Two games into the 2026-27 season, and coach Luke Loucks has his Florida State Seminoles squad boasting a 2-0 record. Days after taking down Florida A&M to open the regular season in Tampa, the Seminoles returned home to the Tucker Center for the first time this season to face the Troy Trojans.
The Seminoles entered the game as very heavy favorites, and the main concern heading into the game focused more on execution on the court than solely securing the win. Florida State got off to a rocky start on offense, with a narrow 11-point lead over the Trojans heading into the half. A 54-point onslaught in the second half helped propel Florida State to victory, alongside a boatload of free throw attempts.
Troy was a good early-season game for Florida State because the team is supposed to be one of the stronger Sun Belt Conference programs on paper. Florida A&M could be a solid team as the season progresses, but things felt too easy at times for the Seminoles. Seemingly, everything worked on offense, and the Trojans forced the team to adapt on the fly, unlike the Rattlers.
Here is a look at some of Florida State's top performers from the win, and two players who struggled a bit in the second game of the season.
Buckets:
1. F Shon Abaev
Leading the way for Florida State on offense against Troy was none other than the talented forward Shon Abaev. The forward impressed in the exhibition against LSU, proving he can score at every level on the court. Abaev put together a solid performance against Florida A&M to open the regular season, making an impact with four rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Loucks notably had a brutally honest conversation with Abaev when recruiting, and the coach felt the forward's effort dropped off when he wasn't scoring. Abaev proved he is making serious changes in that department with his performance against the Rattlers, and his 20-point scoring effort against Troy displayed his full value on the court.
Abaev can be the primary scorer, he can be a secondary scorer, and most importantly, he will find a way to do everything in between. The forward added seven rebounds and six assists as his performance was crucial to the win over Troy.
It has only been two games, but the Florida State version of Abaev has been significantly more valuable than his 2025-26 version. Abaev looks confident on the court; he looks like someone who is prepared to lead an offense, and he helped lead the charge at the foul line when the perimeter shots were not dropping. It is difficult to find a player who can lead on the court like that, and his value continues to go up with each game as a Seminole.
2. F Sebastian Rancik
Another game, another powerful performance from Rancik as the forward recorded 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a block. The transfer from Colorado has taken over his starting role with force this season, and his multi-level scoring capabilities will certainly continue to come in handy.
What makes Rancik so special is his ability to move like a guard with his 6-foot-11 frame, which turns him into a near-automatic mismatch on the court. The first half against Troy was not the prettiest for everyone on Florida State, but Rancik helped power the offense by consistently creating separation when looking to shoot. The Trojans couldn't stay with the forward for most of the game, and that led to Rancik hitting the foul line multiple times.
With a strong performance in the big and another double-digit scoring night completed, Rancik deserves to be on the "buckets" list. However, there was one issue with his performance and that involved his shot selection.
Rancik took six triples, making two of them, but the Trojans clearly didn't have someone who could match the forward physically inside. This could have been a good defense to continue to push the ball in the paint against, but a win is a win.
3. G Kam Taylor
Loucks previously made a bold statement when he said he believes Taylor could be the most athletic player Florida State has ever had. Taylor has made his presence known in both games this season, attempting 15 free throws as opposing defenses continue to struggle with containing the guard.
Taylor sank all eight of his attempts at the foul line against Troy, finishing the game with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. The guard has been extremely consistent and efficient through two games, missing just five attempts from the field and one at the line. Loucks will happily take this version of Taylor for the entirety of the season, but it feels like it is just a matter of time before the guard takes another step forward.
Bricks:
1. G Martay Barnes
In his second game with the Seminoles, Barnes began to show his age a bit with three turnovers and a couple of open shots that went wide. The guard has incredible speed with the basketball and often looks to push the tempo when bringing the ball up. Sometimes, however, an up-tempo offense can actually put you in a worse position.
Florida State had tons of success pushing the ball into the paint and driving against the Trojans' defense, who simply didn't have a way of responding without fouling. Barnes was one of the few culprits who didn't recognize this pattern until late in the game, when the Seminoles had already arguably secured the win.
It can be difficult at times to make changes at the collegiate level or break out of certain habits, but Loucks has done a great job so far in improving the game of players like Abaev. One tough performance isn't going to change anything for Barnes, and if anything, this performance should help the young guard learn how to decipher what may or may not work against each defense.
2. G Elisee Assui
While the Italian guard might be the most experienced freshman on the roster, Assui still played like a freshman against the Trojans. The guard had two open three-point looks, including one second-chance opportunity from the corner, that ultimately did not hit the mark. Assui finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and a steal.
When the team wins by double-digits, you have to nitpick to find what can be improved upon, and Florida State may need Assui to make the limited shots he takes. The guard is more of a perimeter defense guru than a scorer, but the Seminoles need all the points they can get to take down big teams like Florida, Miami, or Duke this season.
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