Florida State’s men’s basketball squad is set to meet the Auburn Tigers in the 2026 Ballin in Boutwell exhibition, a showcase game scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. ET inside Birmingham’s historic Boutwell Auditorium.
The contest marks the Seminoles’ second straight appearance in the Ballin in Boutwell series, which last year featured a showdown against Alabama and has become a staple of the team’s preseason calendar.
A Strategic Pre‑Season Challenge
Head coach Luke Loucks framed the matchup as a valuable opportunity to test his roster against one of the SEC’s elite programs, noting that the game will help gauge the team’s readiness before the regular season begins.
Loucks, who set a Florida State record for conference wins in his inaugural season with a 10‑8 ACC mark, highlighted the team’s momentum after winning seven of their final eight games and reaching the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Seminoles enter the exhibition with a sense of optimism, having closed the previous campaign on a strong note and now looking to build on that foundation under Loucks’ second year of leadership.
Ballin in Boutwell is presented by Nike and Hibbett, and the event has consistently drawn sellout crowds in its inaugural editions, underscoring its growing prominence in college basketball circles.
The showcase will feature five additional men’s and women’s exhibition games, involving multiple Alabama‑based programs and offering fans a full slate of high‑profile matchups across the state.
For Loucks, the upcoming game represents another demanding preseason assignment, but he remains enthusiastic about the chance to pit his squad against top competition as he fine‑tunes his lineup for the challenges ahead.