FSU Basketball's Season Over, Not in NIT in Luke Loucks' First Season

The Florida State men's basketball team came just one shot away from upsetting Duke in the ACC Tournament, and likely putting themselves on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Instead, their season is likely over.

Selection Sunday came and went without the Seminoles hearing their name called, unsurprisingly, but they would've had a decent shot at making the NIT, especially with how many teams end up declining the invite this year. And given how hot the Seminoles were down the stretch, beating 3 NCAA Tournament teams in the last seven weeks, they would've been a serious threat to win it.

However, the Seminoles have decided to call it a season, as they were not in the NIT bracket either. The six seniors voted on it and decided not to play in the NIT. Instead, the coaching staff will get a head start on the transfer portal. The portal window doesn't officially open until after the Final Four on April 7th, and it's a 15-day window now, but players will (and have already started) announce their portal intentions over the next few weeks.

Let's do this‼️

The #NIT2026 bracket, complete with first round tip-off date/times, is here 🏀

It all starts Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/1XVjZCjD1B
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 16, 2026

While there is also the new tournament in Las Vegas called "The Crown," it's mainly for Big 10, Big 12, and Big East schools.

FSU will have plenty of spots to fill, as they have six seniors (Robert McCray V, Kobe MaGee, Lajae Jones, Chauncey Wiggins, Alex Steen, Shah Muhammad). Lajae Jones may have the option to sue the NCAA for another year of eligibility due to his time in Junior College, but FSU has already explored every option they have to get him back. They likely have to plan for life without him, for now.

They do have a large class of incoming freshmen (5), but players like Alier Maluk, Cam Miles, and Maximo Garcia-Plata could be possible candidates to transfer out. That could leave them with enough spots to add quality transfers and build on what was a successful first season for Luke Loucks.

Feb 24, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Donald L. Tucker Center. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Grading Luke Loucks' First Season as Head Coach

This season played out better than I would've expected. I knew this would be a big learning curve with it being Luke Loucks' first season as a head coach at any level, and his first season as a college coach in general.

But this season went exactly as they needed to. They scheduled a lot of big games in non-conference play to show the administration and boosters that they're not on the same playing field monetarily as some of these other programs. They got whooped by Dayton, Texas A&M, and Georgia, although they were fairly competitive with Florida and Houston.

Then, once ACC play rolled around, they struggled at first, getting out to an 0-5 start, before coming together and completely changing their style of play. It worked immediately, as they won 10 of their last 13 games, including beating Clemson, Miami, and Virginia Tech on the road, as well as SMU at home. They were one of the hottest teams in the country for the last seven weeks, and had Robert McCray V's shot fallen against Duke, they could've won the conference.

To finish 8th in the ACC while showing that impressive midseason turnaround gives season one under Coach Loucks an A- to me.

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