3 takeaways as FSU Basketball ends non-conference play beating JU Dolphins

Florida State closed off non-conference play on Monday night as they faced the Jacksonville Dolphins. They wanted to close it out on a high note as they try to make up for their five-game losing streak, and they'd then have a week off before ACC play starts. This was the last chance to establish some momentum before then.

There was some familiarity between these teams, too, as FSU assistant coach Michael Fly and starting point guard Robert McCray V spent the last two years at JU.

Luckily, FSU started hot, as a 15-0 run by the Seminoles in the middle of the first half put them up by 20 before the third media timeout. Martin Somerville was a big reason for that. Of FSU's first 27 points, Somerville had 13 of them. FSU was 8/19 from three at halftime, and Somerville alone was 3/6.

He also got some help in the first half from Chauncey Wiggins and Thomas Bassong, who each had 7 points at the break. FSU wasn't really forcing turnovers, but they were dominating on the glass, which helped give them their advantage, and they were completely stifling JU's offense, which is why they were up 43-21 at halftime.

The second half was reminiscent of Friday's game against Mississippi Valley State, where they struggled to create additional separation, partly due to FSU's foul trouble. JU was in the bonus midway through the half, which allowed them to get some free points, and they also found a little momentum down low.

A quick 7-0 burst by FSU would put them up by 28 in the final five minutes, and they would coast to an 87-63 win from there.

Martin Somerville led the way with 23 points on 5/10 shooting (all from three). Chauncey Wiggins had 16 points, Thomas Bassong had 13, and Robert McCray V dished out 10 assists against his former team.

Next is the start of ACC play, as the 'Noles will travel to Chapel Hill to face UNC on December 30th. Here are three takeaways from Monday's win.

FINAL: Florida State ends non-conference play with a win over JU, 87-63

M Somerville 23 pts, 5/10 from 3
C Wiggins 16 pts
R McCray V 5 pts, 10 ast, 5 reb
T Bassong 13 pts, 8 reb

NEXT: at UNC Dec 30th #Noles pic.twitter.com/cGmfoizsjb
— Austin Veazey (@EasyVeazeyNG) December 23, 2025

1. Martin Somerville's Best Game

I've been pretty critical this year of Martin Somerville because he hasn't always had the athleticism to get by a defender and create separation on any kind of shot. But he was great in this game; they genuinely don't win it without him. His three-point shooting was a big catalyst for FSU's run in the first half, and doing it again in the second half helped steady them. They'll need more of these kinds of performances in ACC play.

2. Best Three-Point Shooting in a While, and It Still Needs to Be Better

Florida State wants to be a strong three-point shooting team, and they ended up 11/33 (33.3%) in this game, but 5/10 of that was Somerville. They still need to be a much stronger shooting team to be competitive once ACC play hits.

3. ACC Play May Be a Struggle

Florida State's frontcourt is going to be an issue, especially early on in ACC play. It's a brutal stretch early, as they'll have to play UNC, NC State, and Duke in those first three games. And some of FSU's issues can't be fixed by just playing harder. They're going to be at a major talent disadvantage. Just going into ACC play, they're probably only going to be favored in 2 or 3 games given how they played against other teams.

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