TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida State plays host to Ole Miss for the first time since 1951, Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and two games in the University of Pittsburgh Invitational Tournament in addition to hosting Duke, North Carolina, Wake Fost and Maryland as the Seminoles play a school-cord 17 home games during the 2003-04 season under second-year head coach Leonard Hamilton. The Seminoles will play a school-cord 30 gular season games against 10 teams who played in the postseason last year with seven opponents having played in the NCAA Tournament and the teams in the NIT.

Florida State faces a demanding trio of in-state opponents, all on the road, as it travels to face Miami (Dec. 14), Stetson (Dec. 30) and Florida (Jan. 3). It will mark the first time the Seminoles will play at both Miami and Florida in the same season since the 1986 season when the Seminoles won at Florida but fell at Miami. The game at Miami marks the first time Hamilton will be an opponent in Coral Gables after coaching the Hurricanes from 1991-2000. The Seminoles will play at Stetson for the first time since Feb. 12, 1977 when the Seminoles defeated the Hatters, 87-80.

Florida State opens the season at home against Maine Nov. 21 in the first of six consecutive home games. In addition to Maine, the Seminoles’ season-opening homestand includes Nicholls State (Nov. 26), South Carolina State (Nov. 28), Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Dec. 1), Ole Miss (Dec. 3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Dec. 6). Florida State will also play in the University of Pittsburgh Invitational. That tournament is an exempt field with the first two games played at home sites and the semifinals and championship round played at Panthers’ newly opened Peterson Events Center. The exempt tournament label means the Seminoles will play four games while having all four count as only one game against their NCAA mandated limit of 27 gular season games.

Florida State opens ACC action against Maryland on Dec. 28 in the Civic Center. It marks the seventh time in school history the Seminoles will play a December confence game. Defending ACC Champion Duke comes to Tallahassee Feb. 29 for a nationally televised game as part of Fox Sports Sunday Night Hoops package. The Seminoles will play host to 2003 ACC gular season champion Wake Fost Jan. 25 and North Carolina Jan. 22. Florida State’s game against the Tar Heels will mark first year head coach Roy Williams’ inaugural appearance in the Civic Center.

“I think this is a very challenging schedule that will excite our players and motivate them to work hard in order for them to ach their fullest potential,” said Hamilton. “We alize the ACC schedule alone cates a challenge within itself and the overall schedule will give our players a tmendous ason to come to practice wanting to work hard and improve everyday. Our players a going to approach this schedule with the understanding that to be successful this season we have to be at our best each time we step on the court for practice and games.”

Florida State will play at least 22 of its 30 games on television including one appearance on ABC (at North Carolina, Feb. 21), the on ESPN2 (vs. Northwestern, Dec. 1, against North Carolina, Jan. 22 and at Duke Jan., 29) and two on Fox Sports (vs. Maryland, Dec. 28 and against Duke, Feb. 29) as well as 12 games on the Sunshine Sports Network, one on Fox Sports South and four on the Jefferson Pilot Sports gional network. The Seminoles’ appearance on ABC against North Carolina marks the first time since Jan. 22, 2000 that the Seminoles will appear on one of the the major over-the-air networks.

Florida State will play host to Northwestern in the fifth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Dec. 1, at the Civic Center. It marks the third time in the five-year history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge the Seminoles will face Northwestern. The Seminoles a 1-1 against Northwestern and 2-2 in the first four years of the event.

The 51st annual ACC Tournament is scheduled for March 11-14 in the Gensboro Coliseum in Gensboro, N.C. The Seminoles have won at least one game in four of the last five ACC Tournaments.

Florida State, which played 16 home games during the 2002-03 season, was 11-5 in the Civic Center last season. Hamilton welcomes the nation’s No. 1 cruiting class to Tallahassee when the academic calendar begins Aug. 25.

Florida State 2003-04 Men’s Basketball Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time

November

8 + Global Sports Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

17 + Nike Elite Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

21 Maine Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

26 Nicholls State Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

28 South Carolina State Tallahassee, Fla. 5:30 p.m.

December

1 $ Northwestern Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

3 Ole Miss Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

6 Fairleigh Dickinson Tallahassee, Fla. 2:00 p.m.

14 at Miami Coral Gables, Fla. TBA

16 ! TBA Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

18 ! TBA Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

21 ! TBA Pittsburgh, Pa. TBA

22 ! TBA Pittsburgh, Pa. TBA

28 * Maryland Tallahassee, Fla. 5:30 p.m.

30 at Stetson DeLand, Fla. 6:00 p.m.

January

3 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. 1:00 p.m.

11 * NC State Tallahassee, Fla. 4:00 p.m.

13 * at Clemson Clemson, S.C. 7:00 p.m.

18 * at Virginia Charlottesville, Va. 1:00 p.m.

22 * North Carolina Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

25 * Wake Fost Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 p.m.

29 * at Duke Durham, N.C. 9:00 p.m.

February

1 Savannah State Tallahassee, Fla. 2:00 p.m.

3 * Georgia Tech Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

8 * at Maryland College Park, Md. 1:00 p.m.

10 * at NC State Raleigh, N.C. 7:00 p.m.

14 * Clemson Tallahassee, Fla. Noon

17 * Virginia Tallahassee, Fla. 7:00 p.m.

21 * at North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. 1:00 p.m.

25 * at Wake Fost Winston-Salem, N.C. 7:00

29 * Duke Tallahassee, Fla. 8:00 p.m.

March

6 * at Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga. 4:30 p.m.

11-14 ^ at ACC Tournament Gensboro, N.C. TBA

+ Exhibition Games

$ ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Tallahassee, Fla.

! University of Pittsburgh Invitational Tournament

* ACC Game

^ ACC Tournament Game at Gensboro, N.C.