3 takeaways as FSU Basketball falls on road to Syracuse, now sits 0-4 in ACC play

Florida State was back on the road for ACC action on Tuesday night to face the Syracuse Orange. After two hard-fought games against UNC and Duke, a lot of optimism was lost when they lost by 44 to NC State at home on Saturday. This game against Syracuse was not only a good chance to re-establish a rhythm, but this was also a good chance for a win. Syracuse hasn't played that well this year, despite the talent they possess, which has their head coach possibly on the hot seat.

And FSU started hot. Slow starts had become a theme in the last month or so, and FSU had 16 points before the first media timeout. That DEFINITELY hasn't been the norm. However, what has been the norm is a disappointing defense, and the defensive effort on both sides was disappointing in the first half.

The gameplan was for Syracuse to shoot threes. If they were settling for deep shots, that would give FSU a good chance, but the Orange were making them at a rate you wouldn't expect for them. They had 7 made threes in the first half, which is above their average for a game. Tyler Betsey was the big difference-maker in the first half, as a player averaging 7.8 PPG had 12 in the first half on four made threes.

But FSU actually led for most of the first half. Robert McCray V and Thomas Bassong led the way early, Chauncey Wiggins had a few early made threes, and Kobe MaGee started to get it going after the third media timeout. They went up by 6 after Kobe MaGee's second three-pointer, but Syracuse would respond with a 13-2 run over the next 3:30, and that would put them up by 5 before the end of the half. Alex Steen would slam home a putback, and the Syracuse lead would be 43-40 at halftime.

The second half started with about as rough an opening minute and a half as you could think, especially for Alier Maluk. He gave up an and-one, missed two easy bunnies at the rim, and mishandled a pass that led to a turnover. That helped Syracuse break the lead open to 10. William Kyle III started to find some holes on the weak side of FSU's defense, and that led to some big finishes for him. Kobe MaGee briefly brought the lead back down, but 'Cuse pushed it right back to 10 after a missed and-one opportunity for Alex Steen, and a lazy dribble from McCray put 'Cuse in transition.

Thomas Bassong and Kobe MaGee would spearhead a rally back, as FSU went on an 8-0 run to get themselves back in the game, and after Will Kyle split a pair of free throws, Martin Somerville would tie the game on a three with 13:36 to go.

From there, the lead would change hands four times in the span of a few minutes, but Tyler Betsy made his sixth three, and a turnover by McCray led to a bucket for 'Cuse, and they were back up by five after splitting a pair of free throws after another turnover. And ANOTHER turnover led to an alley-oop to Sadiq White, pushing the lead to seven.

But there was a huge swing after that. All of the momentum was in Syracuse's favor, but Martin Somerville drove, was fouled by Sadiq White, one he vehemently disagreed with, leading to a technical foul. Kobe MaGee would make both technical free throws, Somerville would make both personal foul free throws, and it was a one-possession game again.

'Cuse would put the lead back at 7, Syracuse went to their classic 2-3 zone, and Kobe MaGee got a good look from the corner, but missed. He would clean up an offensive rebound on the next possession to bring the lead down to 5. It wouldn't get below that until free throws from Martin Somerville made it a 4-point game with 56 seconds left. They wouldn't get closer than that, and Syracuse would go on to win 94-86.

Kobe MaGee was big for Florida State, as was Martin Somerville, but it wasn't enough to overcome big games from Donnie Freeman and Tyler Betsy.

Florida State will be back at home on Saturday to play its fourth North Carolina school in five games, this time against Wake Forest.

Jan 13, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks looks on against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

1. Zone Offense Still Needs Work

Florida State started hot to start this game, but Syracuse's 13-2 run in the first half came on the heels of them going to zone defense, forcing FSU's offense to slow down. Zone defense is also what allowed Duke to pull away in the second half a little over a week ago. You'd think that on a team with shooters and a system that wants to open up shots, they would thrive against the zone, but they just don't look comfortable against it.

2. Thomas Bassong Has a Bright Future

Luke Loucks decided to start Thomas Bassong in this game since he was the only one to show up against NC State, and he responded in a big way, finishing with 7 points, but his impact was bigger than the box score, I thought. He's showing a lot of growth on offense, even if he had some lapses on opportunities where an extra pass would've led to an open shot. He's already an elite defender and is getting better at a lot of the little things: the hustle on the glass, the tighter dribble, finishing at the rim. If that offense continues to grow, he's going to be a phenomenal player.

3. Turnovers Were the Death of Florida State

Florida State had chances to win this game. But the stretch of three straight turnovers in the second half really did them in. FSU isn't a talented enough team to turn the ball over as often as they did and get away with it. They have to play flawless basketball, and they didn't do that in this game.

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