On My Mind Monday: How Has FSU Hoops Fared in the ACC Tournament with a Top-4 Seed?

With Saturday’s 67-61 win over NC State in Raleigh, Florida State clinched a top-4 seed in the ACC Tournament.

That means the Seminoles will receive a double-bye and won’t play until the third day of the conference tournament — on Thursday, March 12. It marked the third time in four seasons that FSU has clinched a top-4 seed in the ACC Tournament, but historically, those type of seasons have been few and far between.

Here’s a look back at the ACC Tournaments where the Seminoles secured a top 4 seed:

1992

Seed: No. 2
ACC Tournament Results: Beat No. 7 NC State, 93-80; lost to No. 3 North Carolina, 80-76
Final Record: 22-10, lost to Indiana in Sweet 16
National Ranking: No. 16 AP; No. 20 UPI
Key Players: Sam Cassell, G; Doug Edwards, F; Chuck Graham, G
Overview: Florida State’s inaugural season in the ACC saw the Seminoles go 11-5 against the conference. Only Duke had a better record than FSU in the ACC, but the Seminoles were tripped up by No. 3 seed North Carolina in the ACC Semifinals. Still, FSU would go on to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.

1993

Seed: No. 2
ACC Tournament Results: Lost to No. 7 seed Clemson, 87-75
Final Record: 25-10, lost to Kentucky in Elite Eight
National Ranking: No. 11 AP; No. 7 UPI
Key Players: Bob Sura, G; Sam Cassell, G; Doug Edwards, F
Overview: In FSU’s second season in the ACC, head coach Pat Kennedy and the Seminoles actually did better than in the first, finishing 12-4 in conference. The Seminoles’ stay in the ACC Tournament however, was a short one as FSU was upset by a Clemson team that had Chris Whitney, Devin Gray and Sharone Wright. FSU would rebound to reach the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history.

2009

Seed: No. 4
ACC Tournament Results: Beat No. 12 seed Georgia Tech, 64-62; beat No. 1 seed North Carolina, 73-70; lost to No. 3 seed Duke, 79-69
Final Record: 25-10, lost to Wisconsin in first round of NCAA Tournament
National Ranking: No. 16 AP; No. 22 Coaches
Key Players: Toney Douglas, G; Uche Echefu, F; Solomon Alabi, C
Overview: Florida State had gone 11 years without making the NCAA Tournament before Leonard Hamilton’s 2008-09 squad won 10 ACC games and secured the No. 4 seed in the conference. The Seminoles would reach the ACC Championship for the first time ever with a couple of nail-biters. Against Georgia Tech, Derwin Kitchen’s late 3-point play served as the difference in a tight win. The next day, FSU used some clutch late free throws from Toney Douglas to down top-seeded North Carolina. Unfortunately, Duke proved to be too much for FSU in the ACC title game. The Seminoles would also lose a heartbreaker in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Wisconsin in overtime, 61-59.

2010

Seed: No. 3
ACC Tournament Results: Lost to No. 11 seed NC State, 58-52
Final Record: 22-10, lost to Gonzaga in first round of NCAA Tournament
National Ranking: None
Key Players: Solomon Alabi, C; Chris Singleton, F; Michael Snaer, G
Overview: Florida State captured the No. 3 seed in the 2010 ACC Tournament, but shot just 38 percent shooting and turned the ball over 20 times in an upset loss to No. 11 seed NC State. The Seminoles garnered a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were again 1-and-done with a loss to Gonzaga.

2011

Seed: No. 3
ACC Tournament Results: Lost to No. 6 seed Virginia Tech, 52-51
Final Record: 23-11, lost to Virginia Commonwealth in Sweet 16 in overtime
National Ranking: No. 19 Coaches
Key Players: Derwin Kitchen, G; Chris Singleton, F; Michael Snaer, G
Overview: For the second straight season, Florida State was the No. 3 seed in the ACC, but lasted just one game. Against sixth-seeded Virginia Tech, FSU led 51-50 late, but Malcolm Delaney’s late jumper put Virginia Tech ahead. FSU looked to have won the game on a jumper by guard Derwin Kitchen at the buzzer, but replay review determined that Kitchen did not get the shot off in time. Despite the early exit, FSU would pull off upsets of Texas A&M and Notre Dame to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993. There, FSU fell in an overtime heartbreaker to a Virginia Commonwealth team that went on to reach the Final Four.

2012

Seed: No. 3
ACC Tournament Results: Defeated No. 6 seed Miami, 82-71; beat No. 2 seed Duke, 62-59; beat No. 1 seed North Carolina, 85-82
Final Record: 25-10
National Ranking: 25-10, lost to Cincinnati in second round of NCAA Tournament
Key Players: Michael Snaer, G; Bernard James, F; Ian Miller, G
Overview: Florida State’s lone ACC title came in 2012 and that wrapped up with 3-point wins over the conference’s top two seeds. Both Duke and North Carolina had shots at the buzzer to force overtime against the Seminoles, but both came up short. FSU would secure a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but after surviving a scare from St. Bonaventure, the Seminoles were upset by Cincinnati in the second round.

2017

Seed: 2
ACC Tournament Results: Defeated No. 7 seed Virginia Tech, 74-68; lost to No. 3 seed Notre Dame, 77-73
Final Record: 26-9, lost to Xavier in second round of NCAA Tournament
National Ranking: No. 16 AP; No. 24 Coaches
Key Players: Dwayne Bacon, G; Jonathan Isaac, F; Xavier Rathan-Mayes, G
Overview: During the 2016-17 season, Florida State tied school records for highest ACC seed and ACC wins, but couldn’t reach the ACC Championship. After topping Virginia Tech, FSU fell to a Notre Dame team that shot 13-for-27 from deep. 3-point defense would also be FSU’s undoing in the NCAA Tournament as Xavier shot 11 of 17 from distance to knock Florida State out in the second round.

2019

Seed: No. 4
ACC Tournament Results: Beat No. 5 seed Virginia Tech in overtime, 65-63; defeated No. 1 seed Virginia, 69-59; lost to No. 3 seed Duke, 73-63
Final Record: 29-8, lost to Gonzaga in Sweet 16
National Ranking: No. 10 AP; No. 13 Coaches
Key Players: Mfiondu Kabengele, F; Terance Mann, G/F; Trent Forrest, G
Overview: During a season where Florida State set program records for total wins and ACC victories, the Seminoles reached the ACC Championship for just the third time. After beating Virginia Tech in an overtime thriller and knocking off top-seed and eventual national champion Virginia, FSU would come up short against Duke in the ACC Championship. The Seminoles topped Vermont and Murray State in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Gonzaga in a Sweet 16 rematch.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.