FSU Basketball Looks to Get Back on Track With Road Matchup Against Georgia Tech

Florida State's recent hot streak came to a pause on Tuesday when they lost at home to Miami by 10. In an effort to get back on track, they'll have to travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech, which has been a house of horrors for basically every Florida State team in recent years.

Men's basketball has lost three straight games in Atlanta, and they've lost five straight against Georgia Tech outside of Tallahassee, in general, because of two losses in the ACC Tournament.

Loucks has already broken one curse for FSU, going on the road to beat Clemson for the first time since 2019. Can he do the same here with Georgia Tech?

This game will be at 12 p.m. EST on the ACC Network from the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia.

Feb 18, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire reacts after a play against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Breakdown (11-17 Overall, 2-13 ACC)

Georgia Tech is in its third year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. With how this season has gone, this is likely to be his last. Just based on talent, they're one of the more talented teams in the ACC with eight former four-star players on the roster, but they're just 2-13 in ACC play, and haven't had a deficit even in the single digits since the beginning of the month. They've been blown out by Stanford, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame in that time.

This looks like a team that has given up on its coach. They force bad shots, they don't hustle, and they just do not care on defense. In their last 7 games, they've allowed an AVERAGE of 89.9 PPG. They haven't held a team below 83 points since January 27th. They haven't won a game at all since January 17th, which was somehow over NC State.

Their losing streak now sits at 9 games, but they'll host an FSU team that has not played well in Atlanta over the years.

Georgia Tech plays fast and recklessly. In ACC play, they're first in tempo, but they're 17th conference-wide in offensive efficiency and 15th in defensive efficiency. They have really struggled to score inside the arc and have generally only won games when they can get to the free-throw line. They do shoot the ball well from three at 35.9%, but they don't shoot a high rate of them, which is a little strange. Kowacie Reeves (14.7 PPG) and Kam Craft (7.3 PPG) are each attempting more than 4 three-pointers per game. No one else averages more than 2.7 attempts per game.

It's a pretty firm 7-man rotation, and everyone in that rotation averages between 7.3 PPG and 14.7 PPG, with one of them out with an injury (Mouhamed Sylla, 9.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG). Reeves is the leading scorer, followed by Baye Ndongo at 12.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG. It's hard not to be a little disappointed with how his career has turned out, as he burst onto the scene as a true freshman, but his numbers haven't improved at all. He is a better playmaker, and he's fouling a little less, but he can be erratic.

Lamar Washington transferred in from Pacific and has handled the jump up in competition well, averaging 10.2 PPG and 5.1 APG. He hasn't been that efficient from the floor, shooting 39.9% from the floor, but he helps this offense keep up its high pace.

Freshman Akai Fleming has been in the starting lineup recently, averaging 9.7 PPG despite shooting 36.7% from the floor. He had 15 points and 5 rebounds against Louisville last week, and 19 points against Stanford earlier in the month. But he also had 0 points against Virginia last week. He can struggle, at times.

Jaeden Mustaf is a wing that FSU recruited under the old regime, and he's taken a slight step up across the board this year compared to his freshman season. He's a good rebounder for his size, and he's shooting 43.2% from three but is only taking 1.7 threes per game.

Kam Craft, as mentioned earlier, is their other high-volume three-point shooter, sinking them at 36.5%. He's someone FSU explored going after in the transfer portal last year, as he shot 43.1% from three at Miami (OH) last year. He's probably wishing he stayed there since the RedHawks are 29-0.

Boston College transfer guard Chas Kelley III hasn't received the playing time he probably expected when he transferred over, but those who recognize him will remember that he hit the game-winning shot against FSU last year while at BC. I'm going to need to see some revenge for that one.

Feb 24, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray (6) during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State Seminoles Breakdown (14-14 Overall, 7-8 ACC)

The hot streak had to end at some point; you just didn't want it to come at the hands of rival Miami. When Kobe MaGee hit the four-point play to tie the game, it really felt like FSU was going to find a way to win the game. That wasn't in the cards, though.

They really need to go 2-1 in these last three games. Georgia Tech and Pitt are in 17th and 18th in the ACC standings. Even if these games are on the road, these have to be wins for FSU, and beating SMU at home for the final game isn't impossible, either. Finishing .500 in ACC play would be a good building block for Luke Loucks in Year 1.

And if anyone can break the Atlanta curse, it's Luke Loucks, who won an ACC Championship in 2012 in Atlanta with FSU. That's the kind of magic touch they need in this game.

Robert McCray V will need a much better performance, though. After winning ACC Player of the Week with big games against Boston College and Clemson, Miami did everything they could to not let him get to the basket. They succeeded. He's due for a bounce back.

Projected Starters

Florida State

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

Georgia Tech

G: Lamar Washington
G: Akai Fleming
G: Jaeden Mustaf
F: Kowacie Reeves
F: Baye Ndongo

3 Keys to the Game

Control the Pace

Georgia Tech can play recklessly fast, as they're leading the ACC in tempo. Florida State played at a blazing pace in non-conference play, but they've purposefully slowed things down since turning the calendar to conference foes. FSU may be able to get some easy offense because of the way Georgia Tech has been playing defense, but the Seminoles will need to find a way to slow things down on defense.

Defend Without Fouling, Interior Defense

Georgia Tech's interior offense has been horrible this year, but when they make more than 47% of their twos, they at least give themselves a chance. FSU may not have your typical rim protectors, but they have stepped up the ability to keep people from getting inside. That'll be put to the test in this game.

However, they also have to defend without fouling. They've been better about it recently, but this can't be a problem that pops up again. In the games where GT has a free-throw rate of at least 30%, they're 9-3. FSU should want to keep them below 20 attempts, more or less.

Focused Offense

Coming off a disappointing effort against Miami, FSU's offense will need to bounce back in this game. There should be plenty of opportunity to do so in this game, but Robert McCray V will need to be more assertive than he was against Miami. They sold out to stop him. He needs to sell out in this game to score at will.

Game Prediction

Florida State is favored by 6.5 points with an over/under of 158.5, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

Luke Loucks has already exorcised some road demons recently, beating Clemson for the first time since 2019. They should be able to do that again in this one, even if it's a sleep noon start.

Florida State 85, Georgia Tech 74

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