The Florida State men's basketball team turns the calendar one page closer to the money month of March, standing at 13-7 overall (6-4 ACC) heading into tonight's road battle at Clemson (7 p.m., ACC Network).

After an 0-2 week that abruptly halted a six-game win streak, the Seminoles will look to gather themselves against the Tigers. Clemson was off over the weekend but nearly upset Duke, 71-69, last Tuesday.

On the season, Clemson is just 11-9 and 3-6 in conference play, but longtime head coach Brad Brownell and company come in with some momentum. The Tigers actually walloped Pittsburgh, 75-48, before the strong showing at Duke.

“Clemson has an outstanding dribble-drive and attack game. They do a very good job of shooting the ball from the perimeter,” FSU head coach Hamilton said. “And they are one of the better defensive teams in our league. We know we have to be at our very best.”

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A depleted FSU roster took the court last weekend against Virginia Tech lacking several key pieces: leading scorer Caleb Mills, senior point guard RayQuan Evans, plus top forward Malik Osborne, who was lost for the season with an ankle injury.

“I have been coaching since 1971, and I have never had a game where I lost my top three scorers in one game. That was different,” Hamilton said after the loss. “I look at the positive side -- those young guys are gaining valuable experience. That is who we are this year, and we have to play through it.”

While the frontcourt will adjust to life without the energetic senior Osborne, the big question tonight is whether starting guards Mills and Evans will return to the court.

On Monday, Hamilton sounded doubtful. But his tune changed when he spoke with the local media on Tuesday morning.

“I am assuming that we will have RayQuan Evans and Caleb Mills. Mills did not practice yesterday. Hopefully he will be able to participate today,” Hamilton said.

Mills leads FSU with 12.8 points per game, while Evans operates as one of the team’s primary ball-handlers and has made several huge last-second shots this season.

Mills has been sidelined for most of the past week with a non-COVID illness, while Evans has still been coping with the recent death of his brother.

“There’s no doubt that we need to have a full complement of our players," Hamilton said. "Let’s hope we do going into this game.”

“We challenged our guys," Hamilton added when praising the crop of FSU reserves who saw increased minutes against the Hokies. "The measure of a man’s character is how you perform under adversity. That’s part of growing up.”

For Clemson, leading scorer P.J. Hall has blossomed into a major threat as a sophomore. A top prospect out of high school, Hall has increased his scoring average from 3.5 points per game as a freshman in 2020-21 to nearly 15 per outing as a sophomore.

“P.J. is probably one of the most improved players in the ACC," Hamilton said. "His numbers are really off the charts in relation to what he did last year. He shoots the ball well from 3. He is athletic, he is high energy. Clemson is in his heart. He is kind of a local youngster who plays with an extreme amount of passion."

Hall also is consistent. He has scored in double-figures in every game this season since the opener.

“He is one of those guys, that obviously, is special. He plays with a level of confidence that is beyond his years,” Hamilton added. “He is athletic enough and strong enough to play inside and skilled enough to be on perimeter.”

Even if FSU isn’t at full strength against Clemson, the ’Noles have just 10 more regular-season chances to stack up wins in 2021-22.

“We really need guys to step into those roles and hopefully play beyond their experience level,” Hamilton said “We extended them more minutes than what they are accustomed to, and I am sure that had to do with some defensive lapses. I was encouraged in many ways. I have confidence that this team will continue to keep growing.”

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