Florida State is one of the biggest surprises of the 2016-17 college basketball season. The Seminoles are 18-2, ranked sixth in the country and 6-1 in ACC play.
Others from around the country have taken notice of just how good the Seminoles are and around Tallahassee, there’s the sense that this year’s team has the chance to be something special. The debate will rage on as to just how special, but FSU has the chance to set new school-records in various categories.
Here’s a look at some of the school-records that are within reach:
27 wins, set during the 1972-73 season
With 18 wins under its belt and 11 regular season games to play, Florida State can tie the school-record for victories by going 9-2 to close the season. The Seminoles will also then have the ACC and NCAA Tournaments to get there. Assuming FSU can win at least one game in each tournament, it will have virtually 15 games to get nine wins to tie the record or 10 to break it. The most games FSU has won under head coach Leonard Hamilton is 25 and it has done so twice.
12 ACC wins, set during the 1992-93 and 2011-12 seasons
Florida State has twice won 12 games in ACC play and to get there this season, it will need to go just 6-5 down the stretch. The two seasons in which it won 12 games however, came with a 16-game conference slate. That has since stretched to 18 games, so for FSU to finish with a higher winning percentage, it will need to go 14-4 or 8-3 down the stretch. To finish with more wins, it will need to go at least 7-4.
No. 2 ACC Tournament seed, set during the 1992-93 season
The highest seed Florida State has ever held in the ACC Tournament is second during the 1993 trip to Charlotte. Unfortunately, FSU was bounced in the first round by seventh-seeded Clemson. The Seminoles are currently tied atop the conference with North Carolina, but the Tar Heels did beat FSU when the teams met earlier this month. The Seminoles were the No. 3 seed when they won the conference tournament in 2012.
No. 3 NCAA Tournament seed, done three times
Most prognosticators currently have Florida State penciled in as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would be the highest FSU has ever been seeded. Since the NCAA Tournament started seeding teams by number in 1979, the Seminoles have been the No. 3 seed on three occasions (1992, 1993, 2012). Those three appearances saw FSU get bounced in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and round of 32.
No. 7 final ranking, set during the 1992-93 season
Despite reaching the national championship in 1972, the highest Florida State has ever finished in a poll is seventh in the Coaches Poll at the conclusion of the 1992-93 season. FSU currently sits at No. 6 in the AP Poll and eighth in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
No. 2 national ranking, set during the 1972-73 season
Fresh off a national championship appearance, Florida State began the 1972-73 season ranked second in the country. FSU has never been the No. 1 team and getting there may seem like a long shot this season. Three of the nation’s top five teams in the AP Poll have already gone down this week however. FSU has road games this week against Georgia Tech and Syracuse. No. 3 Gonzaga plays San Diego and Pepperdine. No. 5 Baylor plays Texas Tech and Ole Miss.
.846 winning percentage, set during the 1954-55 season
This one may be the toughest to achieve. During the 1954-55 season, the Seminoles posted a 22-4 record which was good for a winning percentage of .846. So far this season, FSU has won 90 percent of its games. Maintaining that won’t be easy down the stretch, but for FSU to finish with a new school-record for winning percentage, it would need to finish the regular season with a record of 27-4. To maintain it, the Seminoles would need to go at least 6-2 combined in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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