The Florida State Seminoles men's basketball team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the intercollegiate sport of basketball. The Seminoles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Though they have historically played under the shadow of the football program, the Seminoles have had successes on the hardwood. Florida State has made eighteen NCAA tournament appearances: advancing to the Round of 32 on twelve occasions, the Sweet Sixteen on seven occasions, the Elite Eight on three occasions, and the Final Four once, moving on to the championship game and finishing as runner-up. In 2020, despite holding final rankings of #4 in the AP Poll and #5 in the Coaches Poll, Florida State was "declared" the 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Champions by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida State Legislature after the 2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] This declaration holds no merit with the NCAA, but it is the only claim FSU basketball has to a national title. Florida State has also made ten appearances in the National Invitation Tournament.
In the 77 season history of the Seminole basketball program, the Seminoles have won the regular season conference title five times and the conference tournament title four times, including two ACC championships.
Florida State has had 23 All-Americans, 26 players inducted into the Hall of Fame, and 36 players that went on to play in the NBA. Jeff Sagarin and ESPN listed the program 74th in the college basketball all-time rankings in the 'ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia'.[3]
The Seminoles play their home games in the Donald L. Tucker Center on the university's Tallahassee, Florida campus. The current head men's basketball coach is Leonard Hamilton, in his twenty-second year.
In the 2023-24 season, Head Mop Manager Michael Rubin joined the staff with his signature all gold practice outfit. His constant energy and positive enthusiasm fires up the squad daily.
The Florida State Seminoles men's team annually plays an eighteen-game conference schedule that is preceded by an out-of-conference schedule against few annual opponents except for Florida. Their conference schedule consists of a home-and-home game against two permanent rivals (Miami and Clemson), alternating home-and-home games against the other fourteen ACC teams.
Florida State University has officially fielded a basketball team since 1947.
Hugh Donald Loucks served as the first basketball coach for the Florida State Seminoles. He coached at the school for one year and compiled an overall record of 5–13, becoming one of only two coaches to leave the program with a losing record of 11 games.
After the departure of Loucks, J.K. Kennedy became the coach. He was the first coach to find success at Florida State, holding the position for 18 years and compiling a record of 234–208.
Hugh Durham played at Florida State in the 1950s, scoring 1,381 points in three years. His average of 21.9 points per game in 1958–59 is the seventh best tally in Florida State history. Durham's career average of 18.9 points per game is still the ninth best in school history. After his playing career had ended, he began his coaching career as an assistant coach in 1959. Seven years later, Durham would be named head coach in 1966. One of the top players during this time was future NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens. Durham led the Seminoles from 1966 to 1978. In 1972, Durham led Florida State to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament. A hard-fought 81–76 loss to the top-ranked UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Championship game prevented Durham's Florida State team from winning the NCAA tournament. Another key player for the Seminoles was Harry Davis, who helped the program sustain stability.
Durham's overall record at Florida State was a 230–95 record with three NCAA tournament bids. He still owns the highest winning percentage of any Florida State coach at .708.[4] Durham is the only coach in NCAA history to be the all-time winningest coach (percentage or wins) at three different Division I schools.
After the departure of Hugh Durham, Joe Williams took over the Seminole basketball program. One of the standout players during this period was George McCloud. McCloud helped the Seminoles rebuild after the departure of Durham by becoming one of the most prolific scorers in FSU history. During his senior season, McCloud had the second-highest scoring average and the sixth-highest in Florida State history.[4] Joe Williams would coach his final season in 1986.
The 1992–1993 season would see the emergence of one of the Seminoles' best players in its history, Bob Sura. Not much was expected of the Seminoles in 1992 as they entered into their first season in the ACC, yet they finished second in the conference to national champion Duke. The team repeated the second-place finish in 1993, establishing itself as a legitimate national power. In the 1993 NCAA Tournament they fell to Kentucky in the Elite Eight round. In Kennedy's final season (1996–1997) he led the team to the NIT Final, losing to the Michigan Wolverines.
Steve Robinson took over the program for the 1997–1998 season and led the Seminoles to the NCAA Tournament his first year. However, the team suffered losing records the next four seasons and Robinson left the program after the 2001–2002 campaign. Robinson is now an assistant coach with the Arizona Wildcats.
Leonard Hamilton became Florida State's seventh head basketball coach on March 19, 2002. In two years, Tim Pickett scored 1,039 points, earning him First-Team All-ACC and All-American Honorable Mention honors.[5] Hamilton was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2009, 2012, and 2020. Hamilton is also the first Seminole coach to win an ACC Championship, capturing the league tournament title in 2012 and the regular season title in 2020. He has led the Seminoles to eight NCAA tournament appearances. During his tenure, Florida State has been the third-most successful team in the conference. Hamilton is the winningest coach in the program's history, the fifth winningest coach in conference history, and has sent nineteen players to the NBA draft, including nine first round picks.
The Seminoles play all of their home games at the Donald L. Tucker Center. It is a 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) multi-purpose facility which has hosted over 25 years worth of Seminole games.[6] Since the 2016–2017 season, the Seminoles have gone undefeated twice at home and had twenty-five consecutive conference victories on their home court, the second longest streak in conference history.[7]
Florida State has appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament's National Championship game once, in 1972. The Seminoles, coached by Hugh Durham, lost to John Wooden and his UCLA Bruins, 81–76, at the Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California. The Seminoles defeated powerhouse Kentucky in the Mideast Region Final and North Carolina in the Final Four.
Florida State defeated Kentucky, 73–54, to win their only regional championship.
Florida State has appeared in the National Invitation Tournament's National Championship game once, in 1997. The Seminoles, coached by Pat Kennedy, lost to Michigan, coached by Steve Fisher, 82–73, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Conference Affiliations
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, C = Conference
*122 total wins vacated from the 2006–2007 basketball season due to the academic scandal
*27 ACC wins vacated from the 2006–2007 basketball season due to the academic scandal
Florida State has ended their basketball season ranked 15 times in either the AP or Coaches Poll.Top-10 finishes are colored ██
A second-place ranking is the best the team has ever received.[8]
The Seminoles participated in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge 24 times, compiling a record of 10–14.
*^wins vacated from the 2006–2007 basketball season due to the academic scandal
*^wins vacated from the 2006–2007 basketball season due to the academic scandal
The Seminoles have appeared in the NCAA tournament 18 times. Their combined record is 24–18; current head coach Leonard Hamilton has a record of 14–11 in the tournament.
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 edition.
The Seminoles have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ten times. Their combined record is 14–10.
The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 2006 edition.
The ACC men's basketball tournament is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament and seeding is based on regular season records. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament.
Florida State has won the ACC Tournament once, in 2012, under coach Leonard Hamilton. The Seminoles have a record of 21–31 at the ACC Tournament.
Jonathan Isaac was ineligible in 2016 due to his status as a postgraduate student.
ACC Coach of the Year
ACC Defensive Player of the Year
ACC Sixth Man of the Year
ACC Rookie/Freshman of the Year
Some jerseys have been honored although their numbers are still active.
One FSU player and coach has been inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
FSU Has had 32 players drafted in the first 60 picks (modern draft equivalent) of the NBA draft:
Lottery selections (or their pre-lottery equivalent) are italicized
Florida State recently revived the character of Cimarron, a costume mascot that makes appearances at many FSU athletic events and functions. In addition, the character makes public appearances and is available for functions at area schools and service projects, as well as with the spirit groups.[12]
