Florida State basketball hosts Southeastern Louisiana

The Seminoles are 5-2, and now face a stretch of four straight where they'll be significant favorites. If they can get to the final out of conference game - at Florida - with a record of 9-2 then they'll be right in position with an NCAA tournament resume heading into ACC play.

But if they drop one prior to Florida, they'll have some catching up to do.

First up are the Southeastern Louisiana Lions. Frankly, this shouldn't be much of a game. They aren't a senior laden team that can spread you out and shoot from all five positions like Hofstra. They don't have a one-man wrecking crew like Kori Babineaux at Jacksonville. In fact, the Lions (2-7) haven't even beaten a Division I team yet.

The Noles should win by double figures, and have the game in hand by early in the 2nd half. Pomeroy has the Noles at 98% to win this game. The biggest upset I've seen this season is Wisconsin losing at home to Western Illinois when they were pegged with 97% chance of winning.

The one player in double figures for the Lions is 6-0 senior Zay Jackson (13.3 ppg). They're more of a committee team, and have 10 guys who average 5.5 points or more per game.

This is more of a mental test for FSU. With the students on break, can the Noles focus when the opponent is overmatched, and the crowd is sparse? The one thing Southeastern does well is force turnovers with their pressure defense. Can FSU stay calm and execute?

With a week since their last game, and a contest with Mississippi State looming on Wednesday, this may be a chance for Leonard Hamilton to go deeper into the bench and try to buy some rest for the weary. Devon Bookert has been playing with a bad wrist, and Phil Cofer has been battling a foot injury. That could open up more minutes for Terance Mann, Benji Bell, and Jarquez Smith.

The game tips at 3pm and will be broadcast on ESPN3.