Tournament coverage.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles are well aware of Missouri freshman Michael Porter Jr.’s reputation as a potential NBA lottery pick and one of the nation’s top small forwards.

But even if the Seminoles do not know which Porter will show up for tonight’s NCAA tournament game between No. 9-seed FSU and No. 8-seed Mizzou at Bridgestone Arena, they are more than prepared to face off against a special talent.

As Florida State hopes to prolong its newfound team culture in its second straight NCAA Tournament, the Seminoles will need to slow Porter — a player with a comparable skillset to former FSU standout and Orlando Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac.

Porter (6-10, 215 pounds) may be more polished offensively whereas Isaac (6-10, 210) is the better defensive player. But FSU’s familiarity competing alongside and in practice against a player of a similar standout skillset could be a distinct advantage.

“He's just a tremendous talent,” FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said of Porter. “… More than anything else, he's extremely hungry to go out and show the world that he is who they all expect him to be.”

Porter — who was ranked behind Duke’s Marvin Bagley as the nation’s top high school prospect last year — was injured just two minutes into his college debut during the season opener on Nov. 10.

He made his return from surgery for a lingering back injury against Georgia on March 8, finishing with 12 points on 5 of 17 shooting with eight rebounds during a loss in the second round of the SEC tournament.

“I didn’t think (Porter) played bad in the last game,” said first-year Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin. “Anytime you can shoot 17 shots — and I don’t think he forced shots — that shows his level of confidence.”

Porter’s performance, in an attempt to shake off rust and regain his form, may have not been ideal for a player trying to impress NBA teams, especially during the postseason.

But with his talent level, Porter could heat up at any time.

The Seminoles hope Porter, who averaged 36.4 points and 13.5 rebounds as a senior, does not do so against them.

“The X-factor right now is you really don’t know which Michael Porter you’re going to get,” said associate coach Stan Jones, who is in charge of FSU’s game plan against the Tigers.

“You got one game film to look at of a guy that didn’t practice for a couple months, and hasn’t been up to game speed playing in big battles so you don’t know if he’s going to be phenomenal or if he’s going to be rusty. That’s the question mark we’ve got to answer early in the game.”