TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No. 21 Florida State will bring a seven-game win streak into Monday's rare afternoon game against Samford.
The Seminoles have gotten there with depth, defense and a deluge of scorers.
Just as expected when the season began, sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon -- a potential 2017 NBA Draft lottery pick -- leads the team with an average of 17.2 points per game. He has reached double figures in 21 straight games and has the ability to take over when the Seminoles (11-1) need it most.
With Florida State leading a three-win Manhattan team by just five points at halftime on Saturday, Bacon stormed out of the locker room with eight quick points to set the stage for another win.
Complementing Bacon is heralded freshman forward Jonathan Isaac, who at 6 feet 10 brings a Kevin Durant-esque style of play that opponents are having a world of trouble containing. He's averaging almost a double-double so far this year at 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Isaac scored in double figures in his first eight games of his college career before missing time with a hip injury.
After that? There's no shortage of Seminoles who are also contributing to the fast start as 13 players are currently averaging double-figure minutes.
In addition to Bacon and Isaac, seven other Florida State players are averaging six points or more, led by guards Xavier Rathan-Mayes (9.8 ppg) and Terance Mann (9.6 ppg).
Add in stifling defense -- the Seminoles are holding opponents to 68 points per game and averaging almost 10 steals and six blocks -- and it's easy to see why Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton is enjoying his best start since the 2003-04 season.
"We're still learning and we're still growing," Hamilton said. "But the great thing about this team is our potential. We've not reached that yet."
The next game will be another chance to grow. Samford, winner of four straight, comes in at 7-3, and Hamilton told the Tallahassee Democrat on Sunday that the Bulldogs have his team's attention.
"They're a very good basketball team," Hamilton told the paper. "They've got three Division I transfers. Two guys shooting over 50 percent from 3, two guys shooting 39, 38 percent from three, a guy who's had several double-doubles.
"There's no question that they have our attention. We won-t be sleep-walking, I can guarantee you that."
One reason Florida State can't relent is Samford sophomore center Wyatt Walker.
Walker heads into Monday's game ranked second in the nation with eight double-doubles this season and is seventh in the country in rebounds per game (11.6) and No. 8 in total rebounds (116). Walker is also ranked 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (8.0).
Walker isn't even one of the three Division I transfers that worries Hamilton.
In the offseason, Samford added former Ole Miss senior forward Terry Brutus, former UMass guard Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and one-time Auburn forward Alex Thompson.
"I think these guys take the talent level of the team up a notch, first of all," Samford coach Scott Padgett said. "Then, if you look at their size, strength and length, it's another level than what we've had. They are all three guys who will help us in different ways this season."
The series history between the teams is pretty lopsided.
Samford has never defeated Florida State, going 0-11 in the series. The Bulldogs and Seminoles first met Jan. 20, 1950, with Florida State winning 59-58 at home. The most recent meeting between the teams was Dec. 2, 2007, when Florida State won 61-45 in Tallahassee.
