“We’re excited about the SEC/ACC Challenge,” head coach Luke Loucks said. “Traveling to Tennessee will be a great early-season opportunity for our team as we continue to blend a highly rated signing class with a distinguished group of transfers. This game will be another piece of a strong non-conference schedule intentionally put together to prepare our team for the ACC and postseason.”
This will be the fourth season of the SEC/ACC Challenge and the first time FSU and Tennessee have met in the annual event. FSU has previously played Georgia at home in both 2023 and 2025 and at LSU in 2024. Florida State has won two straight meetings in the series, defeating the Volunteers 60-57 in the 2019 Emerald Coast Classic and winning 101-90 in Tallahassee during the 1988-89 season.
Florida State welcomes 13 newcomers for the 2026-27 season, including eight four-star prospects. Loucks’ first high school class is ranked as the nation’s No. 11 prep signing class according to 247Sports, and the full class is the consensus No. 2 group in the ACC while ranking No. 16 nationally by 247Sports. The group of five transfers is first in the ACC and No. 4 in the country in On3’s Team Transfer Portal Index.
Florida State women’s basketball is 3-2 over the Tigers in program history, dating back to the start of the series in January of 1984. FSU has won the previous three meetings, including a 77-55 victory in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament where the Noles made an Elite Eight appearance.
Network designation and tip time will be determined at a later date. Non-conference opponents and the ACC schedule will also be announced at a later date.
Florida State returns Avery Treadwell, Sole Williams, Tatum Greene, Mari Gerton and Emma Risch from the 2025-26 season. FSU added 11 newcomers for the upcoming season, including Ice Brady, Aga Makurat, Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Jasmine Nivar, Savannah Henderson, Joy Egbuna, Chamiah Francis, Asia Lee, Kennedy Loux, Missy Odom, and Morgan Stewart in the signing class.
In the fall of 2025, the Seminoles locked up the 13th-ranked signing class by ESPNW after Francis, Lee, Loux, Odom and Stewart signed in November.