FSU basketball’s spot in latest NCAA Tournament projections

Playing any team in the ACC is no easy task, especially a squad that has only surrendered one loss in its 2017-18 campaign.

On Wednesday night, FSU basketball had a 32-22 lead going into the half against No. 2 Virginia, only to give it up and eventually fall to the Cavaliers 59-55 in a narrative that is all too familiar to Seminole fans. Virginia’s stellar defense held Florida State without a field goal for the final 9:01 of the game, and proved that its 14-game winning streak coming into Tallahassee was no fluke.

Despite the loss, which brought the ’Noles back to a .500 record in conference play, FSU (17-7) remained an 8-seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology today. Moving up to No. 22 in BPI, the Seminoles are now projected to face 9-seed Alabama once again in the East region’s Pittsburgh venue.

Pending a victory, Florida State would most likely look forward to a difficult match-up with 1-seed Villanova, who is the favorite to win the tournament per TeamRankings.com. In agreement with ESPN’s Lunardi, this site projects FSU to draw a bid as an 8-seed, with a 73.8% chance to make the tournament.

On the other hand, BracketMatrix.com still has a positive outlook for the ’Noles following their defeat, where they are listed as a 7-seed and are included in 107 of 108 brackets surveyed. The Seminoles will look to improve their tournament stock with a win on the road against Notre Dame on Saturday.