FSU Football Struggles, but Basketball Has Big Potential

While all eyes in Tallahassee are on the future of Florida State football and head coach Mike Norvell, Luke Loucks' men's basketball team is flying under the radar and could be poised for a breakout season.

Norvell's tenure at Florida State has been a roller coaster. After bringing the Seminoles one decision away from making the College Football Playoff in 2023.

Since then, Norvell teams have been disappointing, failing to even reach bowl-eligible.

And while Norvell and the football program drain all the air out of the room, Loucks' team is seemingly going unnoticed.

Florida State came within a last-second shot of beating Duke in the ACC Tournament and giving the selection committee a difficult decision.

Now, heading into his second season, Loucks has retooled the roster and could have the Seminoles taking a significant step forward in 2026.

Florida State's size has Loucks excited about the upcoming season, especially the improvement he believes the roster has made in overall talent.

“Just in terms of positional size, athleticism, and just capability. And again, last year's team was awesome,” Loucks said. “But I feel like we've taken a step at almost every position in terms of just capability, athletic capability, size, the way they move.”

It's easy to see why Loucks and Florida State fans should be excited. For context, Michigan's starting lineup averaged 6-foot-7 and 226 pounds during its national championship season last year.

Florida State could have a lineup at times that will average 6-foot-10 and 232 pounds.

Michigan's ability to play Yaxel Lendeborg (6-foot-9), Morez Johnson (6-foot-9) and Aday Mara (7-foot-3) together showcased the advantage of having size and versatility on the court at the same time.

Florida State now has the same opportunity to take advantage of its big, talented frontcourt.

It may be unfair to compare Marcis Ponder, Sebastian Rancik, and Cooper Schwieger to Michigan's big three who all went in the NBA first round.

Still, with the talent all three have, if the trio can fit together, Loucks will have a frontcourt with the potential to make a massive impact in every game.

Ponder, a 7-foot-1, 285-pound freshman, made an impression in Florida State's exhibition against Auburn, recording 13 points, 21 rebounds, and three blocks. Rancik, a 6-foot-11 forward from Colorado, offers a different skill set.

According to Loucks, he can shoot, drive to the basket, and score in the post while handling the ball like a guard despite his size.

Schwieger, a 6-foot-10 forward, arrived from Wake Forest, where he averaged 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. He shot 50.4 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from 3-point range, making 12 of 35 attempts.

With Rancik and Schwieger capable of playing both inside and out, and Ponder already showing he can be a force in the paint, it's easy to see why Loucks responded “1,000 percent” when asked about the three playing together.

Loucks was asked, “Between Rancik, who is 6-foot-11, Schwieger, who is 6-foot-10, and Ponder, who is 7-foot-1, is there a world where you can play all three together because of the spacing they provide?”

“A thousand percent, yeah. I mean, we’ve even talked about lineups...” Loucks said.

The size doesn't stop there for the Seminoles.

The Seminoles' size extends beyond the big three in the frontcourt. Kam Taylor, 6-foot-7, and Shon Abaev, at 6-foot-8, give Loucks the option to go big across all five spots on the floor at the same time.

Taylor earned praise from Loucks since committing to the Seminoles. Loucks described him as an NBA-level athlete who regularly leaves the coaching staff stunned in practice with his explosiveness.

In his first appearance against Auburn, Taylor looked as advertised with 19 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

“Kam is an unbelievable NBA top-tier-level athlete. He is so explosive. It is, like, mind-boggling,” Loucks said. “There's a couple of plays every practice where the whole gym just stops. Like, what did we just look at? It's wild.”

Abaev, a former McDonald's All-American, transferred from Cincinnati after averaging seven points and 1.1 assists in 15.9 minutes per game last season.

He dealt with injuries, but Loucks believes Abaev has the versatility to become one of the most talented players on the roster as he continues to develop.

“I think as he develops, he is one of the most talented guys with the basketball I've ever seen. Passing, scoring, shooting, he can do it all,” Loucks said.

Florida State's combination of size, athleticism, and versatility gives Loucks reasons to be optimistic, but the real test will be turning that potential into wins.

With the football program continuing to struggle, basketball has an opportunity to give Seminole fans something football has failed to do. They have the ability to win. 

The pieces appear to be in place, but fans will soon find out whether Loucks can turn his roster's potential into a breakthrough season and deliver the kind of success Norvell has struggled to achieve on the football field.