Seminole Sunday Sauce — March 8, 2026: FSU Hoops Clinches Winning season, Earns No. 8 Seed in ACC Tourney
After an awful start to the 2025-26 season, Florida State men’s basketball will finish Luke Loucks’ first season as head coach with a winning record.
FSU went 2-0 this past week and will be the No. 8 seed in the ACC Tournament after closing the regular season on a 3-game winning streak. FSU started the week by tying a program record with its fifth straight ACC road win. FSU held off Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 75-74.
The Seminoles led by as many as 24 points in the second half, but a furious Pitt rally made things far closer than many would have guessed just minutes earlier. Still, Robert McCray V was able to ice the contest with two free throws in the final seconds before a desperation 3-pointer from the Panthers capped the scoring.
Laje Jones and Chauncey Wiggins each finished with 18 points to lead the Seminoles. McCray added 14 points, six assists and two steals. Barry Dunning Jr. finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead Pitt. The victory tied the consecutive ACC road win mark set during FSU’s inaugural season in the conference of 1991-92.
On Saturday, FSU celebrated Senior Day with a dominant 91-78 win over SMU. The Seminoles never trailed in the contest.
After SMU tied the game at 18, FSU closed the first half on a 27-9 run. Down 45-27 at halftime, the Mustangs never got closer than 11 points in the second half.
As a team, FSU shot 52% from the field and 16-for-34 from deep. Wiggins, a senior, led FSU with a career-high 31 points and nine rebounds. McCray added 17 points and 12 assists. Jones and Kobe MaGee chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Boopie Miller scored a game-high 32 points to lead the Mustangs.
After starting 7-11 overall and 0-5 in ACC play, FSU will enter the ACC Tournament as winners in 10 of its last 13 games. The Seminoles have assured themselves a winning season. They’ll begin the ACC Tournament in Charlotte against ninth-seeded California on Wednesday night.
FOOTBALL
Recognitions: None
Commitments: None
Decommitments: None
2027 Recruiting Class Rank: No. 13 nationally, fourth in ACC* (5 total commitments)
Wrap-up: Spring practice is just days away.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 17-14 (10-8 ACC)
Ranking: No. 8 seed ACC Tournament
Past Week: (2-0), beat Pittsburgh on Wednesday, 75-74; beat SMU on Saturday, 91-78
Upcoming: vs. California (ACC Tournament, Wednesday)
Recognitions: None
Commitments: None
Decommitments: None
2027 Recruiting Class Rank: N/A (0 total commitments)
Wrap-up: FSU has had a remarkable turnaround after a dismal start. After winning 10 of its final 13 games, FSU has some hope for an NIT berth.
WomEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 10-21 (5-13 ACC)
Ranking: No. 14 seed ACC Tournament
Past Week: (0-2), beat Wake Forest in overtime on Sunday, 77-74; lost to Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament on Wednesday, 72-60
Upcoming: TBA
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU’s season likely came to an end with a first-round exit in the ACC Tournament. It is the worst finish for the Seminoles in 27 years.
Swimming and Diving
Ranking: Men No. 13 CSCAA
Past Week: Completed Bulldog Invitational and began NCAA Zone Diving
Upcoming: NCAA Zone Diving (Sunday-Wednesday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU will wrap up Zone Diving this week before the start of the NCAA Championships
Track and Field
Ranking: Men No. 55 USTFCCCA, No. 7 South Region; women No. 35 USTFCCCA, No. 6 South Region
Past Week: Idle
Upcoming: NCAA Indoor Championships (Friday-Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: Fresh off an ACC title, the FSU men will aim for something bigger in Arkansas.
Men’s Tennis
Record: 8-7 (0-3 ACC)
Ranking: No. 49 ITA
Past Week: (0-2), lost to Louisville on Sunday, 4-2; lost to NC State on Friday, 4-1
Upcoming: vs. Wake Forest (Sunday); at Clemson (Friday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: Both FSU teams remain without an ACC win.
Women’s Tennis
Record: 4-8 (0-3 ACC)
Ranking: N/A
Past Week: (0-1), lost at NC State on Friday, 4-0
Upcoming: at Wake Forest (Sunday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU is still looking for its first ACC victory.
Women’s Golf
Ranking: N/A
Past Week: Finished second at Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Upcoming: Old Barnwell Intercollegiate Championship (March 16-17)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU had an impressive showing in South Carolina, finishing just a couple strokes back of champion Texas.
Men’s Golf
Ranking: N/A
Past Week: Finished eighth at Cabo Collegiate
Upcoming: Seminole Intercollegiate (March 15-17)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: After an eighth-place finish in Mexico, FSU will head home for the first time this spring.
Softball
Record: 20-4
Ranking: No. 10 USA Softball; No. 10 D1Softball; No. 10 Softball America; No. 9 NFCA Coaches
Past Week: (3-0), beat Jacksonville on Wednesday, 7-1; beat Coastal Carolina on Friday, 20-8; beat Coastal Carolina on Saturday, 5-2
Upcoming: at Coastal Carolina (Sunday); vs. South Alabama (Wednesday); vs. Syracuse (Friday); vs. Syracuse (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU will try to finish the non-conference strong before opening ACC play at Syracuse on Friday.
Lacrosse
Record: 2-6 (0-4 ACC)
Ranking: N/A
Past Week: (0-1), lost at Louisville on Wednesday, 15-5
Upcoming: vs. Virginia (Sunday);at Virginia Tech (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: After a loss to Louisville this week, FSU remains in search of its first-ever ACC win.
Baseball
Record: 12-2
Ranking: No. 18 Baseball America; No. 16 Perfect Game; No. 20 D1Baseball; No. 15 USA TODAY Coaches; No. 15 NCBWA
Past Week: (5-0), beat The Citadel on Saturday, 2-0; beat Jacksonville on Tuesday, 7-6; beat Mercer on Wednesday in seven innings, 22-5; beat Northern Kentucky on Friday, 7-3; beat Northern Kentucky on Saturday in seven innings, 13-3
Upcoming: vs. Northern Kentucky (Sunday); at Florida (Tuesday); at Wake Forest (Friday); at Wake Forest (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU will try to wrap up another weekend sweep before taking on rival Florida and beginning ACC play in Winston-Salem.
Beach Volleyball
Record: 8-1 (0-1 Big 12)
Ranking: No. 7 AVCA
Past Week: (0-1), lost to TCU at Seminole Beach Bash on Sunday, 3-2
Upcoming: at Stetson (Wednesday, Stetson Beach Blast); vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Wednesday, Stetson Beach Blast); at Florida Atlantic (Saturday, Florida Atlantic Beach Invitational); vs. USC (Saturday, Florida Atlantic Beach Invitational)
Recognitions: Alexis Durish/Audrey Koenig (Big 12 Pair of the Week)
Wrap-up: After suffering its first loss of the season, FSU will hit the road for the first time.
*Recruiting rankings according to the 247Sports Composite rankings
- Mike Ferguson is the lead writer for Double Fries No Slaw. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. For all of his work, “Like” or “Follow” Mike on Facebook.
