Buffalo-Florida St. Preview

Published Mar. 18, 2018 11:06 p.m. ET

Florida State's 21-year coach Sue Semrau has an appreciation for mid-major programs attempting to make a mark in the NCAA Tournament after her four years as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois from 1991 to 1994.

The four-time ACC Coach of the Year knows the challenge in store when the No. 3 Seminoles (26-6) face No. 11 Buffalo (28-5) in a second-round game of the NCAA Tournament on Monday.

"I think it's fantastic," Semrau said of the underdog Bulls beating No. 6 South Florida 102-79 on Friday. "I coached at Northern Illinois a few years back and we had that kind of success in the tournament and you look at the men's side and it's been happening for a while.

"I think it's really good for the game, for women's basketball. There's a lot of really good teams and really good coaches out there and you've got to be prepared every single game in the NCAA Tournament."

Semrau promises Florida State will not overlook Buffalo, which achieved its first NCAA Tournament win in school history with the victory over South Florida.

The Seminoles advanced to play Buffalo after a 71-49 win over Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday.

Shakayla Thomas, a senior forward, will play in her 13th NCAA Tournament game. She had 26 points in the win over Little Rock. She is averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds during her career in the tournament.

"I've been doing this a long time so I don't feel any added pressure because I don't expect us to just be able to show up because we're at home or because we're the higher seed," Semrau said. "I hope that my experience has bled out into our preparation. I think these guys are extremely mature and it's gonna be a great basketball game. All of the other things that people want to talk about we're not listening to."

Buffalo routed South Florida, proving that it was worthy to be the first at-large bid from the Mid-American Conference since 1996. The 102 points the Bulls scored against South Florida are the most by a double-digit seed in NCAA Tournament history.

"We are focusing on who we are and what we do and how we do it. I think that is the best thing to do with such a short window," Buffalo coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "You can spend a lot of time on your opponent, but it's what really got you here and knowing about us."

Expect an up-and-down, high-scoring affair. Buffalo, which averages 78.3 points per game, has scored 80 points or more 17 times and is 15-2 in those games. Florida State is averaging 81.5 points. The Seminoles average 87.6 points in games at home.

"It is going to be a track meet probably from the jump," said Thomas, who is averaging 17.5 points this season. "The way they finished the game running up and down the court, that is the type of game we play."

The Bulls are led by Cierra Dillard, who is averaging 15.6 points. The junior guard scored a career-high 36 points with seven 3-pointers against South Florida. Those 36 points tied for the most by a Mid-American Conference player in an NCAA Tournament game.