On Tuesday night, Boston College lost a winnable matchup against Florida State.
Both offenses were in rhythm in the first couple minutes of the contest, with Mason Madsen canning two early treys to continue his scorching shooting. No one was able to get a stop – despite the Seminoles forcing a late shot clock, Zackery hit a really difficult midrange fadeaway, emblematic of the way both teams were shooting the ball early on. Almost five minutes had elapsed before either side missed a field goal. The Noles were without top shooter Darin Green Jr., but his loss was not felt early on as FSU looked to get to the rack, attacking Quinten Post. For the Eagles, some excellent ball movement found shooters with space. That is a recipe for success for this team, as BC hit three of their first four triples to put up some points in a hurry.
Coming out of the first media timeout, the offense continued to work beautifully – Zackery found a lot of space off of a nice pindown to cash in yet another trey and then made a nice cut to beat his man to rack for another two points. Defensively, the Eagles continued to switch a lot of perimeter looks – similar to the first half of the Miami game – with FSU drawing some early fouls. Around the 13 minute mark, however, some bad decisions started to creep into the Eagles offense. Post turned the ball over, as did Kelly, allowing FSU to take a 19-18 lead. BC’s star big man made up for the mistake with an aggressive drive for two FTs. Grant, looking for some defense, threw a press look at FSU, but Jalen Warley broke it easily and got to the rack regardless. Both teams continued to trade buckets, with Post finishing through contact for the three-point play.
With Kelley, Aligbe, and Hand on the floor, Grant utilized a 2-2-1 zone press to throw FSU off, and it worked in forcing back-to-back turnovers from FSU. Zackery was able to connect yet again from downtown, giving the Eagles a one-possession lead. Unfortunately, the defensive upside came at the cost of some ball movement resulting in an ugly, forced take from Donald Hand and allowing FSU to draw within one point again. Immediately after, Harris forced an entry pass to Mighty and turned the ball over, allowing FSU to connect on a triple to take a two-point lead. Another Eagles turnover, this time from Mighty, allowed FSU to get out in transition and convert an and-1 layup.
Grant responded by putting in the starters. Harris instantly found McGlockton (man, their two-man game can be very pretty) for an answering and-1 bucket. However, Harris was forced to take a seat for the last six minutes of the first half after picking up his second foul. Madsen found himself alone eight feet from the basket for an easy floater to briefly tie the game, but then on the next possession he turned the ball over. FSU averages over nine steals a game, and they were aggressive in turning the Eagles over – forcing seven in the first half. Ultimately, the Eagles went into halftime tied at 43 after a Claudell buzzer beater. The offense was, for the most part, working smoothly and the Eagles came out ready to play. The keys were taking care of the ball and finding a way to get some stops defensively.
With the possession arrow favoring BC to start the second half, Zackery turned the ball over. Luckily the Eagles grabbed a stop (after conceding multiple offensive rebounds) and Harris got to the rack for a smooth finish. FSU hit a triple, restoring their lead, before pushing it to three points via a lay-in. Harris hit a logo triple to tie the game, but ultimately the first few minutes of the second half felt just like the first half: hot BC shooting and ball movement keeping the Eagles offense going, but fouls and turnovers allowing FSU to stay right with them. The fouls soon began to catch up with BC: less than six minutes into the second half, both Zackery and Harris had picked up their third personals. Kelley checked in for Harris, turned the ball over, and then committed another foul. Neither team could find any separation, and with Kelley in the game BC’s offense struggled – except for Madsen, who canned his fourth three of the game to tie the game at 58. The Eagles would take a one-point lead courtesy of a Post and-1 bucket, putting the Eagles up 61-60 with 10 minutes to play.
It would not last, as BC committed back-to-back turnovers which resulted in an FSU triple and an and-1 bucket. Within a minute the Eagles had turned a lead into a 7-point deficit. Down the stretch, the Seminoles were able to maintain their lead. A triple with 5:34 to play pushed the lead to 9. With 4:45 to play, Madsen missed a midrange before the Eagles did not get back on defense, allowing FSU to attack in transition and push the lead to double digits. McGlockton connected on an and-1 bucket to bring the Eagles within 9, but yet more awful defense led to an FSU and-1. Ultimately, the Eagles went on to lose 84-76. The Eagles’ defensive effort simply is not enough to win games. FSU thrives on turnovers and physical transition offense, and the Eagles had no answer. A disappointing effort in Tallahassee.