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On paper, things don't get any tougher than #1 UNC. After passing that test this past Saturday, #23 Virginia Tech will go on the road to play a game that could be even tougher than Saturday's. On Wednesday, the Hokies will take on Florida State in Tallahassee, and they'll have a major target on their backs.

Florida State narrowly missed the NCAA tournament last season, so head coach Leonard Hamilton decided to beef up their schedule to raise their RPI this season. The Seminoles played three brutal out-of-conference games, including at Pitt, at Wisconsin and home against Florida. FSU was blown out on the road by Pitt and Wisconsin, but they beat #1 Florida in Tallahassee, which gives them something in common with the Hokies. They have both beaten a #1 team.

After coasting through the rest of their out-of-conference schedule, Florida State hit a wall when they got to conference play. First, they lost at home to then-undefeated Clemson 68-66. They were blown out 84-58 at UNC, and then they lost at Georgia Tech 88-80.

Despite being 0-3 in the ACC and 12-5 overall, Florida State is still #25 in the RPI (per RealTimeRPI.com). The Seminoles have played the 13th toughest schedule in the nation. Here is a look at their starting lineup:

Florida State Starting Lineup
Pos	Name	Ht	Wt	Year	Pts	Rebs
G	Toney Douglas	6-1	196	So.	13.6	2.6
G	Isaiah Swann	6-1	203	Jr.	8.1	3.1
G	Jason Rich	6-3	200	Jr.	10.5	3.2
F	Al Thornton	6-8	220	Sr.	17.3	5.9
F	Uche Echefu	6-9	220	So.	7.2	4.2

Al Thornton is the star of the team, and he is one of the most explosive and versatile players in the ACC. He considered leaving school early for the NBA last season but elected to play out his senior season in Tallahassee. Thornton is a guy who can shoot from the outside, post up on the inside, or slash to the basket.

Thornton blasted the Hokies for 21 points and 12 rebounds in the two teams' first meeting last year, a 74-68 Florida State win in Tallahassee. Virginia Tech did a much better job on Thornton in the second meeting, a 72-61 Hokie win in Blacksburg, when they held Thornton to 12 points and four rebounds. Deron Washington had a superb defensive effort against Thornton in that game.

The Hokies have to be quick with their help defense against Thornton, and they also must keep him off the offensive glass.

Florida State is a perimeter oriented team, starting three true guards, as well as Thornton, who is a slashing wing. The only true inside player in the starting lineup is Uche Echefu, a former Virginia Tech recruiting target.

Florida State lost point guard Todd Galloway, the team leader, to graduation, but they brought in Auburn transfer Toney Douglas. Douglas is a more talented player than Galloway, and he is currently the second leading scorer on the team. He also has 46 assists on the year. He is a combo guard, along with fellow backcourt mate Isaiah Swann.

Florida State plays nine players in their regular rotation. No starter plays more than 29 minutes per game. Jerel Ellen and Ralph Mims will come off the bench to add depth to the backcourt, while Casaan Breeden and Ryan Reid help bolster the frontcourt.

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech
Category	Florida State		Virginia Tech
Category	Stat	ACC Rank	Stat	ACC Rank
FG %	48.6%	4	47.3%	10
FG % Defense	44.3%	11	39.7%	3
3-Pt. %	34.2%	10	39.3%	4
3-Pt. % Defense	31.3%	5	32.4%	6
FT %	76.3%	1	64.0%	10
Rebounding Margin	-0.6	12	+0.6	10
Turnover Margin	+3	3	+6.88	1
Assist/TO Ratio	0.82	12	1.27	2
Scoring Offense	75.1	8	74.5	10
Scoring Defense	66.8	6	59.7	2
Average		7.2		5.8

The Hokies have an advantage in rebounding, defense and turnovers. Florida State has one of the worst field goal percentage defenses in the ACC, and because of their small lineup, they are the ACC's worst rebounding team.

Florida State is dead last in the conference in assist/turnover ratio, although they are third in turnover margin. The Seminoles give the ball up 15.9 times per game, but they force 18.9 turnovers per game, more than any team in the ACC. Meanwhile, the Hokies turn the ball over just 11.5 times per game, easily the best mark in the conference. That will be a matchup to watch ... can Florida State cause Virginia Tech's talented and experienced backcourt to turn the ball over?

Turnover Matchup
Date	FSU Turnovers	VT Turnovers	Margin	Result
Jan. 8, 2005	28	18	VT +10	FSU 77, VT 70
Jan. 7, 2006	13	17	FSU +4	FSU 74, VT 68
Feb. 25, 2006	20	17	VT +3	VT 72, FSU 61

Historically, Florida State has given Virginia Tech a lot of trouble with turnovers. In the three games since the Hokies joined the ACC, Tech has never turned the ball over fewer than 17 times against the Seminoles. In the meeting in Tallahassee last season, FSU actually beat Tech in turnover margin, which is rare for the Hokies.

It probably sounds old by now, but the Hokies must protect the basketball in this game. If they can keep their turnover number lower than they have in the past against the Seminoles, they have a great chance to win.

Fresh off perhaps the biggest win in the history of Virginia Tech hoops, our Hokies travel to Tallahassee to play the Florida State Seminoles in what could end up being a decisive postseason game for each team.

A couple of things jump out at me right away regarding this FSU basketball team ... first off is the 'Noles' stellar .909 winning percentage at home. Prima facia, that's going to be pretty tough to beat. But other than beating then-#1 Florida, the 'Noles have beaten an assortment of D-1 have nots or has beens at home.

Another thing that stands out is the fact that the Seminoles are possibly going to end up being the worst defensive rebounding team the Hokies play all year, as FSU checks in at a lowly 301st in defensive boards.

The final thing that really stands out about this FSU squad is that for being the 35th ranked shooting team from the floor in D-1, and the best FT shooting team that Tech will play all year (14th in FT shooting if you're keeping score at home), the 'Noles drop a nearly astounding 15% in their shooting percentage from 3-point range compared to their shooting from the floor. Most of the time when you see a sharp shooting team from the floor and from the charity stripe, you are also seeing a team of dead-eye ringers from downtown, but oddly enough that is not the case with this year's 'Noles.

All of this conspires to tell me the following: there will be some 2nd chance points available for our Hokies on the offensive glass, and we must keep our best dribble-drive defenders on the floor for as long as possible, as the FSU three guard line-up is getting a lotta easy scores in the paint, but only fields two players shooting above 36% from downtown. Further ... FSU's starting junior point guard Isaiah Swann has a reputation as a soft defender, so Zabian Dowdell needs to have a big night, and the Hokies need to take full advantage of their 186 spot edge in turnovers. I say we will take advantage of these favorable matchups and beat FSU cowgirl Jenn's favorite team, but not by much.