Tallahassee, Fla., is a bit of a strange place. It is a college town and a government town, a capital city and a quiet city. It is the center of Florida politics yet far closer to the state lines of Georgia and Alabama than it is to the glitz of South Beach and the theme parks of Orlando.
It's also a place where, in recent years, highly ranked college basketball teams have come to lose. Or at the least, have come to be tested maybe more than they would have expected.
The Donald L. Tucker Center, where Florida State plays its home games, isn't among the most imposing arenas in the ACC. It opened in 1981, but the building seems older. The arena often lacks energy but not empty seats, especially during the non-conference portion of the Seminoles' schedule.
But for a few games per season, the Tucker Center can be as inhospitable and difficult a place to play as there is in the ACC. Today, when No. 3 North Carolina visits Florida State, likely will be one of those days.
It has been a while since the Tar Heels lost in Tallahassee. That hasn't happened since 2004, when FSU wiped away a 24-point deficit to shock UNC in overtime. But still, even amid the victories, UNC's games the last three trips to FSU have been as competitive and dramatic as any the Tar Heels have played in recent seasons.
Last season, Harrison Barnes' 3-pointer with three seconds to play gave the 13th-ranked Heels a 72-70 victory at Florida State.
Then, on Jan. 28, 2009, UNC and FSU were tied in the final seconds. Tar Heels point guard Ty Lawson sprinted past the midcourt line, shot on the run and sank it as the buzzer sounded to give the No. 5 Heels an 80-77 victory.
The year before that (Feb. 3, 2008), No. 4 UNC persevered in overtime at FSU - but only after Seminoles forward Ryan Reid made the first 3 of his career to tie it at the end of regulation.
Walking into the Tucker Center isn't as intimidating as, say, walking onto the court at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. Still, the funky building with weird, multi-colored seats holds UNC's respect.
"You know what kind of team they're going to be defensively all the time," UNC point guard Kendall Marshall said. "And when they're playing at home, just from my one experience - but obviously in the past with Ty having to hit that game-winning shot, and then Harrison having to hit one, they're always very tough at home."
At least UNC has escaped in recent seasons. Duke hasn't been so fortunate.
The Blue Devils were No. 1 and undefeated a season ago when they lost at Florida State. A top-ranked Duke team also lost at FSU in 2006. Along the way, the Seminoles have developed into a consistent winner in the ACC.
At 10-6, 1-1 in the ACC, they have struggled at times this season and have underachieved. But the same could have been said around this time a season ago, before the Seminoles used a home victory against Duke to turn around their season and carry them to the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year.
Best game of last week: N.C. State 79, Maryland 74 - An entertaining game at the RBC Center, where Mark Gottfried became the first Wolfpack coach since Les Robinson to win his first league game.
And this week: UNC at Florida State. The Heels' first road game in more than a month comes at FSU, where UNC hasn't won by double digits since 2005.
Stock rising: Georgia Tech - How can a team that lost against Mercer and Fordham play Duke tough and win convincingly at N.C. State?
And falling: Virginia Tech - After consecutive losses against Wake Forest and Florida State to start conference play, Hokies coach Seth Greenburg might have to lobby for the right to lobby for an NCAA tournament bid in March.
