Florida State’s 2026-27 men’s basketball slate got a lot harder in a hurry once the preseason AP Top 25 dropped.
Luke Loucks is staring at a schedule loaded with ranked opponents, and the Seminoles are set to run into eight preseason-ranked teams overall, including five in the top ten. It is a punishing lineup on paper, but it also lines up with what Loucks expected when he took on the job. The good news for Florida State: Alex Steen is back after receiving his fifth year of eligibility, giving Loucks a piece he had last season and, just as important, a little more size.
The toughest stretch starts early. After Florida State opens against Florida A&M and Troy, it gets launched straight into the deep end with No.
1 Florida. The Seminoles have dropped the last five meetings in the series, and last season’s 78-76 loss under Loucks was their closest call in that stretch.
Before that, Florida had beaten Florida State by double digits in four straight. The Gators, meanwhile, are bringing back a dangerous group and adding Denzel Aberdeen, who returns after playing last season at Kentucky.
Another heavyweight waits less than a month later, when Florida State visits No. 8 Tennessee on December 1.
The Seminoles will have home-court advantage against Florida, but there’s no such cushion in Knoxville. Tennessee has lost only four home games over the past two seasons, and with a roster built around all-star transfer portal additions, the Food City Center figures to be a rough place for a young team to survive.
Then comes another ranked roadblock: No. 10 Houston in the Jacksonville Hoops Showdown on December 20. Florida State went 1-4 in neutral-site games last season, and one of those losses came against the Cougars, 82-67 in the Houston Hoops Showdown.
The ranked opponents keep coming in the ACC, but there’s a little breathing room before the Seminoles see No. 14 Miami on February 6.
Florida State and Miami split last season, and that split gave the Hurricanes their first win over the Seminoles in seven meetings. Miami has not beaten Florida State in back-to-back games since the 2015-16 season, so Loucks has a chance to keep that trend alive.
The teams will meet first in the Watsco Center, then again in Tallahassee on March 6 to close the regular season.
That Miami matchup is only one part of a brutal February run. Duke comes next on February 16 at No. 2, then Louisville at No. 11 on February 21, and Virginia at No. 9 on February 27. Duke looks like a monster, and Florida State came close last season, but knocking off that version of the Blue Devils would be a major ask.
The Louisville and Virginia games may be the ones that tell the clearest story. Loucks has not faced the Cardinals yet, and Florida State is on a three-game losing streak against them.
The Seminoles had beaten Louisville from 2018 to 2022 before that skid, so there’s incentive to swing that matchup back in their direction. Virginia is a familiar test.
Loucks faced the Cavaliers last season and lost a game Florida State had every chance to win, shooting 18% from three-point range and 29% from the field. With nearly the same roster back, he knows exactly what kind of fight to expect.
There’s no way around it: Florida State’s season is lined with land mines. But that is the kind of challenge Loucks is stepping into, and the kind of challenge he appears ready to take on.
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Samson Okunlola and Matt McCoy had a difficult time sorting out those looks, and coach Mario Cristobal pointed to Florida States twisting maneuvers as the source of some of the breakdowns. Center Ryan Rodriguez said the answer has to come from sharper recognition and better technique, because if Miami keeps leaving that kind of pressure on its quarterback, other defenses will notice the film and come after the same weak spots. [Read more 🡒]