The beginning of the regular season brought belief for Florida State basketball fans. It started with an opening night win over Alcorn State and the momentum continued as they won five of their first six games. The team sparked optimism under first-year head coach Luke Loucks as they were playing a fun brand of basketball and were one of the best offensive teams in the country.
Believe me, there’s still optimism about this basketball program. However, the Seminoles are currently riding a three-game losing streak, as their record sits at 5-4. It's a tough stretch of the season where nothing seems to go their way. All eyes are on the Seminoles as they look to get past this dry spell.
It all started on Black Friday. Just a few days before Thanksgiving, Florida State had another dominant home victory over Cal State Bakersfield. Despite a slow start in the first half, their shooting picked up in the second half as they were able to run away with the lead. Unfortunately, the Seminoles’ shooting did not travel with the team to Tampa, Florida as they came up short for the second time this season.
Truth be told, the Seminoles were dominated in every fashion. The Aggies punished them in the paint as they controlled the boards and created easy opportunities to score inside. Florida State was outrebounded by 20 in this matchup while allowing 22 offensive rebounds. The three-point shot didn’t work in their favor either as they shot 22 percent from long range. Due to a subpar performance, it was Texas A&M who walked out happy with a 95-59 victory.
It was by far the worst loss for Florida State in the early season. The contest exploited several weaknesses that the team had to improve upon moving forward. Unfortunately, few adjustments were made as the Seminoles went head-to-head with the Georgia Bulldogs in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Once again, it was the same issue that took place against Texas A&M. When Florida State couldn’t buy a basket from the three-point line, it disrupted their entire offensive scheme. Meanwhile, Georgia made all of the hustle plays as they outrebounded Florida State 48-27. Led by 22 points from Jeremiah Wilkinson, the Bulldogs found a way to come out on top with a 107-73 finish.
Two straight losses by 30+ points made a disgruntled Luke Loucks express his frustrations during his post-game interview. He expressed how the team lacked effort and toughness as his team was blown out in back-to-back games. “We gave up over 200 points in two games,” Loucks stated. At that point, the Seminoles fell to 5-3 on the season and their momentum dropped. To get back on track, Loucks decided to make a drastic change to the starting lineup.
The Noles’ next matchup was against the Houston Cougars, which was the 8th-ranked team in the country. It was already a disadvantage as the Seminoles faced a program that included legendary head coach Kelvin Sampson. However, rookie coach Loucks was destined to have his team prepared for another tough matchup.
The new starting five included Martin Somerville, Thomas Bassong, and Alier Mauk to play alongside original starters Robert McCray V and Lajae Jones. Loucks inserted guys who he believed were going to compete. Despite Florida State getting off to a slow start, their new lineup showed fight and tenacity to cut into the lead.
Improvements showed across the court for the Florida State Seminoles. Offensively, they did a better job of initiating ball movement in the halfcourt offense and finding quality shots. Meanwhile, the Seminoles also had spurts where they played defense with purpose. Their communication was great as they switched effectively while limiting easy looks inside. After trailing 15-3, the Seminoles were able to cut the lead to five midway through the first half by trailing by eight at halftime.
The Seminoles found a way to keep the game close. However, Houston’s offensive adjustments allowed them to run away with an 82-67 victory behind 27 points from Emanuel Sharp. Despite the loss, Florida State showed vast improvements compared to their previous two games. Three players scored in double-figures while they also won the rebounding war. Unfortunately, the team didn’t have just enough firepower offensively to come out on top.
Heading into today’s contest against UMass, Florida State is currently on a three-game losing streak. Yes, it does look bad as they lost every game by double-digits. However, we are still in December and a few weeks away from the beginning of conference play. The Seminoles are slowly figuring things out. Adjustments are made and they’re playing with more energy. With that being said, they’ll approach today’s game with a mindset to come out on top.
Ending this losing streak will mean more than getting back in the win column. It means that the Florida State Basketball Program is in good hands with Luke Loucks. Loucks understood that turning this program around would be a challenge for a first year head coach. However, he’s never in doubt that he can put this team in a better position. Loucks is willing to fight through the adversity to lead his team back to success. It shows with his passion and ability to make adjustments when needed.