FSU Basketball continues non-conference play against fast-paced Georgia Southern

Florida State is now 3-1 in the Luke Loucks era after a hard-fought win over the UT-Martin Skyhawks on Tuesday night. It was far from a clean game, as FSU really struggled to score at the rim and from the free-throw line. But they were still able to win by double digits because of the MASSIVE turnover differential, which has been the biggest surprise of the season, to me.

Their next opponent is Georgia Southern, who has been a little spunky to start the season. For those who like a Florida State connection to the opponents, former FSU assistant Charlton Young (now at Miami) has his jersey retired by Georgia Southern, and he was the head coach there from 2009 to 2013.

This game will be a 6 p.m. EST on ACCNX/ESPN+ from the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

Dec 12, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles head coach Charlie Henry reacts during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Georgia Southern Eagles Breakdown (3-2 Overall)

Georgia Southern is in year three under head coach Charlie Henry, who was an assistant at Alabama from 2019 to 2023, and he was the head coach of the Windy City Bulls (G-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls) from 2015 to 2017. His first year at Georgia Southern was rough, as they went just 9-24, but they took a big jump last year, going 17-16. There are a lot of similarities between the systems of Alabama, Georgia Southern, and Florida State: tempo and threes.

Georgia Southern runs one of the fastest tempos in the country, averaging 14.6 seconds per offensive possession, which is one of the 25 fastest nationally. Florida State is almost a full second faster on offense, so this could be a really high-tempo game. They are shooting a lot of threes; not as many as FSU, but they are making them at a 37.7% clip, and four of the top five scorers are shooting better than 40% from three.

If you've ever wanted to see a team that plays up or down to their level of competition, look no further than Georgia Southern. Every game they've played against a Division 1 opponent has been a one possession game. They lost to East Carolina by three and to Georgia Tech by two, then beat Florida Gulf Coast by one and UNC Asheville by three.

The game against Georgia Tech was interesting, because Georgia Tech is a bad ACC team, especially on offense. Georgia Southern wants games in the 80-possession range, but that one was "only" 75 possessions.

They have nine very capable players, with any of them being threats to score. But the ebb and flow of who it can be game-to-game can cause some disfunction.

Leading the way is Tavarus "Spudd" Webb, who doesn't have any relation to Atlanta Hawks legend Spud Webb, as far as I can tell. He's averaging 17.4 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.2 SPG. He struggled against Georgia Tech with 9 points on 3/10 shooting, but he also had 25 points against UNC Asheville. He's got some decent size at 6'4", and he's good playmaker, but he's best when he can get downhill.

Nakavieon White has come off the bench in the last three games, but that has made him more impactful. He's up to 13.6 PPG, but despite him being a 6'7" forward, he's not a great rebounding. He can shoot the peel off the ball, though. He's at 45% from deep this year and he's made at least two threes in each of the last four games.

Alden Applewhite missed their game against Division II's Johnson C Smith, but he's been productive in every other game, averaging 13.3 PPG. He's coming off a double-double against Georgia Tech, putting up 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. He started his career at Mississippi State, so he definitely has talent.

Tyren Moore is the last player averaging double-figure scoring, putting up 12.4 PPG. He is out there to shoot threes. Of his 20 made field goals, 15 have been threes on 44.1% shooting, and he has at least two made threes in every game.

Khayri Dunn is shooting 42.1% from deep and averaging 9.2 PPG, Andres Burney (18.3% ORB rate) and Shainen Carter (14.6%) have been great on the offensive glass, and you'll see Jeffery Koulibaly and Dwayne Williams Jr. play productive minutes, as well.

Florida State Seminoles guard Lajae Jones (10) shoots for two. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Alcorn State Braves 108-76 on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida State Seminoles Breakdown (3-1 Overall)

Tuesday's game against Tennessee-Martin was both slightly concerning and yet there were still great things to take away from it. Chauncey Wiggins missed the game with a foot injury, and Robert McCray V, Kobe MaGee, and Lajae Jones shot a combined 9/34 from the floor. As a team, they shot 13/23 from the free-throw line, as everybody who attempted a free throw missed at least one. And they were just okay from three, shooting 12/35 (34.3%).

Despite that, they still won by 14 against a team that could make some noise in the Ohio Valley Conference (UT-Martin currently has the second-highest net rating in that conference). The difference was the turnovers, as FSU won the turnover battle 26-6, outscoring off turnovers 33-4. That'll win you a lot of games, and help make up for the lack of rebounds. UT-Martin out-rebounded FSU, but the rebounding percentage margin wasn't that telling. UT-Martin did come down with an offensive-rebounding rate of 36.7%, which isn't great, but there were 26 potential rebounds taken off the board because of turnovers, and 19 of those for steals. I'd rather have 19 steals than a few extra defensive rebounds.

And luckily FSU had Cam Miles deliver his best game of his young career so far, as he scored 17 points on 7/10 shooting. That helped make up for Robert McCray dealing with foul trouble in the second half.

I also liked seeing Martin Somerville in the starting lineup while Wiggins deals with injury. He provided an extra playmaking boost with five points.

Projected Starters

Florida State

G: Robert McCray V
G: Martin Somerville (if Chauncey Wiggins still can't go)
G: Kobe MaGee
G: Lajae Jones
F: Alex Steen

Georgia Southern

G: Tyven Moore
G: Tavarus "Spudd" Webb
G: Dwayne Williams
F: Shanien Carter
F: Alden Applewhite

3 Keys to the Game

Finish at the Rim

Florida State was just 15/25 on layups and dunks on Tuesday night against UT-Martin, who didn't necessarily have an imposing force on the interior. That doesn't even count missed and-one opportunities, and they didn't even shoot well at the free-throw line.

Georgia Southern is allowing opponents to shoot 56.7% on two-point shots, which is on the lower end around the country. They also don't have an imposing rim protector, so there should be plenty of opportunity for Florida State to get to the rim, they just have to actually finish this time.

Offensive Rebounding

Georgia Southern is one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country, allowing an offensive rebounding rate of 44.2%, one of the five worst marks in the country. Luke Loucks wants to crash the offensive glass, but those opportunities haven't always been there. Those chances should be there in this game.

3-Point Defense

Georgia Southern is shooting the ball well to start the season, as they're at 37.7% as a team, and four of their top five scorers are shooting better than 40% from deep. FSU hasn't always been great with their 3-point defense this year, as both Alcorn State and UT-Martin have shot better than 40% from deep.

The same applies for the other side, too. FSU wants to shoot a lot of threes, and Georgia Southern has yet to let a team shoot better than 40% from deep.

Game Prediction

Florida State is favored by 16.5 points with an over/under of 176.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

I think this is going to be a really fast-paced game between two teams that have done a good job taking care of the ball so far. This game could easily reach 82-85 possessions. Georgia Southern has been able to hang in against every team they've played so far, but FSU will be the best team they've played.

I could see this playing similarly to the UT-Martin game, where a strong second half lifts FSU to a double-digit win.

Florida State 95, Georgia Southern 80

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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

Mike Norvell reflects on FSU football's win over Virginia Tech: 'proud of our guys'

30 notes to remember from FSU football's 34-14 victory against Virginia Tech

FSU football ends home slate on high note with 34-14 win over Virginia Tech

FSU football celebrates by breaking the rock after Virginia Tech rout