There hasn't been a hotter team in the country down the stretch than Florida State.

The No. 13 Seminoles (25-6, 13-5 ACC) have won 11 of their last 12 games and secured the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament, which comes with a double bye.

FSU has wins over three teams in the Top-25, including Big 10 regular season champion Purdue and SEC regular season champion LSU. Four of FSU's six losses have come to Top-25 team, including three in the Top-5. 

And yet, FSU still isn't quite getting the respect it deserves.

CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm has the Seminoles as a protected No. 4 seed playing in Jacksonville. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has FSU as a No. 4 seed playing in Hartford, Conn.

Neither of those are bad landing spots for the Seminoles, but the issue is that both have FSU as a No. 4 seed. 

And they're not alone. has pooled together 118 projected brackets by experts around the country and the Seminoles are a No. 3 seed in just seven of them. 

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But if the NCAA selection committee announces FSU as a No. 4 seed it would be bucking a couple trends that it's set since the start of the decade.

Since the 2010-11 season, the ACC has had 19 teams win at least 13 conference games in a season. Only North Carolina (No. 6 seed) in 2014 was awarded lower than a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. That UNC team lost nine regular season games.

The ACC has had 17 teams finish the regular season with seven total losses or less since the 2010-11 season.

The NCAA has awarded either a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed to 16 of those teams. No ACC team has been awarded lower than a No. 3 seed with seven or less losses in that span.

So why is FSU not getting the same credit for those accomplishments like the other teams have in the past?

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The Seminoles' start to the ACC schedule is likely a primary factor here.

FSU was blown out by Virginia to open ACC play and then lost three straight to Duke (buzzer beater at home), Pittsburgh, and then Boston College.

Pittsburgh and BC have lost a combined 28 games in conference play this season. But both are considered quadrant two losses in the new NET rankings, which has FSU ranked 19th.

Those aren't bad losses despite the perception of losing to teams that have conference records as bad as the Eagles and Panthers do. 

FSU lost to all three of the teams (No. 2 UVA, No. 3 North Carolina, and No. 5 Duke) ahead of it in the ACC standings. The UVA and UNC losses weren't close, but both also came on the road.

Those are the factors that are hurting FSU's chances at a No. 3 seed the most, but the Seminoles still have chances to avenge those losses in the ACC tournament.

FSU is paired up with No. 1 seed UVA, but would have to beat either No. 5 seed Virginia Tech, No. 12 seed Miami, or No. 13 seed Wake Forest to get to that match-up in their first game.

If FSU can win its first game and take down UVA, which is its likely opponent on Friday, the Seminoles would likely get the winner of No. 2 seed UNC and No. 3 seed Duke in the ACC tournament finals Saturday.

Getting that far would likely guarantee the Seminoles a No. 3 seed, though FSU may be able to get there without it.

It all depends on the NCAA sticking by what it's done in the past. 

Reach Wayne McGahee III at

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No. 13 Florida State in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

Opponent: No. 5 seed Virginia Tech or No. 12 seed Miami

When: Thursday, 2:30 p.m.

Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C.

TV/Radio: ESPN/103.1 FM