Scouting FSU before tonight’s Toyota Center matchup

The Florida State Seminoles will visit the Toyota Center for a Saturday-night neutral game with the 8th-ranked Houston. New head coach Luke Loucks leads the Seminoles. They played the Fl*r*d* G*t*rs (I don’t speak of the team the Coogs played on April 7, 2025) on November 11 and narrowly lost 78-76. The Noles have not looked great since then, but that game showed their potential. They have lost their last two games to SEC teams Texas A&M and Georgia by a combined 70 points.

The problem I’m seeing with Florida State is that they lack an identity, especially on defense. When you watch a Houston team, you know they’re going to play tough, half-court man-to-man defense, and rebound on both ends. FSU will full-court press, play some half-court man, and sprinkle in some full and half-court zone defense. I’ve often heard Coach Sampson mention that you can’t be great at anything if you try to do everything. That’s Florida State.

I’m rolling with Robert McCray V as the “Head of the Snake” in this one. He is a talented point guard who is aggressive, loves to get to the rim, and draws fouls. The Coogs have struggled at times keeping guys who drive off the free-throw line. This will be a great opportunity to play with their hands straight up, without reaching or fouling him at the rim. I love the Coogs in this one. They have had some time off and should have had time to heal up and get some rest after the Vegas grind.

FSU Offense Notes

• Florida State leads the nation in three-point attempts per game (37.2).
• FSU has athletes all over the place that are capable of scoring at the rim.
• No. 25 Alex Steen gets them extra opportunities for dagger three-point attempts. It will be important to keep him off the offensive glass.

Seminoles Defense Notes

As I said, they’re all over the place.

• FSU will likely run a 2-2-1 Zone Press to try to slow things down for the UH offense.
• They may try to 2-3 zone or match-up zone. Both are VERY soft, and with some patience, the Coogs should get easy shots in the paint/at the rim or wide-open threes.
• They love to press after made baskets.
• They will probably try a m2m/run-and-jump press where they will leave their man to trap.

FSU Cheat Sheet

Florida State Personnel

(*Indicates likely starters)

*#10 – Lajae “LJ” Jones – 6’7 – SR – Guard – (St. Bonaventure) – 13ppg, 4rpg

• LEFTY!
• Super athletic/tall guard;
• Really good outside shooter (19-54, 35%);
• Shoots it really well from the top of the key and the right corner;
• Crafty finisher at the rim where he’s left-hand dominant.

*#7 – Chauncey Wiggins – 6’10” – SR – Forward – (Clemson) – 14ppg, 5rpg.

• Long stretch forward. Was really good at Clemson;
• He’s not overly athletic, but plays like a very experienced, savvy, patient individual;
• Can play inside or out depending on match-up.
• Nice face-up, mid-range shot;
• Decent three-point shooter for a 6’10” forward (16-54, 30%). Capable from DEEP;
• Don’t let him get to the free-throw line! (13-13, 100%).

*#6 – Robert McCray V – 6’4″ – SR – Guard – (Jacksonville) – 14ppg, 3rpg, 2spg, 7apg, 4TOpg.

• LEFTY!
• Explosive, shifty point guard;
• He wants to score at the rim; He loves to go right, but if he’s cut off, he will look to spin and finish with his left hand. Nice crossover to get in the paint;
• A bit erratic at times and can get loose with the ball;
• Capable outside shooter, but not great; (8-30, 27%).

*#5 – Kobe MaGee – 6’5″ – SR – Guard – (Drexel) – 11ppg, 4rpg.

• “Glue guy” guard. Does the dirty work that keeps him on the floor;
• Does a really good job crashing the offensive glass as a guard;
• Decent outside shooter. At his best when he can step into his shot (16-52, 31%);
• Good scorer in the paint and at drawing shooting fouls.

*#25 – Alex Steen – 6’9″ – SR – Forward – (Florida Southern) – 9ppg, 7rpg

• Big/athletic post player;
• Outstanding offensive rebounder – 8th in the nation @ 4.38 rpg; BOX HIM OUT;
• Really good as a roller in the pick and roll game.

*#2 – Cam Miles – 6’2″ – FR – Guard – 8ppg, 1rpg.

• Smaller guard;
• Does a nice job creating for himself to get his shot off;
• Pretty good finisher in the paint;
• Struggling to shoot from outside, but is continuing to shoot (7-35, 20%).

#1 – Martin Somerville – 6’3″ – SO – Guard – (UMASS-Lowell) – 9ppg, 3rpg.

• LEFTY!
• Comes in to shoot the three;
• Really good outside shooter (20-45, 44%). 45 of his 53 FG attempts have been from beyond the arc;
• Not bad when getting into the paint, but he’s definitely a three-point specialist;

#19 – AJ Swinton – 6’6″ – SO – Forward – 5ppg, 2rpg.

• Tall forward. Rocks the really tall tube socks;
• Likes to hang out right around the basket, hoping to get an easy basket;
• Not a good outside shooter at this point (1-9, 11%)

#3 – Thomas Bassong – 6’8″ – FR – Forward – (Overtime Elite) – 4ppg, 3rpg.

• Athletic/talented freshman forward. Someone to keep an eye on in the future;
• Will be a three-level scorer in due time. Athletic at the rim;
• Solid outside shooter (5-13, 39%);

#15 – Jalen Crawford – 6’0″ – SO – Guard

• He’s not going to play, and he doesn’t care;
• I’m putting him on here because I love his energy on the bench. Every team needs a teammate like Crawford. I’ll be keeping an eye on him during the game.

What I’m Watching

1. Can the Cougar big men stay on the court? They HAVE to move forward. Until Jacob McFarland can give them some minutes (and that might not be this year), the Coogs have to figure out a way to keep JoJo and Chris on the court. They need to realize that their greatest strength is their length, and their greatest ability is dependability. It’s almost impossible to shoot over them without swatting at every shot attempt.
2. Will the Coogs grow in consistency after Vegas? We’ve seen almost every starter have a big game, but we haven’t seen them all shine in the same game. This may be the game that they put it all together.
3. How will the young Coogs handle the FSU pressure? Florida State will look to trap randomly. This will be a big test for the younger Coogs who don’t have as much experience. I’ll be watching to see how they react when getting trapped.
4. Will the Coogs hold the Seminoles to a season low in scoring? FSU has one game this season under 75 points (59 vs. Texas A&M). Houston is #3 in the nation in scoring defense at 59.1ppg. Can they hold the Seminoles under that number?

After the game: CATS!