Florida State men’s basketball (5-5, 0-0) will try to stop a four-game losing streak tonight, hitting the road to take on the Dayton Flyers (8-3, 0-0).
After an exciting start to the season featuring plenty of points, the growing pains for first-year head coach Luke Loucks and his squad hit a high after an upset loss to UMass on Saturday where the Noles allowed 60 second-half points and were smashed on the interior.
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The Seminoles receive a golden opportunity to right the ship and pick up a signature win on Tuesday. The Flyers are 8-3 heading into Tuesday, rank 67th in KenPom and 79th in NET, making tonight a Quad 2 opportunity for Florida State.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Dayton Flyers: How to watch, stream, odds
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The Seminoles’ matchup will be their third straight away from home, with four of their last five games being on the road. Loucks wanted a challenging non-conference schedule, and so far, the Seminoles do not look the part, losing by double digits in all three games, with their defense collapsing and allowing an average of 95 points per contest. The head coach continuously harps on not getting the effort from his players he needs, and it will be noteworthy to see the Seminoles’ attitude in another game away from home with inferior talent.
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Loucks sent a message to Clemson transfer Chauncey Wiggins on Saturday by playing him only 17 minutes, then brought it up in the press conference on his own. With an already undersized and inexperienced lineup to begin with, Florida State has to have more from the senior or the season will continue to spiral. Since missing out against UT Martin with an injury, Wiggins has played over 26 minutes once and is averaging 11.2 points in six games.
From FSU Sports Info:
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The game between the Seminoles and the Flyers is the first between the two teams since the 1981-82 season (December 30, 1981). The series is tied at 3-3 with four of the six games (and each of the last two) having been played in Dayton. The last two games were played as part of the Dayton Invitational in both 1978 and 1981. The Flyers are coached by Anthony Grant who is in his ninth season as the head coach at Dayton. He was also the head coach at VCU (2007-09) and at Alabama (2010-15) and will coach against Florida State for the first time as a head coach. He was an assistant coach for Billy Donovan (1997-2006) and helped the Gators to a 6-4 record in 10 seasons against Florida State.
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Senior Robert McCray, who totaled 11 assists against UMass on Saturday in the Orange Bowl Classic, enters Tuesday’s game against Dayton tied for fifth in the nation with 72 assists and sixth in the nation in assists per game with a careerhigh 7.2 assists per game average. He is one of only seven players in the nation with a 7.0 assists per game average. He also enters the Seminoles’ game against Dayton as the ACC leader in assists per game average and is looking to become the first Seminole to lead the ACC in assists in a single season. McCray’s career-high and program record 17 assists in Florida State’s victory over Alcorn State on November 4, 2025 is the most assists in a game by any player in the nation this season.
Players to know:
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F Amaël L’Etang: There will be no rest for the weary for the undersized Noles as Florida State will be tasked with slowing down the 7’1” L’Etang on Tuesday. L’Etang, in his second season with the Flyers, comes from France and is part of an international wave making its way into college basketball. The sophomore has scored in double figures in five of his last six games while averaging 6.9 rebounds per game.
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G De’Shayne Montgomery: After transferring from Georgia, Montgomery, in his first season at Dayton, has taken control of the Flyers’ offense. The junior has scored in double figures in every game this season and is averaging 16.1 points a night. What makes Montgomery so dangerous is his ability to score at all three levels as the guard is slashing 56%/45%/82% in the young season.
