The Seminoles weren't expected to land a March Madness bid. However, that didn't stop the head coach from dropping this bold take.
Selection Sunday brought out a vocal Florida State head basketball head coach in Luke Loucks.
The Seminoles weren't expected to land a bid in the field of 68 as March Madness 2026 is finalized. Not after falling to top-ranked Duke on Thursday by one-point. A win would've certainly boosted their chances to make it in even as a first four contender. But their 18-15 record made them eligible for the National Invitational Tournament.
Yet FSU opted to pass on the NIT as well, which officially ends its season.
Still, Loucks fired off a message that grabbed quite the attention after the pairings were made. Which he posted via his personal X account (formerly Twitter).
"Congratulations to all of the teams that were selected for the NCAA tournament. It is the best tournament on Earth," Loucks began.
He followed with not one, but two big claims.
"Florida State hoops will be invited to the party soon enough and we won’t stop working until we get back to dancing every season," Loucks added.
And finally, Loucks ended with this dig.
"I see a lot of teams we would beat right now! Go Noles!!" Loucks boldly said.
The last sentence is quite the statement -- which shows how much confidence Loucks grew in his transition as head coach. But again, FSU chose to end its season for these reasons.
Why FSU won't be NIT bound
Did FSU pass on the "other" tournament as a sign of bitterness?
That's not the case. It wasn't Loucks' decision either to opt against playing in the NIT.
The reason came down to a vote, according to Ira Schoffel of Warchant of On3/Rivals.
"The Seminoles’ six seniors have voted to not accept a bid to the National Invitation Tournament or any event other than the NCAA Tournament," Schoffel revealed.
That means Robert McCray V, Chauncey Wiggins, Lajae Jones, Alex Steen and the rest of the senior class made this decision. That also includes any other tournament out there (the College Basketball Invitational opted to cancel its 2026 tournament).
Why FSU was snubbed from March Madness
Some FSU fans will argue the Noles deserved a bid off their late season work.
The committee behind creating the 68-team field looks at multiple criteria factors. Beating quality opponents is one of the biggest.
Florida State took down multiple tournament entries selected on Sunday: Miami, Clemson and SMU.
But none of those three were ranked in the top 25 -- presenting a reason behind the snub.
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