Florida State basket who went 18-15 last season will play Tennessee on Dec 1 in Knoxville. Florida State is 4-1 in their last five games in Knoxville.
Florida State men’s basketball will play the University of Tennessee in the SEC/ACC Men’s Basketball Challenge on December 1, in Knoxville, TN.
Florida State is 5-4 all-time against Tennessee. They last played in 2019 with Florida State winning 60-57. Tennessee leads the series 4-1 in games played against the Seminoles in Knoxville.
Head Coach Luke Loucks in his second year as the Florida State coach. Last season he led Florida State to an 18-15 overall record, and 10-8 in the ACC. Loucks' team won six out of their last seven games. Florida State's season came to an end against Duke in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
Loucks lost 11 players from last year's team, six graduating seniors and five players who hit the portal. Gone are (G) Robert McCray who led the team with 16.3 points per game, and 6.1 assists per game. (F) Chancey Washington who averaged 13.3 points per game, and (G/F) Lajae Jones who was drafted by Golden State with the 54th pick.
This offseason the Seminoles head coach brought in five impact players via the portal. They are: Anthony Robinson II (G Missouri), Shon Abaev (SF Cincinnati), Cooper Schwieger PF Wake Forest), Sebastian Rancik (PF Colorado), and Kameron Taylor (SG UNC Asheville).
Key returners from last year's team are (F) AJ Swinton, and (G) Jalen Crawford. Swinton is a 6-foot-6 player who averaged 4.5 points per game last season as a backup, he’ll add quality depth. Crawford is a former walk-on who will also add depth.
Loucks played for longtime coach Leonard Hamilton from 2008-2012. He was a member of the 2012 ACC Championship team.
After Florida State Loucks coached in the NBA for a decade. He was with the Sacramento Kings before becoming the head coach at Florida State.
Tennessee is led by head coach Rick Barnes who is in his twelfth year with the Volunteers. Last season he led his team to a 25-12 overall record, including 11-7 in the SEC. They lost the SEC Championship Game to the Florida Gators.
In 2026 Tennessee was the No.6 seed in the NCAA Tournament advancing to the Elite Eight.
Key players for Barnes this season are Jalen Haralson, Dai Dai Ames, Juke Hurts and Miles Rubin. Center DeWayne Brown looks to lead this group as the big man on this Tennessee team.
Florida State and Tennessee will tip off at 7 p.m. ET when they play on December 1.
