The Daily Nole

Bracketology: FSU Climbs After .500 Week

Mike Olivella/FSU athletics

Despite a 1-1 week that included a missed opportunity on Wednesday night with a loss to No. 2 Virginia at home, Florida State moved up the bracket, according to each of the experts. Prior to Wednesday’s loss, FSU picked up a big road win last weekend at Louisville.

For the season, FSU is 17-7 and 6-6 in ACC play. This week’s look at the bracket features a new set of experts in USA Today’s Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson.

Projections
ESPN: East Region No. 8 vs. (9) Alabama in Pittsburgh (Feb. 8)
CBS Sports: West Region No. 7 vs. (10) Houston (Feb. 9)
SB Nation: South Region No. 7 vs. (10) Washington in Nashville (Feb. 6); No. 7 seed, No. 25 overall (Feb. 9)
NBC Sports: Midwest Region No. 6 vs. (11) New Mexico State in Dallas (Feb. 9)
USA Today: West Region No. 5 vs. (12) New Mexico State in Boise (Feb. 8)

Summary
Florida State climbed in the bracket on each of the previous experts listed, but had its highest seed according to the newcomers from USA Today as a No. 5 seed. Both the USA Today duo and NBC Sports’ Dave Ommen have the Seminoles facing New Mexico State.

USA Today has the contest in Boise as part of the West Region while Ommen has the teams playing in the No. 6 vs. No. 11 match-up in Dallas in the Midwest Region. Those teams have never met on the hardwood.

Both Chris Dobbertean of SB Nation and Jerry Palm of CBS Sports list the Seminoles as a No. 7 seed. Palm pits FSU against Houston in an unfavorable territory in Dallas as part of the West Region. Dobbertean put the Seminoles in Nashville for the South Region against Washington.

FSU is 2-3 all-time against Houston and 1-1 against Washington, but hasn’t faced either team since the mid-1970s. In Dobbertean’s more recent piece from Friday, he lists Florida State as the top No. 7 seed.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi showed the Seminoles the least amount of love as they’re listed as just a No. 8 seed in the East Region against No. 9 Alabama in Pittsburgh. FSU beat Alabama in the last meeting in Orlando for the 2009 Old Spice Classic by a score of 60-51.

Upcoming for FSU this week is a road contest at Notre Dame on Saturday before a home contest against No. 16 Clemson on Wednesday. Notre Dame appears only in Dobbertean’s piece as the No. 81 overall team, which is outside the bracket. Palm and Dobbertean have Clemson as a No. 2 seed currently. The other three experts have the Tigers as a No. 3.

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

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