Florida State University Athletics
Loucks Leads Men’s Basketball Team Against Alabama In First Exhibition Game Thursday
10/15/2025 12:47:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Luke Loucks, Florida State's first-year head coach, will lead the Seminoles against Alabama at the Ballin in Boutwell event at the Boutwell Arena on Thursday, October 16, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. (ET). The Seminoles' game against the Crimson Tide is the first of two exhibition games for Florida State prior to their regular season opener against Alcorn State at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee on November 4.
The Ballin in Boutwell basketball event brings together eight different teams for a week-long college basketball hoopfest. The week began as Alabama A&M defeated Samford, 74-73. The week continues as Auburn faces Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, the final day of the event, sees the Florida State women playing the Alabama women (1:00 p.m. ET) and the Seminole men facing the Alabama men (8:00 p.m. ET) in the final game of the event.
For Loucks, the Seminoles' exhibition game against Alabama will be his first as a head coach.
"Internally, I want to see what we're preaching every day, a level of competitiveness, no matter who we're playing," said Loucks on facing Alabama, which is ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP poll. "We've got a really good group that works their tails off. They are all high character players, who are resilient, and highly skilled."
Loucks was named the Seminoles' eighth head coach in school history on March 9, 2025. His first Seminoles' roster includes 11 new players – four freshman, seven transfer student-athletes, and three who return from Florida State's 2024-25 team. The Seminoles' roster includes one transfer from inside the ACC – Chauncey Wiggins (from Clemson) – who was one of two student-athletes who represented Florida State at the 2025 ACC Tip-Off event in Charlotte.
"The team is built how we want it built," said Loucks. "We are going to be able to play fast and going to be able to shoot the ball."
Loucks enters his first season as one of three current ACC head coaches – Loucks (Florida State, 2012), Jon Scheyer (Duke, 2009, 2010), and Hubert Davis (North Carolina, 1989, 1991) – who have won ACC Basketball Championships at their alma mater. All three are currently coaching at their ACC alma maters.
He is also one of five current ACC head coaches – Loucks (Florida State), Scheyer (Duke), Davis (North Carolina), Jeff Capel (Duke) and Adrian Autrey (Syracuse) who played the guard position in the ACC and who are currently coaching in the ACC.
Alabama led the nation in scoring averaging 90.7 points per game as they advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide fell one win short of reaching the Final Four as they lost to Duke, 85-65, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. in the Elite Eight. Alabama was picked to finish fourth the SEC by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
The Crimson Tide's duo of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon, Jr. were named All-SEC Preseason selections. Philon Jr. was named First Team All-SEC while Holloway earned Third Team honors.
Florida State has five senior transfer players -- Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure), Kobe MaGee (Drexel), Robert McCray V (Jacksonville), Alex Steen (Florida Southern), and Wiggins (Clemson) -- on its 2025-26 roster. Combined, those players have played in more than 300 career games and scored nearly 4,000 points.
"I'm here to compete, and I'm here to win championships," said Loucks before boarding the team plane for Birmingham. "As long as I coach here, we're going to be a really tough team to beat."
Florida State's game against Alabama can be seen on YouTube TV and heard on the Seminole Radio Network with Jeff Culhane and Adrian Crawford.
The Ballin in Boutwell basketball event brings together eight different teams for a week-long college basketball hoopfest. The week began as Alabama A&M defeated Samford, 74-73. The week continues as Auburn faces Oklahoma State on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, the final day of the event, sees the Florida State women playing the Alabama women (1:00 p.m. ET) and the Seminole men facing the Alabama men (8:00 p.m. ET) in the final game of the event.
For Loucks, the Seminoles' exhibition game against Alabama will be his first as a head coach.
"Internally, I want to see what we're preaching every day, a level of competitiveness, no matter who we're playing," said Loucks on facing Alabama, which is ranked No. 15 in the preseason AP poll. "We've got a really good group that works their tails off. They are all high character players, who are resilient, and highly skilled."
Loucks was named the Seminoles' eighth head coach in school history on March 9, 2025. His first Seminoles' roster includes 11 new players – four freshman, seven transfer student-athletes, and three who return from Florida State's 2024-25 team. The Seminoles' roster includes one transfer from inside the ACC – Chauncey Wiggins (from Clemson) – who was one of two student-athletes who represented Florida State at the 2025 ACC Tip-Off event in Charlotte.
"The team is built how we want it built," said Loucks. "We are going to be able to play fast and going to be able to shoot the ball."
Loucks enters his first season as one of three current ACC head coaches – Loucks (Florida State, 2012), Jon Scheyer (Duke, 2009, 2010), and Hubert Davis (North Carolina, 1989, 1991) – who have won ACC Basketball Championships at their alma mater. All three are currently coaching at their ACC alma maters.
He is also one of five current ACC head coaches – Loucks (Florida State), Scheyer (Duke), Davis (North Carolina), Jeff Capel (Duke) and Adrian Autrey (Syracuse) who played the guard position in the ACC and who are currently coaching in the ACC.
Alabama led the nation in scoring averaging 90.7 points per game as they advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide fell one win short of reaching the Final Four as they lost to Duke, 85-65, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. in the Elite Eight. Alabama was picked to finish fourth the SEC by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
The Crimson Tide's duo of Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon, Jr. were named All-SEC Preseason selections. Philon Jr. was named First Team All-SEC while Holloway earned Third Team honors.
Florida State has five senior transfer players -- Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure), Kobe MaGee (Drexel), Robert McCray V (Jacksonville), Alex Steen (Florida Southern), and Wiggins (Clemson) -- on its 2025-26 roster. Combined, those players have played in more than 300 career games and scored nearly 4,000 points.
"I'm here to compete, and I'm here to win championships," said Loucks before boarding the team plane for Birmingham. "As long as I coach here, we're going to be a really tough team to beat."
Florida State's game against Alabama can be seen on YouTube TV and heard on the Seminole Radio Network with Jeff Culhane and Adrian Crawford.
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