Florida State Coach Pleads for Continued Fan Support After Loss

Luke Loucks asks Seminoles fans to stick with the team as it rebuilds the basketball program.

Feb. 25, 2026 at 4:13pm

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First-year Florida State men's basketball coach Luke Loucks praised the over 10,000 fans who attended Tuesday's game against rival Miami, but asked for their continued support even as the team works to rebuild and return to the NCAA Tournament after four straight seasons of missing the big dance.

Why it matters

Florida State has a proud basketball tradition, but the team has struggled in recent years, missing the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons. Loucks is trying to restore the program to its former glory, and maintaining strong fan support will be crucial to that effort.

The details

Despite Tuesday's 83-73 loss to Miami, which snapped a three-game win streak, Loucks thanked the season-high crowd and asked fans, especially students, to keep showing up and supporting the team as it works to turn things around. Loucks believes Florida State can be both a football and basketball powerhouse, but acknowledged it will take time to rebuild the program to that level.

  • The loss to Miami occurred on Tuesday, February 25, 2026.
  • Florida State has missed the NCAA Tournament for the past four consecutive seasons.

The players

Luke Loucks

The 35-year-old first-year head coach of the Florida State men's basketball team, who is an alumnus of the university and is trying to rebuild the program.

Jai Lucas

The first-year head coach of the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, who faced off against Loucks and Florida State on Tuesday.

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What they’re saying

“I think that was the biggest crowd of the season, and had we won, I think that'd continue. Now, what I'm asking is obviously (for) our fans and particularly our students to help build this program with us, and have some equity in what we're doing.”

— Luke Loucks, Head Coach, Florida State Men's Basketball

“To me, Florida State can be a really, really good football school, which we've seen, and it can be a really, really good basketball school at the same time. I've lived it first-hand, to an extent, where when you win, the fans come, and when you win some more, they keep coming.”

— Luke Loucks, Head Coach, Florida State Men's Basketball

What’s next

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The takeaway

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