No. 8 seed Florida State defeated No. 9 seed Cal, 95-89, in the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Second Round from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. FSU's 95 points was the most-ever scored by the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament, signaling the Noles are playing at their absolute best when it matters most.
Robert McCray V was outstanding for FSU, leading with a season-high 30 points and eight assists, as well as five boards and two steals. His 30 points was the most-ever by a Seminole in the ACC Tournament. In the second half, as Cal scored five quick points to try and cut down their 20-point deficit, but McCray answered with seven-straight points of his own, including a windmill dunk and a step-back three. The All-ACC third-team guard was simply unstoppable.
FSU led 46-32 at the half. In the first half, the Seminoles had 10 assists and zero turnovers. Florida State men's basketball (18-14, 11-8) took the lead from Cal (21-11, 9-10) in the opening five minutes of the game and never looked back. FSU led by as many as 22 points in the second half and never let the Golden Bears make a credible threat to mount a comeback. Lajae Jones had 15 points and six boards. Chauncey Wiggins had 14 points and three boards.
A daunting task awaits as Florida State takes on Duke in the ACC tournament quarterfinal at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday (ESPN/ESPN2). The Blue Devils are down two starters, and the Noles only lost by four points in their previous meeting, but nobody outside of Tallahassee will be giving Loucks' team a shot in this one. FSU has momentum and historic performances on its side - expect Seminole Nation to be ready.