"Want to play every Final Four team from last year": Luke Loucks sets the record straight on expectations from FSU squad ahead of new season

FSU coach Luke Loucks has set the record straight on his expectations for his team going into the 2025-26 season.

Loucks, who was hired as the Seminoles' new coach on March 9, was interviewed at the ACC Spring Meetings on Tuesday. The 35-year-old bench tactician pointed out that he wants his team to be tested by planning a schedule that would pit his team against every Final Four qualifier from last season.

"The first thing I said is I want to play every Final Four team from last year," Loucks said (Timestamp: 3:31). "I don't know if I'm gonna get that done, but obviously Duke and Florida are on top of it."

Loucks wants to measure the Seminoles' competitive nature and boost the program's ratings while aiming to reach the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

"And this is what a lot of unions worry about today. How do we, collectively as a conference, get that NET (ratings) up so we can get more than four or five teams in the tournament," he said (Timestamp: 3:46)

The Seminoles finished the 2024-25 season with a 17-15 record (8-12 in ACC) and failed to make the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The poor record led to Hamilton announcing his resignation in February.

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Florida State is still looking to bolster its lineup for the 2025-26 season

Florida State is still looking to boost its lineup for the 2025-26 college basketball season. The Seminoles have two returnees, six transfers, and two high school standouts on their roster.

Returning for the 2025-26 season are forwards AJ Swinton and Alier Maluk. The 6-foot-6 Swinton had a decent stint off the bench for the Seminoles last season, averaging 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

The seven-foot Maluk was effective despite limited playing time last season. He tallied 2.7 ppg and 2.0 rpg in 11.0 minutes per outing for FSU.

They had an excellent group of transfers who can contribute tons of points and other stats for the team next season. Among the transfers to watch out for the Seminoles is guard Martin Somerville, who stood out in his freshman season with UMass Lowell.

Somerville played 20 of his 32 games off the bench but still produced excellent numbers for the Hawks. He averaged 13.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.7 apg, and 1.5 spg.

Another awesome transfer pickup for the Seminoles is Kobe MaGee, who played well in his junior season with Drexel. The 6-foot-6 guard played and started for 33 games with the Dragons, averaging 14.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, and 1.0 spg.

Florida State also snapped up Jacksonville standout Robert McCray V, who tallied 16.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 4.5 apg last season. The Seminoles also picked up transfers Chauncey Wiggins, Lajae Jones, and Alex Steen.

Its two high school picks aren't pushovers, with three-star guard Cam Miles ranking as the 20th best player in the state of Florida. French native Thomas Bassong will play for the Seminoles as a freshman after a great season with Overtime Elite, where he averaged 15.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, and 1.6 apg.