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FSU

Hamilton taking it one game at a time

Men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton will not say if he feels his rebuilding project is ahead of schedule. He won't even fess up to having a time-table for that task.

But then he mentioned the postseason, a goal the most optimistic Seminoles fan could not have expected in November.

"What we're trying to do is finish the season as strong as possible as we look forward to the future," he said. "We are trying to stay focused and if we can finish strong and win our share of these (final) games, it will give us some momentum and, hopefully, even (get us) into the NIT."

Okay. The task is by no means easy.

The Seminoles (12-12) must be at least .500 to qualify for the NIT and they play ACC-leading and No. 12 Wake Forest tonight in Tallahassee, a struggling Virginia comes to town Saturday and they close the regular season at No. 6 Duke on March 6.

"If we beat Wake Forest, be successful against Virginia and then go on the road and beat Duke, I think we'll get somebody's attention, wouldn't you think?" Hamilton said, laughing.

It took him three years to garner that attention at Oklahoma State. It took him five at Miami.

"I take the one-game-at-a-time approach and try to be as prepared as possible," he said. "The one thing that's so exciting about college basketball, which I think makes it the best spectator sport, is that on any given night, anything is capable of happening."

A MUST WIN?: The women's basketball team's NCAA Tournament hopes might ride on Thursday's home game against No. 2 Duke. FSU (15-10, 7-7) has lost five straight and its once-promising NCAA chances have faded. An eye-catching win could change that, however.

"It's always difficult to play in Tallahassee," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said.

The Seminoles are 9-3 at home. They also played the Blue Devils well in Durham, N.C., a month ago. They were locked in a tie at 52 with 10 minutes left before losing 81-63. But FSU coach Sue Semrau warned her players not to dwell on that.

"We've learned a huge lesson as players not to look at the first game; I think our kids did that a little bit too much," Semrau said. "They've learned that lesson. We have to have confidence in what we're doing today and not what we did a month ago."

ARMS RACE: The season is only about a fifth of the way complete, but it appears FSU (11-1), ranked No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball, might just have its deepest, strongest pitching staff in years. The staff has a 2.13 ERA and coach Mike Martin is giving extensive work to 10 pitchers.

"Only three of these guys (relievers) don't have a lot of innings at Florida State," Martin said "We like these guys and we're going to use them. All of them."

What is perhaps most impressive is ace left-hander Matt Lynch has not been as sharp as he can be (3-0, 4.24 ERA) and right-hander Marc LaMacchia, the former East Lake High standout, has appeared in just two games. He has had soreness in his throwing elbow and, though MRIs have shown no tears, he has been on the bench.

BIG-GAME HUNTER: Sophomore right-hander Casey Hunter, who pitched sparingly last season, is living up to her high school accolades. She is 8-3 with a 0.92 ERA and has 91 strikeouts in 682/3 innings entering today's doubleheader against Mercer.

-- Brian Landman covers Florida State athletics. He can be reached at (813) 226-3347 or by e-mail at landman@sptimes.com.

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