Florida State gets a very different kind of test Friday night.
After rolling past Florida A&M 113-69 to open the season in Tampa, the Seminoles are settling into a long home stretch that keeps them in the Panhandle for the rest of the month. Their next stop is the Donald L.
Tucker Center, where they’ll host Troy at 7 p.m. EST on ACCNX before turning around for Tuesday’s matchup with Florida and later a November finale against West Florida in Pensacola.
Troy is not the same program that walked into Tallahassee last time and left with a 79-72 win in the 2022-23 season, but it still brings enough perimeter skill and transfer experience to make this one more interesting than Florida State’s opener. The Trojans are also under new leadership, with Adam Howard taking over after Scott Cross left for Georgia Tech. Cross had guided Troy to back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips, Sun Belt regular-season and tournament titles, and 22-plus wins in each of the last two seasons.
This year’s roster looks much different. Troy lost Victor Valdes, Thomas Dowd, Theo Seng, Cooper Campbell, Cobi Campbell and Jerrell Bellamy from last season’s group, and the replacements are mostly transfer guards and wings.
Donovan Oday is the headliner after averaging 18.6 points per game at Northern Kentucky last season, and he opened this year with 21 points and 12 rebounds while taking eight threes. Jacoi Hutchinson arrives after a 12.3-point season at Longwood, though his shooting has been shaky the last two years.
Robert Davis Jr. had a strong sophomore year at Old Dominion before dipping to 9.6 points per game last season and going scoreless in Troy’s opener. Kerrington Kiel started Troy’s last game as a 6-foot-5 forward, and the Trojans have leaned into five-out looks with all five starters listed between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-6.
That setup has its limits. Troy doesn’t bring much proven shooting, and it doesn’t have much size in the starting group either.
The bench gives Howard a little more length with Caden Diggs, Sam Walters and Evan Griffin, but that group still doesn’t scream matchup problem on paper. Brazilian freshman guard Caua Pacheco added eight points in the opener, and Mobi Ikegwuruka is another name to watch after coming over from Kansas State and working almost entirely in the paint despite being 6-foot-6.
The season opener showed the Trojans’ issues clearly. Against UMass, they jumped out to an 18-8 lead and were still ahead 27-21 with six minutes left in the first half before the offense completely stalled, scoring just one point over the next 10 minutes. Troy finished 22-for-64 from the field and 7-for-28 from three in the loss.
Florida State, meanwhile, looked sharp against Florida A&M in ways that mattered. The Seminoles defended well, kept attacking the basket when the offense started slowly, and got to the free-throw line.
Even with the game getting loose late, there wasn’t much to nitpick. Shon Abaev didn’t score efficiently, but he handed out six assists without a turnover.
The freshmen gave quality minutes off the bench. Marcis Ponder established himself inside.
Anthony Robinson II and Sebastian Rancik both bounced back after quiet preseason stretches.
Rancik’s night stood out most, as he posted a career-high 25 points. That kind of production gives Florida State another layer heading into a much bigger challenge next week against Florida, and Abaev remains the key figure in that buildup. He was strong as a playmaker Monday but missed some easy finishes around the rim, and there should be a clear effort to get him going early against Troy.
The matchup itself tilts heavily toward Florida State. The Seminoles have a major size edge, and even if Troy uses its bigger forwards more often, that group still has to deal with Marcis Ponder, Sebastian Rancik, Alex Steen and Cooper Schwieger.
Florida State should control the glass by a wide margin and create plenty of second-chance points. Troy can put the ball on the floor enough to generate some looks in five-out sets, so FSU may mix in zone to keep things from getting too messy in man defense.
It will also be worth watching whether Ponder can stay in front of Troy’s dribble threats or whether Florida State prefers to lean more on Steen inside.
Florida State is a 21.5-point favorite with an over/under of 158.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Based on the opener, the roster makeup, and the size mismatch, this looks like a game the Seminoles should control from start to finish.
In Other News...
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Among the players Florida State is monitoring are running back Quintrevion Wisner and cornerback JaBril Rawls, two pieces whose availability could matter in a game that already carries plenty of pressure. With the injury picture holding steady for now, the focus shifts to how the Seminoles handle the setting, the new sideline leadership and the challenge of trying to break a streak that has hung over the program for too long. [Read more 🡒]