Florida State men’s basketball has opened the 2026-27 season with consecutive victories, but the Seminoles still have work to do to convince ESPN’s Joe Lunardi they belong in the NCAA Tournament.
In his latest bracketology update released Tuesday, Lunardi placed Florida State among the “Next Four Out,” ranking the Seminoles at No. 81 overall and outside the projected 76-team NCAA Tournament field. The projection comes just hours before Florida State (2-0) hosts the No. 1 Florida Gators (2-0), which Lunardi lists as the No. 1 overall seed in his projected tournament bracket.
The Seminoles have made a strong early impression under second-year head coach Luke Loucks, opening with a 113-69 victory over Florida A&M before defeating Troy 91-68. FSU has yet to trail through two games and is averaging 102 points per contest…