The Seminoles have caught fire at the right time, this time upending SMU
Florida State basketball entered Saturday facing a 0.2% chance of making the NCAA Tournament.
But the Seminoles just took down one of the few bubble teams ahead of March Madness.
This time FSU turned to Chauncey Wiggins who dropped 31 points on SMU, leading to the 91-78 romp on Saturday in Tallahassee. And the win certainly can boost FSU's chances to potentially make a run at the tournament.
Florida State also comes with a 0.1% chance to earn an at-large bid per the website Team Rankings. Yet the Noles have beaten teams that either look like a lock for March Madness or could still sneak into the tournament.
FSU first toppled rival Miami to spark some attention. And that Jan. 20 victory started a 10-3 finish in the regular season.
The Noles later took down Cal, another team on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. FSU then walloped two more bubble teams in Virginia Tech and Clemson (the latter with 20 wins at the time of the defeat).
SMU became one more facing "bubble" status among the ACC representatives. Yet the Mustangs hold an 86.4% chance of making the tournament featuring an 85.2% chance of heading there as an at-large.
But FSU once again is ignoring the March Madness probability for teams and creating a momentum wave heading into the ACC tourney in Charlotte on March 10.
Wiggins delivered his best scoring performance of the season in surpassing the 30-point mark. He became efficient from behind the arc by nailing six threes out of eight attempts. Wiggins even came close to hitting a double-double as he pulled down nine rebounds.
Robert McCray V emerged as another big scoring option in producing 17 points. But he hit a double-double by dishing out 12 assists. He also tied for the team-lead with two steals.
Lajae Jones scored 12 points with seven rebounds to join the double-digit scoring party. Kobe MaGee became the last to reach past nine points, settling for 10 against the Mustangs.
Saturday's romp marked the second time since Valentine's Day that FSU scaled past the 90-point mark. Florida State is now 17-14 overall with a 10-8 mark in ACC play.
Florida State is currently projected to land the eighth seed inside the Spectrum Center. A rematch with SMU or matchup against the Golden Bears could be in the works.
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