FSU Basketball in line to face monster schedule for upcoming season

FSU Basketball better be ready this upcoming season as they are going to face a slate of teams that could include a handful ranked in the top 10 to start.

Nearly three decades ago, Florida State University made the decision to join the ACC with an unwritten understanding that while the football team was going to raise the profile of that sport in the conference the FSU basketball team was going to be kicked around for a while by the likes of teams named Duke, North Carolina and others winning titles.

While that was the case for most of the time, the last 11 season have been ones that have seen head coach Leonard Hamilton’s team finish as one of the winningest teams in the conference while winning the 2012 ACC tournament to go along with seven appearances in the NCAA tournament over that span.

Now, there is no one who is expecting the FSU basketball team to fall back into obscurity and have a losing record this coming season, there is a growing look that – thanks to what could be a dominant season by several ACC teams and rivals of the Noles – that Hamilton’s team could face a monstrous type of schedule this coming season.

Florida State Seminoles

Thanks in part to the recent transfer of Kerry Blackshear Jr. from ACC foe Virginia Tech to hated rival Florida, the Gators have jumped into the top 10 of the early preseason rankings from several outlets – including CBS Sports, which has five teams that the Seminoles will play in their top 10.

"No. 1 – Michigan StateNo. 2 – DUKENo. 3 – KentuckyNo. 4 – LOUISVILLENo. 5 – KansasNo. 6 – MarylandNo. 7 – MemphisNo. 8 – NORTH CAROLINANo. 9 – FLORIDA No. 10 – VIRGINIA"

If this was the way the preseason top 10 would actually look, FSU basketball knows it will face at least seven games against teams ranked in the group as they face both the Cardinals and Cavaliers twice in the regular season to go along with games against the Gators, Blue Devils and Tar Heels.

With other possible games against teams that could be ranked to start the season, it could be a rocky road for the Seminoles if they want to get to a fourth straight edition of March Madness this coming season.