Florida State basketball was ranked No. 8 in this week’s AP poll, but it must show up for its game against NC State on Saturday.

Sure, win or lose, the Seminoles are going to be in the NCAA tournament, but for them, it’s about claiming as high a seed as possible. With a couple lingering early-season losses and some questionable performances of-late, a defeat could make a tough end to the season more stressful for Leonard Hamilton & Co.

Recent Losses: 

In the past month, they have lost twice, and both losses are likely dents in their resume. They lost to Virginia on Jan. 28, and the Cavaliers weren’t included in the mock bracket ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi released Friday, and then lost to Duke — a team they’re competing with for one of those top seeds — on Feb. 10.

Those shortcomings, on top of ones to Pittsburgh and Indiana early in the season, are going to cost them once tournament time rolls around. That’s why it’s so important for them to turn things around Saturday afternoon.

Last time out, the Seminoles handled Pittsburgh, winning 82-67, but prior to the game, they were in a stretch of having seven of nine games decided by five points or less, including the losses to Duke and Virginia.

A Hungry Wolfpack: 

Florida State basketball is going to have its hands full with a NC State that not only has its eyes on a NCAA tournament bid, but is coming off a blowout victory over Duke in which it had three players with at least 21 points.

But the scariest thing for the Seminoles is that the Wolfpack have nothing to lose, and were playing like that Wednesday night against the Blue Devils. They looked unafraid, and had followed their gameplan of allowing Vernon Carey Jr. to get his and shutting down his teammates. Carey scored 27, and his running mate Tre Jones finished with 17; the Wolfpack held everyone else to a combined 22 points.

Furthermore, the Wolfpack shot 61 percent from the field — which is possible to repeat. But head coach Kevin Keatts is likely more interested in having his team play with the same defensive tenacity they did on Wednesday, when they held Duke to a sub-40 field goal percentage. 

With the opportunity to beat two top-10 teams in the same week, it’s safe to expect the same team effort on both ends Saturday.

Bettor’s Picks: FSU -1, O/U 145 

A loss would ultimately halt the Seminoles’ chances of getting a top seed, and probably would drop them down to a three-seed, and come tournament time, there’s a big difference between a one-seed and a three-seed in terms of a path to the Final Four.

I’m going with the over on this one, because I think the game will speed up as it goes on, and I can forsee this being an overtime affair. And I think NC State will cover — and ultimately win the game. Final prediction: 76-75, Wolfpack.