3 Takeaways as FSU Basketball Dominates NCAA Tournament Hopeful Virginia Tech on the Road

Florida State was back in action on Saturday afternoon, trying to make up for the loss to Virginia earlier in the week. To do so, they'd have to go on the road and beat a solid Virginia Tech team, which is right on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament with a month to go before the bracket.

A reason FSU has been playing better recently is the improved defensive effort. You wouldn't have known it from this game, because both teams were hot offensively in the first half.

Virginia Tech got out to a 19-11 lead after a 7-0 run, closed off by a three from Izaiah Pasha. But FSU got back in it by getting inside. Lajae Jones and Chauncey Wiggins each had a few baskets inside before threes from Thomas Bassong and AJ Swinton tied the game again at 34.

The one thing that was missing from FSU's offensive repertoire was getting to the free-throw line. They did it so well against Virginia earlier in the week, but they didn't have any attempts at the line in the first half. That's the biggest reason that they were down 42-39 at half, even with Chauncey Wiggins hitting his second three of the half going into the break.

The second half started with a lot of back-and-forth action, but a 6-0 spurt by the 'Noles gave them their first lead since the opening minute. That 6-0 run became a 13-0 run, as FSU soon was up by 8 after a three from Martin Somerville. Even after Tobi Lawal ended the run, Lajae Jones continued the momentum with a nice two-handed flush by getting past Lawal.

FSU was getting to the free-throw line more in the second half, which is a big reason they were able to control the tempo. But Martin Somerville was completely dominating in the middle part of the half. From the under-12 timeout to under-8, he scored 11 points. In the same span, Virginia Tech scored 6. FSU was up by 13 by the under-eight timeout, and they had Somerville to thank.

A three from Chauncey Wiggins pushed the lead to 16, and that's when FSU started to slow the game down. But they kept building the lead. A lob from Somerville to Wiggins put FSU ahead by 20. A layup and some free throws pushed the lead to 24, the largest deficit Virginia Tech has faced all season.

From there, FSU would go on to win, 92-69. The second-half surge was unreal, as FSU outscored Virginia Tech 53-27, shot 78.3% from the floor, and held VT to 36%. That's insane. Martin Somerville ended up with 23 points for the game, but he had a lot of help: Chauncey Wiggins had 19 points on 7/8 shooting, Lajae Jones had 17 on 7/10 shooting, and Robert McCray V also had 17.

FSU has now won 5 of the last 7 games, and they'll host Boston College on Saturday. Here are three takeaways from this upset win.

DOMINANT UPSET IN BLACKSBURG: Florida State goes on the road and upsets Virginia Tech with a strong second half, 92-69

M Somerville 23 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb
C Wiggins 19 pts 7/8 FG
R McCray 17 pts
L Jones 17 pts

NEXT: vs Boston College Tuesday #Noles pic.twitter.com/nvYjwlRBCL
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) February 14, 2026

1. Martin Somerville Legacy Game

Simply put, Florida State doesn't win this game without Martin Somerville's contributions. He was averaging 6.9 PPG in conference play, and put up 23 points in this game, including 18 on 7/7 shooting in the second half. FSU needed someone to step up after it was just the Lajae Jones and Robert McCray show against Virginia earlier in the week. Somerville did more than that.

2. Your NCAA Tournament Hopes Are on the Line? Don't Play Florida State

Florida State has really found something in the last few weeks. They put a serious hamper into Cal's NCAA Tournament hopes by beating them in Tallahassee two weeks ago, and they did it again on Saturday by whalloping Virginia Tech, which was the First Team Out in Joe Lunardi's latest projections. FSU is a dangerous team, especially when they're playing this well on offense and defense.

3. An Incredible Midseason Turnaround

It's one thing to acknowledge something isn't working midseason. It's another to flip that on its head and find something that really works. Luke Loucks realized the style they were playing wasn't working. They were taking too many reckless shots, gambling too much on defense, and giving up too many rebounds. That has completely changed recently, as they're playing sound defense, moving the ball well on offense, and really crashing the glass. It's a really impressive turnaround, and FSU has 5 wins in the last 7 games to show for it. Teams will not like facing them in the ACC Tournament.

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Basketball throughout the 2025-26 season.

Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok

More Florida State News

FSU Football Trying to Flip Offensive Commit From Georgia Bulldogs

ESPN Makes Early Call on Florida State's 2026 Starting Quarterback

FSU Football Battling for One of the Top Pass Rushers in the Country

FSU AD Michael Alford Makes Case to Boosters in Direct Email