Leonard Hamilton downplays the impact of west coast swing on Florida State

It’s a trip ACC teams are experiencing for the first time this season. Flying out West to play both Cal and Stanford results in longer periods away from home. Florida State was one of the latest to experience the journey, dropping both games.

Getting back home was not much better, most recently losing to Virginia Tech in Tallahassee. Head coach Leonard Hamilton was asked if flying across the country has affected his team in any way. While the answer might be yes, Hamilton is not looking to make any excuses.

“There’s no question that you have to make some adjustments,” Hamilton said following the Virginia Tech game. “I just don’t want to use that as an excuse. It was some challenges we had to go through, no doubt about it. But everyone is going to go through it. So, that’s just what it is.”

Virginia Tech was the only team to beat Florida State by double digits, earning a 10-point win. The Seminoles kept it close against the two West Coast ACC teams, losing by a total of 16 points to Cal and Stanford.

It’s a three-game losing streak as Hamilton saw his team fall under .500 in conference play — not the run anybody wanted at this point of the season. Many on the outside might blame the travel but Hamilton gave credit to the way opposing teams have performed against Florida State. Maybe they were a little more into the contests.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with how we played,” Hamilton said. “… I thought those teams were a little more in sync and a little more together. I don’t know if they had guys coming back or more experienced players, I don’t know what the situation was. I thought they both had a similar mindset that allowed the game to be a little more important to them than I thought our players.”

Unfortunately, another long trip is next up for Florida State. They will head up to the Northeast for a matchup against Boston College, hoping to break the winning drought. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Hamilton understands the new reality of the ACC is traveling a little more than usual. Every team will make a trip out West at some point, having to deal with the adjustments. Not playing well makes it no excuse, needing to find ways to win as the calendar turns to February and eventually March.