TALLAHASSEE -- For nearly a month now, Florida State has been trying to climb back to the surface in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. The Seminoles went under in their ACC opener, a 68-66 loss to Clemson on Jan. 3, FSU's only home loss of the season.

A week ago at Boston College, FSU (15-6, 3-4) was on the verge of evening its ACC record -- after an 0-3 league start -- until Sean Marshall hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer, lifting the Eagles to an 85-82 win. The Seminoles rebounded from that deflating loss with a victory at home over Wake Forest on Saturday, and tonight they'll try once more to even their conference record at home against Maryland (16-5, 2-4).

For a program still trying to prove it belongs with the big boys, FSU can't afford too many more home losses if it wants to earn an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in nine years.

"Our home games now become very, very important," Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton said Monday. "It appears that if you are going to be successful in the ACC, you definitely need to hold serve at home. This is a very, very big game."

Since Hamilton took over the program in 2002, FSU is 61-19 at home, including a 22-14 record at the Donald L. Tucker Center against ACC foes. However, going on the road for the Seminoles has been like a trip to the dentist for a root canal -- without any type of painkiller. FSU is 4-31 under Hamilton in ACC games on the road.

This season, FSU has dropped all three ACC road games -- at North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Boston College. In all three losses, FSU allowed 84 points or more, a problem the 'Noles know they must attack to still be playing in mid-March.

"We know we haven't played the type of defense we're capable of on a regular basis," guard Jerel Allen said. "I think once we play better defense, we'll be fine."

Without a dominant shot blocker on the inside, FSU is susceptible to opponents driving the lane for easy baskets or hammering the ball into the post to take advantage of their size advantage.

Hamilton and his assistants have spent extra time in practice recently addressing some of the team's defensive shortcomings.

"The thing about our defense is that we just have to keep working at it," he said. "Right now, I know we're not the type of defensive team we need to be."