Heading into the end of last week, the Noles sat at 5-4 after a strong start to the season under first-year head coach Luke Loucks. That early momentum quickly faded, however, as Florida State dropped three straight games, including back-to-back blowouts. With a constantly shifting lineup, Loucks has made it clear he is not afraid to bench players who are not competing.
On Saturday, the Noles faced the University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the Orange Bowl Classic, a loss that extended their streak to four straight games heading into their matchup against the University of Dayton. Unfortunately, last night’s game was a lot of the same. With a now losing record, FSU will have to come up with a much better game plan before they head into ACC play.
First Half
In the early minutes of the game, the Noles saw some missed opportunities for a potential 8-7 opening score; however, a missed shot in the paint from Alex Steen forced FSU to trail 11-5 early on. After some unnecessary tension between the two teams, the Flyers took a commanding 16-point lead within the first four minutes of game time.
Despite the early disaster, the Seminoles responded with a 12-1 run that briefly regained momentum. However, foul trouble quickly derailed that progress. Florida State committed 19 fouls in the first half, allowing Dayton to score 16 points from the free-throw line. While the score seemed manageable at 42-31 heading into the half, the constant trips to the line made it difficult for the Noles to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Dayton shot 47 free throws overall, making 40 of them.
Second Half
A lot of the same was seen in the second half, as McCray picked up his fourth foul early, while head coach Luke Loucks was assessed a technical foul during a dispute with the refs, marking Florida State’s third technical of the game. From there, Dayton kept full control of the board, extending its lead to 20 points by the 12:35 minute mark.
This remained the story for the rest of the game, as the flyers led by as much as 28 points. Florida State was unable to crawl their way back out, and the game ended in a 97-69 loss.
What’s Next?
It is often said that it’s how you start, but how you finish. With a good chunk of the season still ahead and ACC play yet to begin, Florida State has the chance to turn things around, but they need to figure it out quickly.
This has been a tough start to the season per the numbers, but as a fan base, we must recognize that the 2025-2026 season was expected to be a structural rebuild year. Luke Loucks, though young, brings a lot of experience, leaving him space to not only internally grow the team, but to really take the bull by the horn. Let’s be patient, Noles.