FSU Hoops Learning to Deal with Deep ACC

After finishing 5-1 during a 6-game stretch against ranked teams, some thought it might be smooth sailing for Florida State as the final third of the season wound down. With back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, that’s proving not to be the case.

“Obviously, we’re going to have to step it up a little,” FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said during Monday’s ACC teleconference. “The media dubbed our little 6-game stretch playing against nationally ranked teams as the gauntlet. After each game, I reminded in the press conference that you have to understand this is a different ACC than we’ve been accustomed to.”

After the 5-1 stretch against ranked opponents, Florida State ascended to No. 6 in the polls. Since then, the Seminoles have not only been learning to play with a target on their chest, but they’ve been learning to play with a target on their chest, on the road and in a very deep ACC. FSU also has a young squad with six first-year players and only two scholarship seniors.

“There’s such a mental and emotional component of college basketball that isn’t talked about that much,” Hamilton said. “The mental component, the attention to detail will sometimes vary unfortunately because of the name on the jersey of the opponents. The flagship teams of our league have a culture where they understand that when you’re in that position, you have to come with it mentally and emotionally. On any given night, anybody can beat you.”

The ACC has long been regarded as one of the country’s best conferences and certainly the most tradition-rich. This season however, it may be better than it’s ever been. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has 10 ACC teams in his NCAA Tournament field. The teams currently sitting from second to 10th in the ACC standings are all separated by two games or less.

“The non-ranked teams are good enough to beat any team in America,” Hamilton said. “That’s the quality of the league we’re playing in from top to bottom. You have quality coaches, quality players, it’s a dogfight. If you’re not at your best every night, you can lose the game.”

Further illustrating the depth of the ACC might be the teams toward the bottom of the standings. Pittsburgh, who is a league-worst 1-8 in ACC play, missed a game-winning shot at the buzzer on Tuesday night in an 80-78 loss to North Carolina — the conference’s top team. N.C. State, who is just 3-6 in ACC play, went on the road to beat Duke earlier this season.

Winning on the road has been a struggle for Florida State and just about everyone else in ACC play. FSU will look to right that ship at Miami on Wednesday night. Miami routed North Carolina in Coral Gables its last time out on Saturday.

The Seminoles are 1-3 away from Tallahassee in conference with the lone victory a 60-58 thriller at Virginia on Dec. 31. That’s one of only five road victories over ranked teams conference-wide in ACC play this season. Only North Carolina, Virginia and Louisville have winning records on the road in conference play.

“You almost have to play better on the road when you’re at home,” Hamilton said. “We’re facing a very hungry Miami team on Wednesday night.”

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson