Florida State @ Wake Forest preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 13, 2019 ) Wake Forest 66, Florida State 88

Wake Forest nearly pulled off the upset of the season Tuesday, but Chaundee Brown's last-second shot didn't fall and the Demon Deacons lost by one point to Duke 71-70. Now they get another chance at a ranked foe with No. 13 Florida State coming to town Saturday fresh off its own impressive outing as the Seminoles rallied to defeat Virginia Tech 73-64 in overtime Tuesday in a battle for the fourth seed in the ACC Tournament and the coveted double-bye.

"We were right there, the whole game," Wake Forest forward Ikenna Smart told reporters after the heartbreaking loss to the Blue Devils. "I think this game ... all our young guys, this can boost their morale. Their morale will be high going into the ACC Tournament and into Florida State. I feel like we've learned a lesson tonight by playing so hard, being in the game with a top team in the country like Duke." There weren't many expecting Wake Forest, with just four ACC victories, to be in position to defeat No. 4 Duke, but the Demon Deacons hung tough behind the play of Brown and Brandon Childress, giving them confidence after a frustrating season with far more lows than highs. The Seminoles also showed resilience their last time out in coming back from 14 down to stun Virginia Tech -- the Seminoles' largest winning rally this season -- and their reward is the team's second double-bye in three years. "I thought we showed a lot of character by being down such a large margin in the first half and not playing very well," Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton told reporters. "We could very easily have gotten discouraged, but ... they didn't panic. They totally felt we could win the game."

TV: Noon ET, Raycom Sports

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (24-6, 12-5 ACC): The Seminoles have won 11 of their last 12 games, including an 88-66 victory over Wake Forest almost a month ago, and are aiming for a school-record 13 ACC wins and 25 regular-season victories. Five Seminoles seniors combined for 36 points against Virginia Tech on Senior Night, with Terance Mann (14 points, six rebounds), Phil Cofer (11 points) and PJ Savoy (six points) all hitting a pair of 3-pointers. After hitting just 1-of-7 shots in the first 20 minutes against Virginia Tech, sophomore Mfiondu Kabengele sparked the Seminoles' second-half resurgence with 15 of his team-high 18 points while also leading the way with nine rebounds in a career-high 38 minutes of play.

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (11-18, 4-13): The Duke game featured 16 ties and 11 lead changes, and Brown and Childress scored 29 of their combined 40 points in the second half. Brown finished with his second career double-double (team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds), while Childress added 19 points and five rebounds, but no other Demon Deacon, including the team's second-leading scorer Jaylen Hoard (13.2 ppg), had more than nine points. Wake Forest has won all five games when it holds an opponent to 63 points or less but it is 6-18 when opponents score more than 63.

TIP-INS

1. Florida State leads the series 26-25 after its victory earlier this season, but Wake Forest won at home last year, 76-72.

2. Wake Forest is 4-2 on Senior Day the last six years, including wins over ranked opponents in 2014 (Duke) and 2017 (Louisville).

3. With the win over Virginia Tech, the Seminoles are now 6-0 in overtime games the last two seasons.

PREDICTION: Florida State 76, Wake Forest 66