Florida State Finds Its Groove: Seminoles Handle Stanford for Second Straight ACC Win
Don’t look now, but Florida State men’s basketball is starting to build some momentum - and doing it with authority.
After a rocky start to the season, the Seminoles are stringing together wins in ACC play, and Saturday’s 88-80 victory over Stanford at the Tucker Center showed a team beginning to believe in itself. It wasn’t just a win - it was a statement. FSU didn’t just outlast Stanford; they controlled the game for most of the afternoon, led by a balanced scoring attack and some highlight-reel moments that had the home crowd on its feet.
Coming off a win over a tough Cal squad earlier in the week, Florida State completed the Bay Area sweep by handing Stanford its fourth consecutive loss. The Cardinal, who entered the game at 14-7 and had won 20 games last season under Kyle Smith, couldn’t find an answer for FSU’s energy and execution.
The Seminoles set the tone early and never really let Stanford get comfortable. By the 11:38 mark of the second half, FSU had built a commanding 19-point lead, punctuated by an emphatic dunk from Alex Steen off a slick assist from Robert McCray V. That jam pushed the lead to 63-44 and sent a clear message: FSU wasn’t just trying to hang on - they were going for the knockout punch.
Steen wasn’t done. He added another dunk minutes later to stretch the lead to 68-49.
Then it was Thomas Bassong’s turn to get in on the action, throwing down his own dunk to push the Seminoles to the 70-point mark with just under 10 minutes to play. Stanford tried to mount a late push, but the hole was too deep, and FSU had too much control.
Chauncey Wiggins put the exclamation point on the night from beyond the arc, drilling a deep 25-foot three-pointer with 6:17 left - the final triple of the game for the Noles. From there, Florida State closed things out at the free-throw line, scoring seven of their final nine points from the stripe. McCray hit four of those and then capped his night with a thunderous two-handed dunk in the final minute that brought the house down.
Wiggins led the way with 23 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including four made threes. He was confident, composed, and clutch when it mattered most.
McCray wasn’t far behind, finishing with 19 points and seven assists - a performance that showed just how important he is to this team’s rhythm and tempo. Lajae Jones added 18 points on an efficient 5-of-10 shooting night, while Steen chipped in 12.
Off the bench, Kobe McGee gave the Seminoles another spark with 10 points in reserve minutes.
Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie did his best to keep the Cardinal in it, pouring in a game-high 26 points. But he didn’t get much help - no other Stanford player scored more than 12 - and the lack of balance ultimately doomed their comeback hopes.
For Florida State, the win improves their record to 10-12 overall and 3-6 in ACC play. More importantly, it marks the first conference winning streak under first-year head coach Luke Loucks - a small, but meaningful milestone for a team trying to turn a corner.
There’s still work to be done, but the Seminoles are showing signs of life. And if this week is any indication, they’re starting to figure out who they are - and how they want to play.
The road ahead in the ACC is never easy, but Florida State is finally moving in the right direction.