Florida State was slightly grounded this past weekend after falling to North Carolina on Saturday in Chapel Hill, but bounced back to grind out a home victory over Notre Dame on Monday.
For the season, FSU is 22-6 and winners of nine of its last 10. After being a No. 5 in two of the five brackets we survey weekly, the Seminoles are as high as a No. 4 in two of the five this week and no lower than a No. 5 in any projection.
Projections
ESPN: West Region No. 5 vs. (12) New Mexico State in San Jose (Feb. 26)
CBS Sports: West Region No. 4 vs. (13) Yale in San Jose (Feb. 25)
SB Nation: West Region No. 4 vs. (13) New Mexico State in San Jose (Feb. 26)
NBC Sports: Midwest Region No. 5 vs. (12) UCF/Utah State in San Jose (Feb. 25)
USA Today: West Region No. 5 vs. (12) Temple/Minnesota in Salt Lake City (Feb. 27)
Summary
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi and SB Nation’s Chris Dobbertean both have the Seminoles facing projected WAC champion New Mexico State in the West Region in San Jose, but as different seeds. Lunardi has the teams facing in the No. 5 vs. 12 match-up compared to the No. 4 vs. 13 contest for Dobbertean. The Seminoles and Aggies have never met on the hardwood.
Like Dobbertean, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has Florida State as the No. 4 seed in the West Region in San Jose, but against a different opponent. Palm pits FSU against No. 13 seed and projected Ivy League champion Yale. The teams have no prior meetings.
Both NBC Sports’ Dave Ommen and the USA Today duo of Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson have FSU as a No. 5 seed and taking on a play-in winner. Like the three others mentioned before, the USA Today tandem puts the Seminoles in the West Region, but in Salt Lake City rather than San Jose. Ommen, like the three aforementioned, puts FSU in San Jose, but in the Midwest Region.
In the newest bracket of the five, the USA Today duo has FSU facing the winner of Temple and Minnesota. FSU is 1-3 all-time against the Owls with the last meeting being an 89-86 Temple victory in the NIT Tip-Off in Brooklyn on Thanksgiving in 2016.
FSU and Minnesota have met 11 times and six since November 2000 with five of those coming in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. FSU won 75-67 in Tallahassee in the last meeting in November 2016, but is just 5-6 all-time against the Golden Gophers. Minnesota won in the last neutral court match-up in the 2014 NIT semifinals, but the only NCAA Tournament meeting went the way of the Seminoles en route to a national championship appearance in 1972. FSU won 70-56 in the Sweet 16 in Dayton.
Ommen has the Seminoles facing either UCF or Utah State. FSU is 11-0 all-time against UCF with the last victory being a 96-73 victory in December 2014. FSU beat Utah State 66-55 in the Preseason NIT in November 1997.
FSU will wrap up a 3-game homestand with NC State on Saturday and then against Virginia Tech on Tuesday in a contest that very well could decide who gets the final double bye in the ACC Tournament. NC State is currently projected as a No. 11 seed in four of the five brackets and as a No. 10 seed by Ommen. Both Lunardi and Dobbertean have the Wolfpack grabbing one of the last four byes.
Virginia Tech was seeded as high as a No. 5 by USA Today and Palm, but as a No. 6 by the three other bracketologists. The Hokies are coming off an upset of No. 3 Duke, which was only accounted for in the USA Today bracket. The latest projections from Ommen and Palm came before FSU’s victory over Notre Dame on Monday night.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
Mike Olivella/FSU athletics 
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