TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Florida State will play 20 ACC games for the first time in league history, with its conference schedule highlighted by three Big Monday games on ESPN against North Carolina, Duke and Louisville. The Seminoles will play 10 ACC home games including contests against reigning national champion Virginia, the Cardinals, the Tar Heels, Notre Dame and in-state rival Miami. The Seminoles begin the season looking to play in the NCAA Tournament for the school-record tying fourth consecutive season as the ACC released the conference schedule for all 15 teams.
The Seminoles begin their ACC schedule at Pitt in their season opener on November 6 for the first time in school history and are scheduled to play 16 of their 20 games on the ESPN family of networks including five on the ACC Network.
The Seminoles are one of six teams in the nation (Florida State, Duke, Michigan, Kentucky, Purdue and Texas Tech) who have advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in both of the last two seasons. The Seminoles advanced to the Elite Eight in 2018 and to the Sweet 16 in 2019.
Including their season opener against Pitt, the Seminoles will play one ACC game in November (at Pittsburgh) and two home games in December (Clemson on December 8 and Georgia Tech on December 31), as the ACC has expanded the league schedule to include 20 games for the first time. The Seminoles played 18 ACC games during the 2018-19 season.
“Our ACC schedule proves one thing – there are no nights off in the ACC,” said Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. “All of the teams in our league continue to improve, and it continues to get harder and harder to play on the road in this league. The ACC has the best collection of teams in the country, and no matter how your schedule is set you have to be at your best every game. The added excitement for our fans are 20 league games and games played in November and December, as well as the traditional months of January, February and March.
“The move to 20 games is great for the college game and will have people talking about our league from the first day of the season. Each game takes on a much greater meaning, and we will be playing for positions in the standings all year. The idea that you have to be at your best from the opening tip of the season is exciting to our players and staff and especially our fans.”
Florida State’s ACC schedule contains home games against Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia (January 15), Notre Dame (January 25), North Carolina (February 3), Miami (February 8), Syracuse (February 15), Pittsburgh (February 18), Louisville (February 24) and Boston College (March 7). The Seminoles will play on the road at Pittsburgh, Louisville (January 4), Wake Forest (January 8), Miami (January 18), Virginia (January 28), Virginia Tech (February 1), Duke (February 10), NC State (February 22), Clemson (February 29) and Notre Dame (March 4).
The Seminoles play six teams twice during their ACC schedule — Clemson, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Virginia.
Florida State’s three nationally televised Big Monday games come against North Carolina (February 3), at Duke (February 10) and against Louisville (February 24).
Florida State finished the 2018-19 season with a school record for wins and a 29-8 record, a school record for ACC wins with a 13-5 conference record, its third appearance in the ACC Championship game and its second consecutive NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth. The Seminoles are 49-3 (.942 winning percentage in its last 52 home games) at home since the end of the 2015-16 season.
Florida State returns an experienced group of players for the 2019-20 season and will be led by returning guards Trent Forrest (9.3 ppg and 3.7 apg) and M.J. Walker (7.5 ppg, 44 3-point shots made). As one of the nation’s top points guards, Forrest will begin the season as a Bob Cousy Award nominee. The Seminoles also return forward RaiQuan Gray, who started three games in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, guard Devin Vassell, who scored 14 points against No. 16 Virginia Tech in the semifinals of the 2019 ACC Tournament and guard Anthony Polite, who averaged 11.5 minutes played last season as a redshirt freshman. The Seminoles also welcome one of the nation’s top recruiting classes to Tallahassee this fall. The group is headlined by Patrick Williams, considered by most to be one of the top-20 recruits entering college basketball, along with junior college standouts Nathanael Jack and RayQuan Evans.
Season tickets for the 2019-20 season, which includes six non-conference games and a 10-game home ACC schedule, are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by visiting seminoles.com or by calling the Florida State Ticket office at 1-888-378-6653.
