, and Robbie Berwick added 6.

The Noles play one more exhibition a week from today, before beginning their season at home on Nov 15 vs Manhattan.