FSU Basketball Knows How to Win Now, Will it Continue Against SMU?

Florida State finally got on the board with its first ACC win of the Luke Loucks era on Tuesday with an upset on the road over the rival Miami Hurricanes. That helped alleviate some pressure, and it could give them the confidence to start gaining some wins.

This will be a tough one, though, as they're on the road once again to play the SMU Mustangs on Saturday, who are a veteran team with a lot of talent. It's great to get on the board, but the Seminoles still have a lot of work to do.

This game will be at 4 p.m. EST on the ACC Network from the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.

Jan 20, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Southern Methodist University Mustangs head coach Andy Enfield during the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

SMU Mustangs Breakdown (14-5 Overall, 3-3 ACC)

SMU is in its second season under former Florida State assistant Andy Enfield, who was there while Luke Loucks was a player. They'll now meet as head coaches in the ACC, which has to be a unique experience for both coaches. SMU seems to be a much better fit for Enfield than USC was, as he had a mostly successful first season last year, and they have another good team this year.

They may be 3-3 in ACC play, but not all 3-3 records are created equally. Those three losses have been to Duke (without SMU's best player), Clemson, and Virginia. And those losses have come by a combined 15 points. This is a good basketball team.

But they are also an OLD basketball team. Their D1 experience on the roster ranks 6th nationally, and four of the five starters have at least four years of college experience. That kind of experience, especially in the backcourt, goes a long way toward having a successful season.

It starts with Kevin "Boopie" Miller, who is on his way to being an All-ACC First-Team selection. He's averaging 19.8 PPG, 6.8 APG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.8 SPG while shooting 47.1% from the floor, 38.8% from three, and 89.2% from the free-throw line. He's been an absolute terror all season, and he's a lightning-quick guard. He's yet to score fewer than 14 points in a game, and has five double-doubles, including a monster 27-point, 12-assist game in a win over North Carolina. He's hard to contain.

He's flanked in the backcourt by BJ Edwards, who is a tremendous secondary playmaker, averaging 13.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 5.4 APG. He's also leading the ACC in steals with 2.7 per game. Edwards and Miller have familiarity playing with each other, which matters a lot in college basketball.

The newest addition to the backcourt trio is Jaron Pierre Jr., who comes in from Jacksonville State and is in his sixth year of college basketball somehow. He has been tremendous on the wing for SMU this season, averaging 16.9 PPG, and he leads the team in three-point attempts at 5.5 per game.

Corey Washington started his career at St. Peter's, transferred to Wichita State last year, and is now at SMU to end his career. He's an efficient shooter, but he doesn't shoot often and is most effective on the glass. He's averaged over 2 offensive rebounds per game in every season of his career. He's averaging 11.3 PPG and 5.1 RPG.

Samet Yigitoglu is the starting center, and he's improved his efficiency slightly since his freshman season a year ago, but he's become a much better rebounder. He's a consistent 10 points and 8 rebounds every game, and he's a rim deterrent at 1.6 BPG.

The one thing that SMU doesn't have is a bench, though. They play two freshmen, Jermaine O'Neal Jr. and Jaden Toombs, and that's about it. It's a pretty solidified 7-man rotation.

But this is a lethal offense, one of the best in the country. They're efficient at every level of the floor, shooting 36.8% from three, 56.2% on twos, and sinking their free throws at a 77% clip. Even when they do miss, they're bringing down their misses at a high 35.7% rate. Their defense is fine, but far from elite.

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

Florida State Seminoles Breakdown (8-11 Overall, 1-5 ACC)

Florida State has changed some things, and it's helped them for most of ACC play, including in their win on Tuesday against Miami. Instead of getting up and down the court and firing away threes, which they can still do, they've really slowed games down to focus on the defensive end. They spent non-conference play consistently in the high-70s to low-80s for possessions. These last two games? 66 possessions against Wake Forest and 69 against Miami.

That has been on purpose. They've really locked in on the defensive side and have completely changed the way they play defense. They're not focused as much on forcing turnovers, but rather, they want to keep people out of the driving lanes. To do so, they've shifted to more of a pack-line defense. It's not exactly pack-line; the hard hedges aren't there (they're even still switching the big oftentimes), and defenders aren't collapsing on gaps when someone drives, but they're not playing as far out from the three-point line, and that's making it harder for teams to drive by them.

FSU is also just working harder on offense for better shots. They're not always hitting them, but getting more stops on defense is putting less pressure on offense. We've also seen Loucks go to bigger wings. Thomas Bassong has started the last few games, and he's brought the right amount of energy. Tuesday's starting lineup included Lajae Jones, Bassong, and Chauncey Wiggins, which gave them a lot of defensive versatility, and AJ Swinton has seen a bump in minutes. That kind of size has also helped them on defense.

Projected Starters

Florida State

G: Robert McCray V
G: Lajae Jones
F: Thomas Bassong
F: Chauncey Wiggins
F: Alex Steen

SMU

G: Kevin "Boopie" Miller
G: BJ Edwards
G: Jaron Pierre
F: Corey Washington
C: Samet Yigitoglu

3 Keys to the Game

Can SMU's Backcourt Be Contained?

SMU has arguably the best backcourt in the ACC with Boopie Miller, Jaron Pierre, and BJ Edwards, as they combine to average 50.6 PPG. Is there a world where FSU holds that trio to 35-40? Because if they do, they'll give themselves a great chance.

It starts with Boopie Miller, who is averaging 19.8 PPG and 6.8 APG. He has yet to score below 14 points in a game and has five double-doubles this year. But BJ Edwards is a dynamic secondary playmaker, averaging well over 5 APG, too. With two playmakers like that, it's no surprise that this is one of the best offenses in the country. FSU has to defend that well.

Efficient Game From Robert McCray V

Robert McCray V is the conductor of this train, and as he goes, the team goes. He had 20 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds on Tuesday against Miami, but he really has to keep the turnovers down. By far the biggest reason for the loss to Wake Forest was his 11 turnovers, and he's still averaging 5.7 turnovers per game in ACC play. If he keeps them to below four, FSU will keep themselves in a lot of ball games.

Slow the Game Down

I think Florida State has found itself a new formula to win games, or at least compete in them, by slowing them down. And SMU has not played well in low-possession games this year. All five of their losses have come in games with fewer than 70 possessions, and they've lost every game in which there are fewer than 68.

That has to come with a lot of discipline: no gambling for steals, limiting the turnovers, and not fouling early in possessions. FSU has been better on the defensive aspects lately, but they still need to be better on their own turnovers, as well as being more efficient with their shooting. But they've shown in these last two games that they can keep the possessions down; competing or even stealing this game away could depend on it.

Game Prediction

SMU is favored by 11.5 points with an over/under of 165.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

If FSU is going to keep this competitive, it's going to be a slow game with limited possessions. That's how they've kept themselves in recent games, and SMU has struggled in games with limited possessions. But FSU can also get blown out easily if they're not committed to the defensive style of play. SMU wins, but I think Florida State gets a sneaky cover.

SMU 77, Florida State 69

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