The Florida State Seminoles have dropped to 2-1 to start the 2026-27 season after losing at home in the Tucker Center to No. 1 Florida. The rivalry with the Gators has long been an exciting one, but in recent history, the Seminoles have struggled to pull ahead in the last six meetings.
Coach Luke Loucks was fiery on the sideline all game, starting with a foul call on Florida guard Boogie Fland that could have been considered a flagrant, but ultimately did not meet the criteria. Loucks was separated from the referees by his own players, and the coach was able to get the review he had been pleading for. Unfortunately, the final call was ultimately not what he wanted to see.
Loucks and Florida coach Todd Golden were yelling at each other on the sideline after Sebastian Rancik celebrated in front of an injured Fland, who was on the ground at the time. The two teams were excited to play, and the result was a very close contest that could be a positive sign for Florida State moving forward.
Florida State lost the game, 81-72, after putting up a strong fight against arguably the most difficult team on the schedule. Rancik led the way with 23 points, and Anthony Robinson II followed with a 19-point performance.
This was a winnable game for Florida State, especially since the team made just 19% of its three-point buckets. Even a slightly better night from the field likely allows the Seminoles to pull ahead against the top team in men's college basketball.
The Seminoles need Shon Abaev to settle down and run the offense more often
Sometimes, avoiding old tendencies can be difficult in basketball, particularly when a player struggles with picking his spots. Abaev has been an impact transfer so far for Florida State, but his one issue revolves around his decision-making and when the forward opts to push the pace. The Seminoles' offense runs through Abaev, and as the primary scoring option for the team, the forward often tries to force shots to help ignite the offense with a bucket.
It can be tough to break that habit, but Abaev has done this multiple times now, and the season is still very young. Florida State needs to Abaev to find a way to stay composed and work to create better shot opportunities for himself and his teammates.
Pushing the pace is great, and he is very talented at catching opposing defenses off guard with a quick shot attempt. The issue, however, is that experienced teams like Florida proved to be ready for that type of attack, and the result was multiple empty possessions before the shot clock was even remotely drained. The more time on offense Florida State gives good teams, the better the chance that there will be defensive breakdowns.
Can Luke Loucks unleash Marcis Ponder this season?
The talk of the town heading into the season was the massive center, Marcis Ponder, but the first three games of the season have not been quite as expected. Ponder dominated Auburn during the first exhibition of the preseason with a double-double performance, and while the center is playing well for the most part, he hasn't had quite the same performance yet in the regular season.
Ponder came into the game against Florida averaging 12.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks per game. The center finished the game against the Gators with four points, three rebounds, one steal, and one block.
Obviously, you can't expect the kid to have an insane performance each time out on the court, but he has primarily been a secondary scoring option within the offense. If Florida State is able to win games with him in that role, then that is fine, but it should be interesting to see whether or not Ponder becomes a bigger part of the offense as he progresses and adjusts to the collegiate level.
Florida is arguably going to be the hardest game on the schedule, and now Florida State needs to play teams like Houston, Tennessee, Duke, Miami, and Louisville this season. It is a tough ask for any team, especially one that will rely on multiple freshmen. Ponder finding a way to hit another gear this season could boost the Seminoles chances at taking down some of the strongest teams in the country.
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