11. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 8-1 (0-0 ACC)
Last Week: No. 11
One of the more underrated teams in the nation, Florida State has quietly gone about its business this season while snagging a strong collection of wins. Quite simply, the Seminoles might not get the same national attention as other ACC teams but they might deserve it. Head coach Leonard Hamilton has done a superb job with this roster as they are definitely building on their NCAA Tournament success from a year ago.
For a team that has played just nine games so far this year, it is impressive that the Seminoles can already boast victories Florida, LSU, Purdue, and UConn. And while their lone loss (against Villanova) does not particularly great at this point in time, it is also not a resume-killer by any stretch. Florida State’s resume is one of the best in the nation at this point in time and that should only improve once conference play begins. This is an experienced and talented team.
Looking ahead, Florida State has another tough test prior to ACC play with a matchup against Saint Louis coming up soon. If they are able to enter conference play at 12-1, then their opening ACC game will likely be a top-10 matchup with Virginia. That is a game worth circling on the calendar: Jan. 5.