TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State will enter Atlantic Coast Conference play off to one of the best starts in school history.The 21st-ranked Seminoles got a career-high 19 points from Terance Mann on Monday as they took control in the second half for a 76-68 victory over Samford.Florida State has won eight straight and is 12-1 for only the third time, matching the 1988-89 and 2008-09 squads.Even though the Seminoles are ranked and off to a strong start, Mann said that might not mean a lot in a couple months unless they can play well in the conference.You cant make the tournament winning 12 games. We know we have to keep winning, Mann said. We havent done anything really in five years. We just got to keep getting better and prove to the world that were here and were good.Mann, whose previous career high was 18 last season against Georgia Tech, is on a roll. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard is averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in his past three games along with going 17 of 23 from the field.Samford led for most of the final five minutes of the first half before FSU scored the final five points to go up 31-27. Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who scored 15 points, had the key shot with a 3-pointer at the buzzer that bounced in off the rim.The Seminoles scored the first six points to start the second half, pushing the lead to double figures. Florida State led by 17 with 6:12 remaining after a 12-2 run.FSU shot 42.2 percent from the field (27 of 64), which was its second-worst shooting game of the season.Its a learning experience and preparing us for the ACC, Rathan-Mayes said. We did a good job of relying on our defense. I dont think there are too many nights where we are going to struggle like that offensively.Christen Cunningham led the Bulldogs (7-4) with 16 points while Demetrius Denzel-Dyson added 14.We gave ourselves chances but we battled, Samford coach Scott Padgett said. Ive got a play card with 150 plays but I think we ran just one tonight. It was tough to drive inside.BIG PICTURESamford: The Bulldogs are 17-9 in nonconference games over the past two seasons but are 0-2 this season against teams currently ranked in the Top 25 (they lost to Cincinnati 70-55 on Nov. 23). Samford was picked to finish seventh in the Southern Conference but might exceed expectations based on how it has done so far.Florida State: The Seminoles struggled in the first half for the second straight game before pulling away in the second half. If it werent for blowing an 18-point, second-half lead on Nov. 24 against Temple, Florida State would be undefeated going into the Atlantic Coast Conference part of its schedule.HOT IN DECEMBERFlorida State has won 12 straight games in December and 16 of its last 17. It has also won 17 of its last 18 non-conference games in the month.TOUGH DAYEach teams leading player struggled. Florida States Dwayne Bacon, who came into the game averaging 17.2 points, scored 14 but was 4 of 15 from the field.Samfords Wyatt Walker, who is averaging a double-double with 13.7 points and 11.6 rebounds, was held scoreless in the first half. He had eight points and four rebounds.UP NEXTSamford: The Bulldogs host Florida A&M on Thursday. It is the first of two more nonconference games before they open Southern Conference play Dec. 31.Florida State: The Seminoles begin ACC play Dec. 28 against Wake Forest. 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It was a January game last season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder led the Miami Heat by 23 points midway through the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook, positioned where many superstar players would be near the end of blowout, was sitting on the bench.There was one problem: Westbrook was three rebounds short of a triple-double.To many watchers surprise, Westbrook popped up and walked over to check back in. He quickly grabbed his three boards, and with the Thunder up 22, they took a timeout and Westbrook sat back down, a 24th career triple-double in hand.In was obvious what had happened, and it wasnt the first time Westbrook had apparently worked for the statistical trinity. A year before, he was on a triple-double roll, but went to the bench with two minutes left in the game, one rebound shy of a triple-double.Tip? he said. Tip?From the bench, he was lobbying the official scorekeeper for an offensive rebound, and after reviewing a replay during a timeout, the scorekeeper obliged, giving him the triple-double before the buzzer sounded. Westbrook denied politicking for it after the game.This season, Westbrook is recording triple-doubles at a historic pace, notching 11 such feats in 22 games, maintaining a current streak of six, and averaging 31 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game.No politicking or late-game stat-stuffing needed.As is usually the case when anything fun or cool starts happening, skeptics emerge, ready to rain on the history parade. For some, whether