Florida State basketball has a chance to make history vs. Georgia Tech

Florida State Seminoles basketball has already made history a few times this season — both as a team and individually — but today vs. the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the ACC Tournament Final, there are a few other benchmarks on the line for FSU.

The most obvious — if the Noles win, it would be just the second tournament title in school history. FSU won the regular-season ACC title in 2020 (the program’s first outright) and looked to be on its way to coupling it with a second tournament trophy before the season was canceled.

One historic moment has already happened — it’s the first time in tournament history that a founding member of the ACC isn’t playing in the title game. Should the Seminoles win, they’d join Virginia and Georgia Tech as the only non-original ACC members to win multiple tournament titles.

A second — it’s the first time in school history that FSU has played in two straight title games (in 2019, the Seminoles dropped a hard-fought game vs. the Zion Williamson-led Duke Blue Devils.)

If Leonard Hamilton coaches the Seminoles to a win, he’d be the first coach not named Mike Krzyzewski or Roy Williams to earn a second ACC tournament title since Maryland’s Dave Odom in 1996 (also the last time a team other than Duke or UNC won consecutive titles.)

He’d also be the oldest head coach to ever win an ACC Tournament title

Assuming he’s parting of the starting five, freshman Scottie Barnes would be the Seminoles’ first-ever freshman starter to win an ACC tournament title — in 2012, freshman Terry Whisnant saw the floor but didn’t log any points. If he takes the floor with the first five, he’ll end up being the first-ever freshman to start an ACC title game for FSU — then-freshmen Devin Vassell and Raiquan Gray combined for nine points in reserve roles.

Some of the other records set so far this season and on the line, via FSU Sports Information:

• Florida State’s second place finish in the 2021 ACC Standings marks the second time in school history the Seminoles have finished in the top two in the ACC standings in consecutive seasons (also second in both 1992 and 1993). The runner-up finish also marks the school-record eighth time Hamilton has guided his Seminoles to a top-four finish in the ACC standings. Florida State has won double digit ACC games in three consecutive and five of the last six seasons. Prior to Hamilton’s arrival at Florida State for the 2002-03 season, Florida State had won 10 or more games in ACC play five times; he and his staff have led the Seminoles to at least 10 ACC wins eight times since the 2008-09 season
• Florida State defeated Wake Forest, 92-85, in overtime on February 13, 2021 in Tallahassee for its all-time college basketball record-tying 11th consecutive overtime victory. The Seminoles have won each of the their overtime decisions since a 101- 90 double overtime win over Syracuse on January 13, 2018 in a game played at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee. The Seminoles now hold the all-time national record for consecutive overtime victories of 11 along with Louisville (1968- 75), UMass (1991-96) and Virginia (1991-96)
• Florida State enters the 2021 ACC Tournament leading the ACC in both scoring offense and scoring margin. The Seminoles are averaging a league-best 79.6 points scored per game and with a +9.5 scoring margin. The Seminoles have outscored their first 20 opponents of the season by 191 points (1,592-1,401). Florida State is looking to lead the ACC in both statistical categories for the first time since joining the league for the 1991-92 season
• Senior M.J. Walker enters the 2021 ACC Tournament ranked in the top 15 of three different statistical categories in Florida State’s record book. He is shooting .798 for his career from the free throw line; is one of 10 players in school history to have made 150 or more 3-point field goals and is one of only eight players to attempt 460 or more 3-point field goals.