FSU basketball holding firm in NCAA Tournament projections

Perhaps in large part to not playing a game since Thursday of last week, the Florida State basketball team is sitting in the same spot it was a week ago in Joe Lunardi’s projected NCAA Tournament bracket for ESPN.

The Seminoles (11-1) come in as a No. 6 seed, matching up with No. 11 St. Johns (10-3) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville. Should they win their first matchup, they would face the winner of third-seeded Purdue and 14-seed Ball State.

For FSU, it’s a portion of the bracket with multiple familiar foes. The projected South Region has Duke as the top seed and Florida, who FSU soundly beat earlier this season, as the No. 8 seed.

Florida State will get a look at that top-notch Blue Devils team this weekend when it travels to Durham to take on No. 4 Duke (12-1) in its ACC opener on Saturday.

The Seminoles have a track record of overachieving relative to their preseason projection in the ACC. A strong showing over the next week against Duke and in FSU’s home opener against No. 13 North Carolina (11-2) next Wednesday could put the team well on its way to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.