After a surprising loss in its season opener, Florida State will likely have a short stay in the Top 25.
The 25th-ranked Seminoles are trying to learn from their opening-game struggles and move forward on Monday night when they host a Buffalo team also seeking its first win.
Florida State raised its ACC tournament championship banner Friday before performing below expectations at both ends of the floor in a 76-71 loss to visiting South Alabama.
The Jaguars, who had fallen by 41 at Florida State last November, hurt the Seminoles with five players in double figures. South Alabama also hit 9 of 15 from 3-point range.
"It's been a long time since we allowed five guys to score in double figures," said coach Leonard Hamilton, who lost his first season opener in 11 seasons with the Seminoles.
At the same time, Florida State will have to find a way to clean things up offensively after coughing up 17 turnovers. The Seminoles managed just nine assists and shot 35.7 percent from the field in the second half.
Terry Whisnant and Montay Brandon led the defending ACC champs with 11 points apiece, while Michael Snaer had 10 on 2 of 11 shooting.
Terrance Shannon, who played seven games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery in November, returned to score 10 points for Florida State.
"The biggest thing with us is we have to have a short-term memory," Shannon said. "Put this game in the past and move on. We know we are young. We know it's going to take time."
Buffalo (0-1) also hopes to bounce back strong in its first ever meeting with Florida State after dropping a 57-53 decision to Princeton on Saturday in its opener.
The Bulls, coming off a 20-win season in 2011-12, endured their own struggles on the offensive end with just eight assists and a 34.9 shooting percentage.
Javon McCrea, however, had a solid performance to lead the Bulls with a game-high 22 points and eight rebounds.
"It had a lot of those symptoms of the first game - decisions made by adrenaline," coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "Overall, I think it was really good opportunity for our guys to learn against a really good opponent."
