It's been a while but the Florida State men's basketball team is one of the Top 10 teams in the nation.
FSU (15-1, 3-0) broke through into The Top 10 when The Associated Press released its basketball poll on Monday. The Seminoles are the No. 9 team in the nation, the highest in-season ranking since the week of Feb. 22, 1993 when they were sixth. FSU center Michael Ojo, a fifth-year graduate student, was the only player on the current roster who was born when the Seminoles were sixth.
As for the Top 10 itself, this is the Seminoles' first return to the Top since the final poll of the 2012 season. That was also the last season the Seminoles reached the NCAA Tournament.
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Ranked 12th last week, the Seminoles received help in their ascension through The AP Poll and into the Top 10.
Four teams ranked ahead of FSU lost over the last week. Previous No. 1 and defending national champions Villanova lost to Butler. West Virginia, which was No. 7, lost in overtime to Texas Tech while ACC rivals Louisville and Virginia also lost games. The Cardinals were ninth while the Cavaliers, which lost to the Seminoles on Dec. 31, were 11th.
FSU's rise through the polls really began gaining momentum since late November when it began its current 11-game winning streak.
The Seminoles beat No. 24 Minnesota in late November and weeks later, got another victory over No. 23 Florida. They've also picked up wins over ACC foes Wake Forest and now-No. 19 Virginia.
On Saturday, FSU cruised to a 93-78 victory over Virginia Tech. The Hokies, who were ranked 21st last week, fell out of the Top 25.
The Seminoles, one of six ACC teams ranked in this week's poll, are off to the first 3-0 ACC start in school history and will host No. 7 Duke (14-2, 2-1 ACC) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Tucker Center. Here is the complete AP Top 25.
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