Real recognizes real. I usually don’t have a lot of nice things to say about folks associated with Duke University, but I had to make an exception after seeing a post on social media after FSU’s last-second shot to upset the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils missed its mark on Thursday night.
FSU didn’t have a great start to the season and started 0-5 in ACC play, but one of those losses was a four-point loss to a loaded Duke team without any injuries. The game was before FSU hit its stride in the second half of the season, but the score was 42-42 at the half, and FSU only trailed by three with under four minutes left in the game.
FSU led the Blue Devils at halftime on Thursday night, 43-42, and led by as many as eight points in the second half at one point.
Needless to say, Duke found a way to win the game, but FSU had a great look at the basket that would have sent that arena into a frenzy had it gone down.
Duke fans and media know FSU is playing like one of the best teams in the country, and recognize that things will probably be different in Tallahassee as long as Luke Loucks is the head coach there:
Florida State is a tournament team without the resume to support it. I know what the analytics say, but that team is more than capable of beating every single team on the bubble.
— Duke Wisdom (@Duke_Wisdom) March 13, 2026
Luke Loucks will continue to elevate that program in the coming years.
Props to this Duke guy for giving respect to a team that's not as talented, but gave Duke all they could handle in the two games they played
That's a big statement coming from a Duke writer. It's true, because FSU has beaten several teams who'll make the NCAA Tournament in a couple of weeks. It's too bad they had a rough start to the season with so many new guys, but this FSU team is legit good. It'll be fun to see how far they go if they play in the NIT.