Seminoles Host No. 1 Gators in Annual Rivalry Meeting

TALLAHASSEE – The rivalry continues Tuesday night as Florida State faces No. 1 Florida at 6 p.m. ET inside the Donald L. Tucker Center. It will be the 78th all-time meeting between the Seminoles and Gators.

The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Mike Monaco and Cory Alexander calling the game. Fans can also listen to the Seminole Sports Network with Jeff Culhane and Adrian Crawford calling the action.

Florida State (2-0) is coming off a 91-68 victory over Troy in its home opener this past Friday. The Seminoles never trailed versus the Trojans, building as much as a 23-point lead which would be the final margin. Florida State has yet to trail at any point through the first two games of the season.

The Seminoles poured in 54 points in the second half in route to putting up 91 on Troy. Florida State has now scored 50+ points in three of the four halves played this season and are averaging 102.0 points per contest.

Rebounding favored Florida State yet again. The Seminoles had a 46-21 rebounding margin, nearly having as many offensive boards (18) as Troy did total (21). The +25 rebounding margin was the largest by Florida State in a single game since Dec. 5, 2010, versus Hartford when it had a +28 advantage on the boards. The Noles have outrebounded their first two opponents by a combined, 93-50.

Florida State cashed in at the foul line against Troy, making 34 of its 39 attempts. It was the most free throws made by the Seminoles in a single game since Dec. 1, 1993, when they made 39 versus Florida Atlantic. Through two games, the Seminoles are 61-of-73 from the line for 83.6 percent. They rank second in the nation in made free throws per game (30.5).

Shon Abaev was stellar versus the Trojans, tying his career high with 20 points while also adding seven rebounds and six assists. Known as a scorer, the sophomore forward has been doing his fair share of distributing. Through two games, he has a team-high 12 assists with only one turnover.

Marcis Ponder registered his second straight double-double, tallying 10 points and 10 boards versus Troy. He is the only player in the ACC to record double-doubles in each of the first two games and one of only three freshmen in the country to do it.

Sebastian Rancik continues to pace FSU offensively so far this season, averaging 21.5 points per game. He is shooting 57.1 percent from the field and has made a team-high four three-pointers and 15 free throws (is 15 of 16 from the line).

Florida entered the 2026-27 season ranked as the No. 1 in the country by both the Associated Press and Coaches poll.

Florida, who returned 82 percent of its scoring from last season, already owns one of the most impressive wins this season, defeating No. 14 Miami 77-67 in the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic in Tampa. The Gators followed that up with a convincing 88-57 victory in their home opener against Jacksonville.

Florida has shot 43.1 percent from three so far through two contests, making 22 of its 51 attempts from deep. They have also owned the glass, averaging 48.0 boards per game with a +16 rebounding margin.

Florida is anchored by its frontcourt trio of Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh. All three were named to the 2026- 27 Naismith Trophy Men's College Basketball Player of the Year watch list.

The Gators, who own a 49-28 advantage in the all-time series, has won the last five meetings over the Seminoles, including a narrow 78-76 win in Gainesville last season.

For more information on Florida State men's basketball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter/X (@FSUHoops), Instagram (@FSUHoops) and Facebook (@FSUMBasketball).

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Players Mentioned

Shon Abaev

Marcis Ponder

Sebastian Rancik

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