​The Florida State men’s basketball team will compete in the Ballin at Boutwell basketball tournament against Auburn in Birmingham, AL, on Oct. 14.This will be the second consecutive season that Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks will take his team to Birmingham. Last year, the Seminoles competed in the tournament and lost their first game to the Alabama Crimson Tide 109-105.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Seminoles are coming off a disappointing season, finishing the year 18-15, including a second-round loss to the eventual No.1 overall seed Duke, 80-79 in the ACC Tournament.When it was announced that the Seminoles would play in this year’s tournament, Loucks said, “It’s a tremendous event with a great atmosphere, and it’s exactly the kind of preseason challenge we’re looking for. We want to compete against the best teams possible because those games prepare us for what’s ahead. Opportunities like this help us evaluate where we are, expose areas we need to improve, and get our team ready for the start of the season.”The Seminoles lost 11 players to the transfer portal and have added five players so far as part of Loucks’ attempt to rebuild his roster. The five players who are coming into the program are: Cooper Schwieger from Wake Forest, 6-foot-11 Sebastian Rancik from Colorado, Anthony Robinson II from Missouri, Kameron Taylor from UNC Asheville, and Shon Abaev from Cincinnati.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast season, the Seminoles did not have their NIL together and lost out on key recruits. This season, the Seminoles are much better equipped due to legislation that allows for revenue sharing, and Loucks already secured a star player in Marcis Ponder, a four-star center who stands 7 feet tall.The Seminoles were also able to sign four-star point guard Collin Paul and four-star shooting guard Brandon Bass Jr., who stands at 6-foot-5. Ponder, Paul, and Bass Jr. are all top-100 players, showing the immediate impact of the Seminoles’ new NIL/revenue-sharing process.The 2026 recruiting class is now ranked within the top ten according to most publications.Loucks is losing six seniors from a team that won 10 of their last 12 games, including going to the wire with the No. 1 team in the land in the ACC tournament. This shows the team got better toward the end of the season, and that Loucks might have the Seminoles headed in the right direction.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith eight new freshmen and five transfers, there are still many questions regarding what this collection of talent will yield.The Ballin in Boutwell Tournament will be our first opportunity to see what Loucks has with his 13 new players. Loucks went 10-8 in ACC games in 2025, which was a school record for a first-year coach with as many conference wins.Auburn is considered a preseason top 10-15 team by most reports. This will serve as a tough first step for Loucks as his unproven Seminoles will face a national power in Auburn. The other teams tha