FSU Basketball picked 2nd in ACC; highest preseason projection ever

It might have taken awhile, but the Atlantic Coast Conference media have finally started to recognize just what kind of men's basketball program Leonard Hamilton has built at Florida State.

In voting by media members at the ACC Tipoff event in Charlotte, the Seminoles were picked to finish second in the preseason conference poll. It's the highest they've been selected since joining the conference three decades ago.

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Florida State received 14 first-place votes and 1,034 total points overall.

Duke was picked to win the league, receiving 47 first-place votes and 1,132 points overall. North Carolina was picked to finish third.

After finishing higher than its preseason pick in each of the last five years, Florida State apparently has proven to voters that it will continue winning no matter how many players leave for the NBA.

Because the Seminoles have been doing that for a half-decade now.

The 'Noles are picked to finish second despite losing a huge portion of their rotation from last season, including the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft in Scottie Barnes.

Florida State returns just two of its top seven scorers from a year ago, but because of what Hamilton has established in Tallahassee, it's expected that this year's team -- which features two talented transfers in Houston's Caleb Mills and Kentucky's Cam'Ron Fletcher -- will pick up right where the last five left off.

The Seminoles, who are also ranked No. 20 in the AP preseason poll, finished second in the conference last year in the regular season and also in the ACC Tournament.

They have made the Sweet 16 in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

FSU will play the first of two preseason exhibition games on Oct. 28 vs. Mississippi College. The regular season begins Nov. 10 against visiting Penn.

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