Tallahassee, Fla. (seminoles.com) – The nationally ranked Florida State Men’s Basketball Team, which advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, will play host to five ACC teams that were NCAA Tournament teams and three NIT participants, as the ACC released the complete conference schedule for the 2018-19 season. The Seminoles will play host to Duke, Clemson, Miami, NC State and Virginia Tech as part of its 18-game ACC schedule which begins at Virginia on Jan. 5, 2019.
The Seminoles are the third winningest team in the ACC in the last 13 seasons and will compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season when they start their conference schedule against the Cavaliers.
Florida State’s outstanding conference schedule at home begins with consecutive games against intra-state rival Miami (Jan. 9) and Duke (Jan. 12). Also in the month of January, the Seminoles play host to Clemson (Jan. 22) – a string of three consecutive games at home against 2018 NCAA Tournament teams.
Following home games against Georgia Tech (Feb. 2), Louisville, with new head coach Chris Mack (Feb. 9) and Wake Forest (Feb. 13), the Seminoles close their home season with one of the most exciting conference home stands in school history as they host Notre Dame (Feb. 25), NC State (March 2) and Virginia Tech (March 5).
Florida State plays four teams twice during its ACC schedule – Miami, Clemson, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
Florida State’s stature as one of the nation’s top programs continues to shine as 11 of its ACC games are set for national television exposure on the ESPN family of networks including seven slated for ESPN. The Seminoles’ game at North Carolina (Feb. 23) will be televised live on CBS. Florida State will now play at least 16 of its games during the season on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
“I really like the way our schedule lines up for us,” said two-time ACC Coach of the Year Leonard Hamilton. “Our home schedule brings many of the top teams in the ACC to the Tucker Center. I’ve seen all of the teams’ schedules, and the ACC teams that will play at our place in front of our fans, may be the best combination of teams playing in any arena in the ACC this season. Every team in the ACC continues to get better. Today’s ACC is the greatest group of teams in any league in college basketball ever.”
The Seminoles play on the road in ACC play at Virginia (Jan. 5), Pitt, with new Head Coach Jeff Capel, (Jan. 9), Boston College (Jan. 20), Syracuse (Feb. 5), Miami (Jan. 27), Georgia Tech (Feb. 16), Clemson (Feb. 19), North Carolina and Wake Forest (March 9).
Florida State advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and for only the third time in school history during the 2017-18 season. The Seminoles finished with a 23-12 record, a 9-9 mark in ACC play, won the Jamaica Classic and played in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last 10 years. Florida State was one of two ACC teams to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, defeated six nationally ranked teams and three higher seeded teams in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Seminoles return nearly 75 percent of their scoring and more than 76 percent of their rebounding from its NCAA Elite Eight team. Starters Phil Cofer (12.8 ppg / 5.1 rpg), Terance Mann (12.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg), and Christ Koumadje (6.5 ppg / 1.5 bpg) return for the 2018-19 campaign. Cofer and Mann return as Florida State’s top two returning scorers and top two returning rebounders. The fifth-year and fourth-year returning duo were both named to the NCAA Tournament All-West Region Team as they led the Seminoles to wins over No. 8 seeded Missouri, No. 1 seeded Xavier and No. 4 seeded Gonzaga to advance within one game of the Final Four. Cofer (111 career games played) and Mann (103 career games played) are two of the most experienced returning players in the ACC for the 2018-19 season.
Cofer and Mann are poised to become the next two members of the Seminoles’ illustrious 1,000 career point club. Cofer enters the season with 814 points and needs only 186 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Mann enters the season with 900 career points and needs only 100 to reach the coveted mark.
Season tickets for the 2018-19 season are on sale now. The Seminoles welcome seven NCAA Tournament teams (five ACC teams, Florida on Nov. 6 and Purdue in the ACC /Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 28) to the Donald L. Tucker Center, where they have the best home record in college basketball in the last two years. Tickets can be ordered online at seminoles.com.
