It truly is "survive and advance" for Florida State men's basketball entering its ACC Tournament second-round game against Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

The Seminoles tip off against the Hokies at noon. FSU's only route into the NCAA Tournament is to win out and receive an auto-bid.

Here is what the Seminoles need to do to continue their trudge into March.

Playing consistent ball

When asked what's the biggest thing FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton wants to see out of his team in the ACC Tournament, he responded with team consistency.

"Physically, we're capable, but a lot of the things that we would like to be habits for them ... are not there," Hamilton said in the press conference following the Seminoles win over Miami on Saturday.

FSU has had issues with dips in games, specifically in second-half performances. It has gotten off to good starts in games but has seen its game hit a low point and is unable to recover.

Leads have quickly dwindled to the point where FSU is playing behind late in games.

The Seminoles have yet to play a complete game from buzzer to buzzer this season. Even in its 83-75 win over Miami on Saturday, FSU shot poorly throughout the entire game before it was able to clean up its shooting performance later on.

Consistency from start to finish could allow FSU to string together a handful of wins in DC.

Improve perimeter defense

The Seminoles' opponents are averaging 35% shooting from outside the 3-point line, which is 3% higher than what FSU is averaging.

In a handful of games this season FSU has lost cause it has struggled to guard its opponents along the arc. In back-to-back losses against Virginia and Virginia Tech, both teams shot for over 40% from the perimeter.

The Cavaliers had downed 10-of-18 attempts in the 80-76 win over the Seminoles on February 10.

In FSU's 76-67 loss to Duke on February 17, freshman Jared McCain drained a career-high 35 points off 8-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. As a team, the Blue Devils shot for 62%.

This has been an issue all season for the Seminoles all season as the 3-point defense has been the difference multiple times. Mismatches along the arc have allowed opponents to shoot freely and rack up points.

Locking down on its perimeter defense will make a huge difference for FSU in the postseason. It has proven that it can hit shots from deep, as Darin Green Jr. had eight 3-pointers against Miami. Now it just needs to limit its opponents.

Using height to its advantage

Earlier in the season, FSU players talked of how they believed their team's height gave them an advantage on the court.

The Seminoles are one of the taller teams in the ACC, with its shortest player standing at 5-foot-10 inches and its tallest at 6-foot-11 inches. FSU also has four players over 6-foot-10 inches.

However, we haven't seen them use that edge throughout the season. The Seminoles haven't dominated on the boards as many would expect with so much height.

It's getting out-rebounded by its opponents, 33-36, on average and most players aren't average more than three a game. Jamir Watkins leads the effort with 5.9 rebounds a game.

Baba Miller is averaging five rebounds. Cam'Ron Fletcher was averaging five but has not played a game since sustaining an injury against North Carolina on Dec. 2.

The height is there, but the stats are lacking a bit. Seeing this team win the rebounding battle, as simple as it sounds, could lead to the Seminoles finding some consistency and being rolling through March.

How to watch

Who: ACC Tournament second round - No. 9 Florida State (16-15, 10-10) vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech (18-13, 10-10)

When: Wednesday, Noon at Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

TV: ESPN/101.5 FM

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 3 things FSU men's basketball can do to win ACC Tournament