March 11, 2012

D.C. Reeves
Warchant.com Managing Editor

ATLANTA - Florida State has its NCAA road map.

The Seminoles were awarded a No. 3 seed in the East Region and will play the 14th-seeded St. Bonaventure in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday. It ties the highest seeding ever received by a Florida State team - the Seminoles were a No. 3 seed in 1993. The game is expected to tip off around 2:45 p.m. ET.

"I'm not really sure it makes much difference with our opponent in the NCAA Tournament," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said shortly after the announcement. "Everybody you play is going to be tough and well coached. You've just got to focus on what you do.

St. Bonaventure (20-11) made the field thanks to an improbable run to the Atlantic 10 Championship. It is the Bonnies' first NCAA trip since 2000. It beat Xavier 67-56 in the A-10 title game on Sunday.

If FSU can advance on Friday, it will face the winner of the No. 6 seed Cincinnati Bearcats and the No. 11 seeded Texas Longhorns.

"It means a lot, a high accomplishment," Michael Snaer said of the team's seeding. "I can't say enough about the guys we've got."

The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds of the East Region will be played in Boston.