FSU Basketball: Another Orange Bowl Classic game perfect for Noles

FSU Basketball will be again in South Florida around the holidays as they take part in the four team classic for the eighth straight season this December.

While the FSU football team is looking to get back to a bowl game in the 2019 season, the FSU basketball team already is a step ahead of their gridiron buddies as they know they have qualified for a New Years Six bowl – well, sort of…as the Seminoles were selected to take part in this year’s Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.

For the eighth straight season and the 11th overall time in the history of the annual event, head coach Leonard Hamilton will take his Seminoles down to Sunrise and the BB&T Center for the event – this year’s game being on December 21st when the Noles face off with their in-state foes from Tampa, the USF Bulls.

While it will be the 11th time that FSU basketball has been in South Florida for the annual event that is usually played the weekend before Christmas, it’s the second time for the Bulls with the previous appearance coming in 2014 – which resulted in a loss at the hands of, you guessed it, the Florida State Seminoles.

Florida State Seminoles

Playing in South Florida is not the reason why taking part in this game is a big deal – after all, the Noles have one game always scheduled since the rival Miami Hurricanes joined the ACC. But the fact of the matter is that now when people think college basketball in the state of Florida, the Seminoles are first on there minds.

Yes, the critics will remind me that the rival Florida Gators will be joining the event in the second game of the duo and are making their 21st appearance in the game. With that being said, many of those games were played in the start of the event back in the late 90s and early 2000s when the Noles were struggling.

Now, FSU basketball is coming off a third straight appearance in the NCAA tournament – and their seventh overall in the last 10 seasons – that includes two straight times of making it to at least the Sweet 16 round. At this moment, the best college basketball team in the state of Florida resides in Tallahassee and, with all due respect, I’m not talking about FAMU.

If you want to see the best team in the state of Florida on the hardwood this season and live in South Florida, make your way to Sunrise on December 21st – and at this rate, make sure you stick around each December to see the Seminoles in action.