ACC Tournament 2013: North Carolina vs. Florida State Preview

North Carolina Tar Heels will kick off their 2013 ACC Tournament with a rematch of last year’s tournament final round. They will play the Florida State Seminoles tonight, and it will be the their third match-up this season.

Mar 3, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard P.J. Hairston (15) and forward James Michael McAdoo (43) fight for the ball with Florida State Seminoles forward Okaro White (10) and guard Devon Bookert (1). The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 79-58 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Last year Florida State had North Carolina’s number and this year, the Tar Heels have returned the favor. North Carolina escaped the Noles back in January by fives points and dominated them when they visited Chapel Hill, 79-58.

North Carolina is 22-9 overall with an ACC record of 12-6. They had some disappointing losses but after they went to the small four guard lineup, the Tar Heels have been hard to defeat.

They’re safely in the big tourney later this month, but need a strong showing this weekend to improve their seeding.

Florida State won’t be in the tournament regardless of what happens. They are 18-14, 9-9 ACC. They did have big wins at the end of the season when they beat Virginia and North Carolina State.