Three keys to Florida State men’s hoops recent turnaround

Florida State men’s basketball has won its last three in a row, and four of its last five after a road win against Notre Dame on Saturday. The Seminoles are now on the inside track to qualify for the ACC tournament with a three-game lead over the three schools tied for last place. First-year head coach Luke Loucks has a chance for another statement win on Tuesday as #18 Virginia comes into Tallahassee before the Noles head to Blacksburg over the weekend to take on another talented team in Virginia Tech.

But three weeks ago, none of this seemed possible.

On January 17, FSU blew a home game against Wake Forest, who now sits at 2-8 in ACC play. The loss to the Demon Deacons dropped the Noles to 0-5 in ACC play and marked their second five-game losing streak of the season. Even though the public knew the program was undergoing a massive transition, it seemed the 2025-2026 season would be wasted and over before the halfway point of the ACC schedule. However, Loucks never let go of the rope, and through various schematic changes and button presses, Florida State appears to be a tough out for the rest of the season and a program on the rise. Below are three reasons for the in-season turnaround:

No. 1: Defensive intensity

During Loucks’s press conferences after a loss, he would rarely talk about the play of his team, but rather their effort. Consistently, the former FSU guard lamented the energy his team played with and believed that was the reason for the lopsided defeats. After multiple changes to the starting lineup and the rotation, these last five games have been a 180 from Florida State on the defensive end.

Just a quick look at the box score and the change is obvious. In their first five ACC games, the Seminoles allowed over 90 points three times, including 113 to NC State, but in their last five, only SMU has scored over 80 points (83). The advanced stats also bear out the positive defensive changes for Florida State. According to BartTorvik.com, the Noles’ adjusted defensive efficiency is 96.7 over their last five games, compared to 111.1 over their previous five games and 104.0 over the course of the whole season.

One reason for the improved defensive rating is improved two-point defense. Over the last five games, Florida State has held its opponents to 49% inside the arc, compared to 62% in the first five games of conference play and 54% on the season. Considering the lack of interior size on the Seminole roster, forcing teams to earn it inside reflects the intensity and execution on the defensive side of the floor.

No. 2: Evening the playing field

Considering that FSU only landed one P4 transfer last offseason (Chauncey Wiggins), they are going to take the floor with less talent than their opponent almost every game in conference play. So Florida State needs to find a way to even the playing field, and their answer, especially over the last five games, has been turnovers.

Loucks consistently tells the media he wants to create more than 30 deflections per game, and those active hands have led to turnovers for FSU. In Florida State’s last four wins, they have a forced turnover percentage of over 15% in each game, including 20.3% against Miami. During FSU’s five-game losing streak to begin ACC play, the forced turnover percentage was 14.3%, including three games under 12%.

But, not only is Loucks’ team doing an excellent job forcing turnovers, they are doing an impressive job holding on to the ball. Against Notre Dame, Florida State committed only five turnovers, and just three of those were live-ball steals. Two games ago, Cal also only grabbed three live-ball steals. Since the Miami game, the Seminoles have turned the ball over double-digit times just once and have won the points off turnover margin in each game. According to BartTorvik.com, the Noles have a 12% turnover rate in their last five games compared 18.2% in their first five games in conference play.

Rob McCray V has been FSU’s best player this season, leading the team in scoring, assists, and average minutes per game. When he committed 11 turnovers in the loss to Wake Forest, it further emphasized that the Noles could not win games without RM5 playing at his best.

However, during this recent stretch of impressive play, the offensive load has not been on McCray’s shoulders alone, leading to a balanced attack and consistent scoring.

The main reason for this has been the emergence of Chauncey Wiggins. The senior has scored in double figures in his last six games and now sits second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game, averaging a career high. Part of the scoring resurgence from Wiggins is due to his three-point shooting, as the big man has made three or more triples in his last three games.

Alongside Wiggins, Lajae Jones responded to getting his playing time cut. After not starting against Syracuse and Wake Forest, his only two games this year not in the starting five, Jones has scored double figures in three of his last five games while grabbing five or more rebounds in every contest. He stopped letting his outside shooting effect the rest of his play and now fills a critical role as a secondary scorer and rebounder on a team without a lot of size.