Florida State University Athletics
Friday, November 28
Tampa, Fla.
5;00 PM
Florida State
vs
Texas A&M
Battle In the Bay: Seminoles vs. Aggies, History Meets the Present
11/27/2025 7:29:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TAMPA – Florida State head coach Luke Loucks remembers it like it was yesterday.
Seminole assistant coach Derwin Kitchen remembers it as one of the most important victories in school history.
It was a 57-50 victory over Texas A&M in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. The Seminoles trailed 26-23 at halftime but rallied to shoot 55 percent from the field and outscore the Aggies by 10 in the second half to gain the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 13 years.
Florida State meets Texas A&M on Friday in a different state, a different arena, and during the regular season, but with the hopes of a similar outcome.
The Seminoles and the Aggies meet in GEICO Battle In The Bay at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Friday, November 28, 2025. The tip is set for 5:05.
The Seminoles' game against the Aggies will be televised on ESPN2 with Chuckie Kempf and Debbie Antonelli on the call. The game can also be heard on the Seminole Sports Network with Jeff Culhane and Ariya Massoudi.
Florida State's win in 2011 ended two years of frustration of getting to the NCAA Tournament and falling short of winning a game. The Seminoles lost an overtime thriller to Wisconsin, 61-59, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament and fell 67-60 to Gonzaga in their first game of the 2010 Tournament.
But on this sunny afternoon in the Windy City, two current members of the Seminole coaching staff helped change history, and quite possibly the trajectory of the Florida State program.
"I remember going into the A&M game, and the Notre Dame game that followed, our scout team just torched us," said Loucks. "It's (an NCAA Tournament game) such a different style; in these NCAA Tournament games you are playing teams you are just not used to. Usually you have a pretty good feel for your conference, then you play a team like Texas A&M, and they press the entire game, and they fly around, and they shoot a ton of three's, and they get up a down. It's completely different from the games you are used to playing."
The Seminoles took an early lead as they held the Aggies scoreless for the first 7:16 of the game but trailed at halftime.
After halftime, it wasn't necessarily what the Aggies did to the Seminoles, it's what the Seminoles did to the Aggies.
Hall of Fame head coach Leonard Hamilton, a staunch man-to-man defensive coach, played zone in the second half.
"We don't use very many possessions of zone in our defensive schemes, but we felt that they were doing such a good job executing, and we had a hard time keeping them in front of us," said Hamilton in his post-game press conference. "We thought a change would be good for our defense. They hit a couple shots versus the zone, but it seemed as though it was the right thing to do during that time. It was taking some time off the clock. They were not getting the ball inside to (David) Loubeau as much as they had wanted. So we stuck with it, and it worked out for us."
The Seminoles' three-two zone helped Florida State limit Texas A&M to just 27 percent shooting from the field and just over 28 percent from behind the arc in the second half. In the first half Texas A&M hurt the Seminoles as it converted on 5 of 11 3-point field goal attempts. In the second half, the Aggies made only four of 14 3-point shot attempts.
Kitchen totaled a team-high 15 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. He and Bernard James were the only two Seminoles who scored in double figures in the win. Kitchen's seven rebounds helped the Seminoles win the rebounding battle by a 35-33 margin.
"The turning point came in the second half," said Kitchen. "We started playing really well as a team. I also got into a good rhythm and was able to create some easy baskets for our team."
It was Kitchen who helped turn the game around for the Seminoles.
Florida State trailed by a 31-26 margin with 17:38 remaining to be played in the second half. Kitchen then took hold of the game as he connected on a 3-point shot that sent Florida State on a 13-0 run that propelling the Seminoles to the win and into the second round.
The Seminoles limited Texas A&M to .314 percent shooting for the game. Khris Middleton paced the Aggies with 16 points.
"We won some big games that year so we knew we could play with anyone," said Kitchen. "I think it gave us a boost of confidence going into the game against the number 3 seed Notre Dame two days later (a 71-57 Florida State victory). I believe it also gave us momentum going into the next year."
Loucks will always remember that game for the incredible display of toughness by every Seminole that day.
"They were a hard-nosed, tough team and so were we," said Loucks of the 2011 meeting between the two teams. "That was a pretty good stretch for us, beating them and a big-time Notre Dame team the next game."
For Kitchen, who in his first season as an assistant coach, the magnitude of the 14 years ago is not lost on him.
