Fresh off its first loss of the season, Florida State men’s basketball (2-1, 0-0) returns home and takes on UT Martin (3-0, 0-0) for its first game in a week.
Last time out, FSU gave defending national champions Florida everything they could handle, with the Noles having a chance to tie with under 20 seconds left. However, the Gators brought too much size and athleticism to the table, but if there were such a thing as moral victories, last Tuesday would qualify as one. As mentioned, the Seminoles have not taken the court since that matchup and wanted to take advantage of the week off before playing four games in 10 days.
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Tonight will be about more than basketball as FSU honors former head coach and UT Martin alumnus Leonard Hamilton in a halftime ceremony. The Seminoles have announced that they will send a banner to the rafters during the ceremony to commemorate Hamilton holding the all-time men’s win record at Florida State.
Florida State is currently a 20.5-point favorite over UT Martin, according to FanDuel.
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Channel: ACC Network Extra/ESPN+
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FSU Broadcast: Ch. 119 or 193/SXM App
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Notes to know:
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Even after a cold shooting night against Florida, Florida State’s game notes, done by the FSU communications team, highlighted the success from beyond the arc from the Seminoles this season. The Noles are shooting 36% from three and averaging over 35 three-point attempts per game. The most daring stat is that in 2024, FSU averaged 19.3 three-point attempts per game, and this season, Luke Loucks’ team is averaging over 13.3 three-point makes per game. A whole new style of play in Tallahassee.
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Leonard Hamilton had a storied basketball career at UT Martin and was inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame. At one point, Hamilton set a school record for assists with 206 and led his team in scoring during his senior year. Hamilton was also the first black athlete to play at UT Martin. During his final game in Tallahassee last season, all of his former teammates who could attend did so, participating in FSU’s postgame ceremony after the SMU game.
Players to know:
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G/F Andrija Bukumirović: After playing mainly as a role player at UT Martin a season ago, Bukumirović appears to have taken the next step and is the straw that stirs the drink for the Skyhawks. Bukumirović dropped 23 points in UT Martin’s season-opening win on the road against UNLV and has scored more than 16 points in every game this season. At 6’7”, Bukumirović has the skill to shoot the ball from the outside (9-13 to begin the season), but also makes an impact on the glass and is averaging 6.7 rebounds so far this year.
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Dragos Lungu: Lungu transferred to UT Martin after playing his collegiate seasons at San Diego. Lungu, standing 6’6”, is UT Martin’s second leading scorer to begin the young season, averaging 17 points a game, including a 23-point output against UNLV in the season opener. It will be interesting to see how Loucks’ team matches up against two capable three-and-D wings with impressive size and shooting ability.
