NCAAB Game Preview - Florida State at Clemson

Tue Feb 19, 2019 9:00 PM EST

There's no denying that Florida State is on a roll as it heads into the home stretch of its Atlantic Coast Conference season.

Coach Leonard Hamilton's team has won seven consecutive league games -- matching the school record -- entering Tuesday night's game at Clemson.

"Playing ACC opponents, even at home, is challenging, and going on the road, it's even more difficult," Hamilton said.

The game at Clemson will be the second of three ACC road games in an eight-day span for the 16th-ranked Seminoles, who are 20-5 overall, including 8-4 in league play, and would appear to be a lock for their third straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Florida State is coming off a 69-47 win at Georgia Tech and will play at No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday.

"Road wins are very important with the new evaluation the NCAA is using now," said Hamilton, who has guided the Seminoles to a fourth straight 20-win season and their ninth in 11 years.

Coincidentally, Florida State's current seven-game winning streak began on Jan. 22 with a 77-68 victory against Clemson, a game in which the Seminoles trailed by six points at halftime and rallied late behind 45.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.

The key to Florida State's recent success has been getting contributions from multiple players. Nine different players have led the Seminoles in scoring this season, and senior center Christ Koumadje is coming off back-to-back double-doubles.

"Christ has found his niche," Hamilton said. "The guys are finding him and they have confidence in him.

"Our players use the term that we're '18 strong.' We're winning games by committee. And with three road games in 1/8eight days 3/8, we need to stay as fresh as we can and have as many guys contribute as possible."

Clemson, meanwhile, is struggling to stay on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Tigers (15-10, 5-7) have lost two in a row in gut-wrenching fashion -- consecutive losses at Miami and then-No. 16 Louisville, both by a single point.

"I've been teased about how many black cats have walked in front of us and how many ladders have I walked under," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "I've heard it all the last couple of days. We've had some chances to do some things to close out games -- make more free throws, make a shot or two -- and we haven't been able to do that. You've just got to keep trusting in your players."

The Tigers already have lost as many games as they did last season, when they finished 25-10 and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Clemson defeated Florida State last season at home, 76-63, but the Tigers have lost five of their last six games against the Seminoles.

Still, the Tigers have a chance to close with a flourish. Four of Clemson's six remaining regular-season games will be at home, including both against ranked opponents (Florida State on Tuesday, and then No. 8 North Carolina on March 2).

"I believe in our guys," Brownell said. "Our guys are really playing hard and really trying to compete, and that's why your heart hurts for them, because you've watched them work. You want good things to happen for your guys.

"We've had our heart ripped out a couple of times. We've got to find a way to win a couple of these close ones. We've just got to do it."

--Field Level Media