UM seeks breakthrough vs. FSU Tuesday after losing 15 of past 16 to Seminoles
Jai Lucas is in his debut season as University of Miami men’s basketball coach and says he is still learning about the rivalry against Florida State.
But there is one statistic he was aware of as the Hurricanes prepared to play the Seminoles in Tallahassee on Tuesday night: FSU has beaten UM six times in a row and 15 of the 16 times they played since 2018.
“Hopefully we can start to shift the record and get some wins,” Lucas said.
The last time they met, on Jan. 21 in Coral Gables, FSU guard Robert McCray scored 20 points, including a pair of game-icing free throws, to lead the Seminoles to a 65-63 victory.
FSU was struggling at that point in the season with a 7-11 record overall and an 0-5 start in ACC play, but that win against Miami ignited a turnaround for the Seminoles. They have won seven of their past nine games.
McCray continues to be the catalyst for Florida State’s success. He scored 29 points in FSU’s 70-65 win against Clemson over the weekend and 27 in a win against Boston College last week as FSU upped its record to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in ACC play.
“Robert McCray has played as good as any guard in the league since we played them, and he’s continued to down the stretch,” Lucas said. “They’ve done a really good job of buying into their identity. That’s given them great confidence, and they’re playing that way right now.”
The Hurricanes have also improved since January. With four games left in the regular season, Miami is in third place in the ACC with a 21-6 record and is 10-4 in conference games heading into the game Tuesday (9 p.m., ACC Network).
“Miami’s a much better team now, they’ve won six of eight, lost to Virginia by three points and Cal by one point,” FSU coach Luke Loucks said. “Jai has done an unbelievable job of getting those guys to believe and to play a powerful, forceful brand of basketball. They pound the paint, don’t shoot a ton of threes. University of Miami has also done an incredible job in terms of the resources they’ve thrown at football and men’s basketball.”
Lucas agreed that both teams have changed significantly since January.
“When I watch our game against [FSU] now, I don’t even know who we are in that game,” Lucas said. “We have gotten better and grown since then, and that’s what you want to do.”
Among the areas that have improved, Lucas said, are Malik Reneau’s rebounding, Ernest Udeh’s free-throw shooting, Shelton Henderson’s consistency, Dante Allen’s growth overall and the bench players’ ability to impact the game.
Reneau, who leads Miami with 19.5 points per game, dislocated his thumb against Virginia, and it remained sore Monday, but Lucas expects him to be ready for FSU.
UM had its best night at the free-throw line against 14th ranked Virginia Saturday, going 16 of 17. The Canes also dominated the offensive glass with 12 rebounds to four and outscored the Cavaliers 40-30 in the paint.
That would usually be enough to win, but the Cavaliers beat the Hurricanes 86-83 after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt with 3.6 seconds left, and Chance Mallory sank all three free throws.
It was a heartbreaking loss for Miami, which likely would have broken into the Top 25 with a win. The Hurricanes have already put it behind them, Lucas said.
“We’ve done a good job of turning the page,” he said. “We got a foul called at North Carolina State and made three free throws to win the game, and we were on the other side of the coin this time. That’s just how the game works. But, in February, you want to be in games that matter when you’re still fighting for something, and we’re still fighting for seeding and a lot of things.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 3:06 PM.