FSU basketball moves up in latest NCAA tournament projections

How’s that for a good week, FSU basketball?

The now-ranked Seminoles (19-8) advance to 8-7 in conference play with back-to-back home victories against No. 15 Clemson and Pittsburgh. Florida State moves up one spot to an 8-seed in the East region, slated to play 9-seed Saint Mary’s in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology. FSU is down to No. 29 in daily BPI.

The Seminoles ended a two-game losing streak, 81-79 in a thriller over the Tigers, before avoiding disaster against Pittsburgh on Saturday, 88-75. A victory over Saint Mary’s in the first round of the tournament would likely mean Florida State plays one-seed Villanova in the second round.

Teamrankings.com, however, still has FSU as a 9-seed below Oklahoma. The website gives the Garnet & Gold a 73% chance to make the tournament, and also predicts that Leonard Hamilton’s team will lose at least one more game this season.

The ‘Noles move up to a 7-seed on bracketmatrix.com, one spot ahead of the 8-seed Florida Gators, whom FSU stomped in Gainesville earlier this season. Florida State has three games remaining on its schedul — two on the road against NC State and Clemson before finishing off at home against Boston College.