"That was the game to get this program over the hump," said Kitchen. "Finally winning an NCAA tournament game after years of not winning one was huge for the program."
Seminole assistant coach Derwin Kitchen remembers it as one of the most important victories in school history.
It was a 57-50 victory over Texas A&M in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament at the United Center in Chicago. The Seminoles trailed 26-23 at halftime but rallied to shoot 55 percent from the field and outscore the Aggies by 10 in the second half to gain the program's first NCAA Tournament win in 13 years.
Florida State meets Texas A&M on Friday in a different state, a different arena, and during the regular season, but with the hopes of a similar outcome.
The Seminoles and the Aggies meet in GEICO Battle In The Bay at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa on Friday, November 28, 2025. The tip is set for 5:05.
The Seminoles' game against the Aggies will be televised on ESPN2 with Chuckie Kempf and Debbie Antonelli on the call. The game can also be heard on the Seminole Sports Network with Jeff Culhane and Ariya Massoudi.
Florida State's win in 2011 ended two years of frustration of getting to the NCAA Tournament and falling short of winning a game. The Seminoles lost an overtime thriller to Wisconsin, 61-59, in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament and fell 67-60 to Gonzaga in their first game of the 2010 Tournament.
But on this sunny afternoon in the Windy City, two current members of the Seminole coaching staff helped change history, and quite possibly the trajectory of the Florida State program.
"I remember going into the A&M game, and the Notre Dame game that followed, our scout team just torched us," said Loucks. "It's (an NCAA Tournament game) such a different style; in these NCAA Tournament games you are playing teams you are just not used to. Usually you have a pretty good feel for your conference, then you play a team like Texas A&M, and they press the entire game, and they fly around, and they shoot a ton of three's, and they get up a down. It's completely different from the games you are used to playing."
The Seminoles took an early lead as they held the Aggies scoreless for the first 7:16 of the game but trailed at halftime.
After halftime, it wasn't necessarily what the Aggies did to the Seminoles, it's what the Seminoles did to the Aggies.
Hall of Fame head coach Leonard Hamilton, a staunch man-to-man defensive coach, played zone in the second half.
"We don't use very many possessions of zone in our defensive schemes, but we felt that they were doing such a good job executing, and we had a hard time keeping them in front of us," said Hamilton in his post-game press conference. "We thought a change would be good for our defense. They hit a couple shots versus the zone, but it seemed as though it was the right thing to do during that time. It was taking some time off the clock. They were not getting the ball inside to (David) Loubeau as much as they had wanted. So we stuck with it, and it worked out for us."
The Seminoles' three-two zone helped Florida State limit Texas A&M to just 27 percent shooting from the field and just over 28 percent from behind the arc in the second half. In the first half Texas A&M hurt the Seminoles as it converted on 5 of 11 3-point field goal attempts. In the second half, the Aggies made only four of 14 3-point shot attempts.
Kitchen totaled a team-high 15 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. He and Bernard James were the only two Seminoles who scored in double figures in the win. Kitchen's seven rebounds helped the Seminoles win the rebounding battle by a 35-33 margin.
"The turning point came in the second half," said Kitchen. "We started playing really well as a team. I also got into a good rhythm and was able to create some easy baskets for our team."
It was Kitchen who helped turn the game around for the Seminoles.
Florida State trailed by a 31-26 margin with 17:38 remaining to be played in the second half. Kitchen then took hold of the game as he connected on a 3-point shot that sent Florida State on a 13-0 run that propelling the Seminoles to the win and into the second round.
The Seminoles limited Texas A&M to .314 percent shooting for the game. Khris Middleton paced the Aggies with 16 points.
"We won some big games that year so we knew we could play with anyone," said Kitchen. "I think it gave us a boost of confidence going into the game against the number 3 seed Notre Dame two days later (a 71-57 Florida State victory). I believe it also gave us momentum going into the next year."
Loucks will always remember that game for the incredible display of toughness by every Seminole that day.
"They were a hard-nosed, tough team and so were we," said Loucks of the 2011 meeting between the two teams. "That was a pretty good stretch for us, beating them and a big-time Notre Dame team the next game."
For Kitchen, who in his first season as an assistant coach, the magnitude of the 14 years ago is not lost on him.
"That was the game to get this program over the hump," said Kitchen. "Finally winning an NCAA tournament game after years of not winning one was huge for the program."
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