its by comparisons or discounting the validity of the numbers, Westbrooks near-nightly showcase inspires more questions than admiration.Is he stat-padding? Chasing rebounds? Hunting assists?Westbrook cares about winning first and foremost, but theres no doubt he pays attention to the triple-doubles. Why wouldnt he? Its an impressive achievement, and one to be proud of. Ricky Davis and Andray Blatche embarrassed themselves just trying to notch one. Westbrook racks them up at will, piling up the stats almost like he cant help it.When he does, the Thunder win. In Westbrooks 48 career triple-doubles, the Thunder are 42-6. In his 11 this season, theyre 9-2. The two losses were a two-point loss to the Orlando Magic on a buzzer-beater and an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.Theres also this: Via Nylon Calculus, theres evidence to suggest the Thunders best offense comes from a Westbrook defensive rebound.When Westbrook hauls in a rebound, the Thunders pace cranks up, and the team shoots a higher effective field goal percentage (55.3 percent) than when he doesnt grab the board (50.3). One of the Thunders primary struggles this season is in the half court, but they remain lethal in transition. The Thunders best path to transition is getting the ball in Westbrooks hands as quickly as possible.So Westbrook just cuts out the middle man, sometimes at the expense of his big men. But theyre in on the take.Against the Hawks on Monday, Westbrook undercut Steven Adams for a rebound, with Adams literally pulling his hands back as Westbrook snared it.No one cares. Wed rather it be him [getting the rebound], Adams said. I like it because I can actually box out my dude. Its good that he actually gets to come in and take it. I dont mind it.Both Adams and Enes Kanter have joked about needing to box out Westbrook because hess taking their rebounds.dddddddddddd Those are big man stats, and Westbrook, a 6-foot-3 point guard, currently resides first on the team in boards, and ninth overall in the league. The Thunder bigs jab Westbrook about taking their rebounds in the film room, recently noting one where he ripped the ball right out of Joffrey Lauvergnes hands.As long as our team gets a rebound, it doesnt matter, Adams said. Theres just some funny ones that we kind of mock him about.Westbrook rebounding isnt some new development, though. Last season, he was only 2.2 rebounds per game away from averaging a triple-double. He has always ranked among the best in the league from the guard position, but this season, he has taken a statistical leap.What makes him a great rebounder, Billy Donovan said, besides the strength and athleticism, he is great at following the flight of the ball. He understands where its going to go and he gets his speed and quickness and athleticism off the floor and into the game because he knows where the ball is going to go.Westbrooks instincts are particularly spectacular. Like this play and this play. He flows to the rebound, and the Thunder are instantly on the attack.It makes everything faster, Andre Roberson said of Westbrook rebounding.Then theres the fact, as Donovan points out, that opposing guards dont try to rebound against the Thunder much because they fear Westbrook in transition. So that gives him free rein to attack the glass.If that was becoming a trend where guards were offensive rebounding against us, wed pay more attention to that, Donovan said. I think because of the player he is in transition, more teams are sending back three [players].Theres concern about Westbrooks ability to sustain this level of play throughout the season. Hes running a monopoly on the Thunders offense, on pace for the all-time high in usage rate (40.2 percent) while also leading the league in assist rate (54.5).Its an astonishing offensive responsibility, on top of everything else. But Donovan is unconcerned. The Westbrook way since his rookie year is to play every game, regardless of opponent, at the highest level of energy possible.I dont see him playing any differently than the way he played last year, Donovan said. Except hes better.Then theres this: Westbrooks season is a welcome respite and distraction from the events of the summer that saw the franchise turned upside down with the departure of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder arent as good as they were, but Westbrook is still providing every reason to watch. Theyre as must-see as theyve ever been.Westbrooks individual achievement has spilled over to team success, with his teammates feeding off the triple-double run. It has given the Thunder an identity as they rally around their new solitary leader, and Westbrooks nightly commitment is showcased by the numbers he puts up.You want to always appreciate it and not take it for granted, Nick Collison said. It is pretty special. And it would be different if he was out hunting these statistics. Guys can do that. Theres a lot of guys that do that. But hes really not. Hes really just playing the game. And thats whats best about it. ' ' '