Chattanooga @ Florida State preview

Florida State makes its first appearance in the Emerald Coast Classic on Wednesday, hosting Chattanooga in the first round. The Seminoles have won two in a row after opening the season with a loss to Pittsburgh and they are looking to win their 34th straight non-conference home game, a streak that began in December 2014.

The Seminoles' home streak, however, nearly came to an end Friday night in their home opener before Leonard Hamilton's troops rallied from 17 down, scoring the go-ahead points with 45 seconds remaining to defeat Western Carolina 79-74. “I don’t ever want to be down 17 points,” Hamilton told reporters afterward. “But I didn’t see any panic in our guys. I thought they maintained their composure. I thought they stayed focused. And that was a positive sign.” Junior M.J. Walker and freshman Patrick Williams sparked the victory with clutch shooting late as they accounted for 26 of the Seminoles' 43 second-half points and each finished with 18 points to top the team. Chattanooga has also rebounded from a season-opening loss with three straight victories, capped by a 90-72 win over South Alabama on Friday night.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports South

ABOUT CHATTANOOGA (3-1): The Mocs' shooters came up big against South Alabama, hitting 54.9 percent from the floor and 11-of-22 from deep, by far their best showing of the season. Guard/forward Matt Ryan has scored in double figures in all four games and comes off back-to-back 20-point outings, hitting four 3-pointers in both of those contests. The meeting with Florida State begins a tough five-game, four-city road trip for the Mocs, but redshirt junior forward Ramon Vila, who recorded a 17-point effort last time out, says the win over South Alabama "gives us a lot of confidence and we're excited."

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (2-1): Williams produced his first career double-figure outing against Western Carolina and is a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line this season after hitting all seven in that win. Senior Trent Forrest has scored at least 16 points in two of the three games this season and tops the team with a career-high 14.3 points per game. The Seminoles defense is limiting opponents to 35.4 percent shooting from the field and the team has blocked at least five shots in each game.

TIP-INS

1. These teams have met twice before - with Florida State winning both matchups - but not since Feb. 1, 1975.

2. Walker's 18 points marked his highest total since he scored a career-high 22 last January against Miami.

3. Seminoles redshirt sophomore Malik Osborne, a transfer from Rice, is leading the team with 22 rebounds after pulling down nine against Western Carolina.

PREDICTION: Florida State 76, Chattanooga 68