Seminole Sunday Sauce — March 9, 2025: Hamilton Gets 200th ACC Win in Final Regular Season Game, Loucks Named Successor
Leonard Hamilton’s final season as Florida State head men’s basketball coach will be a winning one. Hamilton picked up his 200th career ACC win on Saturday as the Seminoles closed the regular season and celebrated Senior Day with a 76-69 win over SMU.
Up 33-32 at halftime, FSU never trailed in the second half. After the Mustangs closed to within two with four minutes to go, Chandler Jackson answered with a clutch basket. Taylor Bol Bowen hit a 3-pointer on the next possession and the Seminoles never looked back.
Malique Ewen led FSU with 26 points and eight rebounds. Jamir Watkins added 20 points in the win.
FSU opened the week with a heartbreaking 60-57 loss at Virginia. Virginia’s Andrew Rohde hit a tough 3-pointer with 58 seconds left to break a 55-55 tie and put the Cavaliers ahead for good. Watkins led the Seminoles with 18 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
By splitting a pair of games this week, FSU finishes the regular season with a record of 17-14 and 8-12 in ACC play. Guaranteed to finish with a winning record, the Seminoles will look to prolong Hamilton’s final season at the ACC Tournament, which starts on Tuesday.
While FSU looks to keep the Hamilton era alive for a little longer, it has reportedly tabbed a familiar face to be his successor.
When the season finally ends, the program will turn to former guard Luke Loucks. A player at FSU from 2008 to 2012, the Clearwater native helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons on campus. That includes the program’s first ACC championship in 2012.
Following his college playing career, Loucks spent time in Latvia, Cyprus, Germany, Belgium and the NBA G League. Since 2016, Loucks has been an assistant in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and now the Sacramento Kings. He was part of a Golden State coaching staff that won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018.
FOOTBALL
Commitments: None
Decommitments: None
2026 Recruiting Class Rank: No. 12 nationally, first in ACC (7 total commitments)
Wrap-up: FSU seems to be off to a strong recruiting start for 2026.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 17-14 (8-12 ACC)
Ranking: No. 11 seed ACC Tournament
Past Week: (1-1), lost at Virginia on Tuesday, 60-57; beat SMU on Saturday, 76-69
Upcoming: vs. Syracuse (ACC Tournament, Tuesday)
Recognitions: None
Commitments: None
Decommitments: None
2026 Recruiting Class Rank: N/A (0 total commitments)
Wrap-up: Leonard Hamilton went out a winner in his final game in Tallahassee.
WomEN’S BASKETBALL
Record: 23-8 (13-5 ACC)
Ranking: No. 22 AP; No. 23 USA TODAY Coaches; No. 4 seed ACC Tournament
Past Week: (0-2), lost to Duke on Sunday, 71-57; lost North Carolina in ACC Tournament on Friday, 60-56
Upcoming: vs. TBA (NCAA Tournament)
Recognitions: Makayla Timpson, F (ACC Player of the Week, Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award finalist, All-ACC first team); Ta’Niya Latson, G (Ann Meyers Drysdale Award finalist, All-ACC first team); O’Mariah Gordon, G (All-ACC first team)
Wrap-up: FSU lost a hard-fought contest to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Up next is the NCAA Tournament.
Track and Field
Ranking: Men No. 9 USTFCCCA South Region; women No. 6 USTFCCCA South Region
Past Week: Men finished third at ACC Indoor Championship; women finished fifth at ACC Indoor Championship
Upcoming: NCAA Indoor Championships (Friday-Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: Both FSU teams posted top-5 finishes at the ACC Indoor Championships. The Seminoles had multiple individual champions.
Men’s Tennis
Record: 10-4 (2-1 ACC)
Ranking: No. 25 ITA
Past Week: (1-1), beat SMU on Sunday, 4-0; lost at California on Friday, 4-3
Upcoming: at Stanford (Sunday); at NC State (Friday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU dropped a heartbreaker at Cal for its first ACC loss of the season. The upcoming schedule doesn’t get any easier.
Women’s Tennis
Record: 10-2 (1-1 ACC)
Ranking: N/A
Past Week: (0-1), lost at Syracuse on Sunday, 4-2
Upcoming: vs. Louisville (Friday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU had a couple of matches canceled over the weekend. It will play its first ACC home match on Friday.
Swimming and Diving
Ranking: Men No. 18 CSCAA; women No. 25 CSCAA
Past Week: Began Zone B Diving
Upcoming: NCAA Zone B Diving (Sunday-Wednesday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: Divers will try to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Women’s Golf
Ranking: No. 6 WGCA Coaches
Past Week: Idle
Upcoming: Briars Creek Invitational (Monday-Tuesday)
Recognitions: Mirabel Ting (ANNIKA Award spring watch list); Lottie Woad (ANNIKA Award spring watch list)
Wrap-up: FSU was idle this week. It heads to South Carolina in search of a fourth straight win.
Softball
Record: 20-4
Ranking: No. 9 ESPN/USA Softball; No. 8 Softball America; No. 11 D1Softball; No. 8 NFCA Coaches
Past Week: (4-1), beat Jacksonville on Wednesday, 9-1; defeated North Florida on Wednesday, 5-3; beat Oregon State in Jane Sanders Classic on Friday in five innings, 8-0; lost at Oregon in Jane Sanders Classic on Friday, 2-0; beat Oregon State in Jane Sanders Classic on Saturday, 8-2
Upcoming: at Oregon (Sunday, Jane Sanders Classic); at Portland State (Tuesday); at Portland State (Wednesday); vs. Pittsburgh (Friday); vs. Pittsburgh (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU stumbled once in Eugene but had an otherwise solid week.
Baseball
Record: 15-0
Ranking: No. 6 D1Baseball; No. 4 Baseball America; No. 5 Perfect Game; No. 5 NCBWA; No. 5 USA TODAY Coaches
Past Week: (5-0), beat Georgetown on Saturday, 4-3; beat North Florida on Tuesday, 10-1; beat Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday, 9-7; beat Lipscomb on Friday, 10-1; defeated Lipscomb on Saturday, 11-5
Upcoming: vs. Florida (Tuesday); vs. Boston College (Friday); vs. Boston College (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: With a showdown against Florida looming, FSU remains undefeated.
Men’s Golf
Ranking: No. 20 GCAA Coaches
Past Week: Finished third at Cabo Collegiate
Upcoming: Seminole Intercollegiate (Monday-Tuesday)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: During a week where Luke Clanton earned his PGA Tour membership, FSU had a strong showing in Mexico.
Beach VOlleyball
Record: 10-1
Ranking: No. 7 AVCA
Past Week: (3-1), beat Texas at TCU Invitational on Friday, 5-0; lost at TCU at TCU Invitational on Friday, 5-0; beat Florida Atlantic at TCU Invitational on Saturday, 3-2; beat Boise State at TCU Invitational on Saturday, 4-1
Upcoming: vs. California (Friday, East-West Invitational); vs. Hawaii (Friday, East-West Invitational); at UCLA (Saturday, East-West Invitational); vs. Loyola Marymount (Saturday, East-West Invitational)
Recognitions: None
Wrap-up: FSU met its match against TCU but still picked up two top-20 wins in Fort Worth.
*Recruiting rankings according to the 247Sports Composite rankings
- Mike Ferguson is the lead writer for Double Fries No Slaw. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. For all of his work, “Like” or “Follow” Mike on Facebook.
