Florida State basketball dropped its fourth straight game on Saturday, falling to UMass in a surprising blowout despite entering as 10.5-point favorites. The Seminoles didn’t just lose - they got lit up.
UMass, a team averaging under 80 points per game, exploded for 105, shooting a blistering 54% from the field and connecting on 12 of their 22 three-point attempts. That’s 55% from deep - an efficiency that would make any coach shake their head, especially when it comes against a team like Florida State that prides itself on length and defensive intensity.
The Minutemen also carved up the Seminoles inside, racking up 48 points in the paint. That’s not just a bad night at the rim - that’s a flashing red warning sign.
Florida State offered little resistance at the basket, and it showed. While there are defensive reinforcements reportedly on the way, the current lack of interior presence is costing this team dearly.
But the bigger concern? It’s not just what’s happening on the defensive end - it’s the offensive identity, or lack thereof, that’s raising eyebrows.
Right now, Florida State is leaning heavily into the three-point shot. In fact, over half of their field goal attempts - 53.5%, to be exact - are coming from beyond the arc.
And yet, they’re only connecting on 31.3% of those attempts. That’s a massive volume for a team that simply isn’t shooting it well enough to justify the strategy.
They’re averaging 37 three-point attempts per game, which is a huge number for a team without elite perimeter shooters.
Let’s put that into perspective. Even if Florida State had a roster full of Steph Curry-level shooters - and let’s be clear, no one does - they’d be looking at around 45 points per game from three if they hit at Curry’s career average of 42%.
But this team isn’t close to that level of efficiency. So what’s the upside of launching that many threes?
This isn’t about abandoning the three-ball altogether - it’s a valuable weapon when used effectively. But right now, the Seminoles are treating it like a lifeline, not a tool.
It’s like a football team calling deep post routes on every series. Sure, it might hit once or twice, but if you’re not connecting consistently, you’re just giving the ball back to the other team.
And that’s exactly what’s happening. When those early threes don’t fall, Florida State finds itself in a hole, and the only way out seems to be to keep firing. It’s a tough cycle to break mid-game.
There are glimpses of what this team could be when they play with more balance. Against UMass, they scored 40 points in the paint and added 19 from the free-throw line.
That’s 59 points coming from high-percentage areas. But they only managed eight fastbreak points and converted just 12 points off the 14 turnovers they forced.
That’s where the game slipped away - not capitalizing on defensive opportunities and settling for low-percentage shots on the other end.
If Florida State wants to turn this season around, it starts with adjusting the offensive approach. The current strategy is asking players to be something they’re not - knockdown shooters - and it’s not working.
There’s talent on this roster, but the system has to put them in better positions to succeed. That means creating more transition opportunities, attacking the rim with purpose, and letting the three-point shot complement the offense, not define it.
Right now, the Seminoles are stuck in a loop - and the only way out is to change the rhythm. Because if they keep playing this way, the losses won’t just keep coming - they’ll start to feel inevitable.