Here are Florida State basketball’s must-watch games on its 2025-26 schedule

The Luke Loucks era is only a week away as Florida State men’s basketball counts down to opening night against Alcorn State Nov. 4.

Loucks will begin his tenure after replacing his former head coach, Leonard Hamilton.

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Since his hiring, Loucks has assembled a staff and brought in 11 new players from the transfer portal who will fit his NBA-style system.

After two exhibition games against Alabama and Florida A&M, he now gets to see what his team looks like in the regular season. FSU has a difficult schedule this year, which Loucks wanted and has embraced.

Here are some of the most notable games on FSU’s schedule to watch this season.

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Nov. 11 vs. No. 3 Florida

Three games into the non-conference schedule, FSU will head to Gainesville to take on its in-state rival, Florida, in a Sunshine State Showdown.

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This will be FSU’s first major test.

The Gators are coming off winning the national championship last year and return two starters from that team.

One is starting forward Alex Condon, who averaged 10.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.

With the loss of Walter Clayton Jr, Alijah Martin and Will Richards, the Gators addressed the guard spot through the transfer portal by adding junior AJ Brown, an Ohio transfer, sophomore Boogie Fland from Arkansas, and senior Xaivian Lee.

All three averaged in double figures from their previous team. The game will be televised on the SEC Network. Florida has won the last four meetings.

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Nov. 28 vs. Texas A&M (Tampa, FL)

FSU will be tested again in an ACC vs SEC matchup. The game will be at the Benchmark International Arena. The Aggies were a tournament team last season, making it all the way through the second round.

However, they like FSU, are breaking in a new head coach in Bucky McMillan following the departure of Buzz Williams, who now coaches Maryland.

McMillan is a young and rising head coach. He spent five seasons at Samford, where he was 99-52 during his tenure. With the game being played on a neutral site, this will serve as another measuring stick against a Quad 1 opponent in the SEC.

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More: FSU vs. FAMU basketball exhibition more than a game, ‘This is celebrating Tallahassee’

Dec. 6 No. 2 Houston (Houston Hoops Showdown)

This will be the most challenging game on FSU’s schedule, non-conference-wise. Houston ranked No. 2 in the preseason coaches ‘ poll after finishing as the runner-up in the NCAA March Madness. This is FSU’s game against a ranked opponent.

The Cougars may not have L.J. Cryer, but they do return their two guards, Emanuel Sharpe (12.6 ppg) and Milos Uzan (11.4 PPG). One of them is likely to take a jump for Houston.

The Coogs also have five freshmen on the roster that they will be breaking in. Forward Chris Cenac Jr. will be the freshman player to watch. At 6-foot-11, 240 pounds.

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Dec. 30- Jan. 3 No. 25 UNC, and vs No. 6 Duke

How about two-for-one?

Right out of the gate, FSU opened the ACC play at the Dean Smith Center. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 on Tuesday night, Dec. 20.

The following Saturday, the Seminoles return home to face the Duke Blue Devils to begin a new year, which will be broadcast on CBS.

With back-to-back matchups against two Carolina heavyweights during that week, it will be a challenge to see how the Seminoles can set the bar in the ACC.

UNC and Duke will come in true freshmen who are highly touted NBA prospects. For UNC, it’s forward Caleb Wilson, who lists at 6-foot-10, 215 pounds out of Atlanta, Georgia.

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For the Blue Devils, it is the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Cayden. Both are the sons of former NBA star Carlos Boozer. Cayden, who is 6-foot-9, 250 pounds, has been making noise during exhibition games.

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Florida State men’s basketball’s schedule

Bold identifies ACC games

• Nov. 4 vs Alcorn State at 7 p.m.

• Nov. 7 – vs. Alabama State at 7 p.m.

• Nov. 11 – at Florida at 7 p.m.

• Nov. 18 – vs. UT Martin at 7 p.m.

• Nov. 21 – vs. Georgia Southern at 6 p.m.

• Nov. 25 – vs. Cal State Bakersfield at 7 p.m.

• Nov 28 – Texas A&M in Tampa Bay at 5 p.m.

• Dec. 2 – vs. Georgia (ACC vs. SEC Challenge) at 9 p.m,

• Dec. 6 – at Houston at 8 p.m.

• Dec. 13 – UMass in Sunrise at Noon

• Dec. 16 – at Dayton at Noon

• Dec. 19 – Mississippi Valley State at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 22 – Jacksonville at 7 p.m.

• Dec. 30 or 31 at North Carolina at 7 p.m.

• Jan. 3 vs. Duke at 3:45 p.m.

• Jan. 10 vs. NC State at Noon

• Jan 13 at Syracuse at 9 p.m.

• Jan. 17 vs. Wake Forest at 6 p.m.

• Jan. 20 at Miami at 7 p.m.

• Jan. 28 vs. California at 7 p.m.

• Jan. 31 vs. Stanford vs. 6 p.m.

• Feb. 7 at Notre Dame at 4 p.m.

• Feb. 10 vs. Virginia at 7 p.m.

• Feb. 14 at Virginia Tech at 2 p.m.

• Feb. 17 or 18 vs. Boston College at 6 p.m.

• Feb. 21 or 26 at Clemson at Noon

• Feb. 24 or 25 vs. Miami at 9 p.m.

• Feb. 28 at Georgia Tech at noon

• March. 3 or 4 at Pittsburgh at 9 p.m.

• March. 7 vs. SMU at 2 p.m.

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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU basketball’s must-see games for 2025-26 season