Florida State Surges Late to Defeat Boston College 85-76

Florida State basketball sent out the seniors on a high note, winning its Saturday afternoon match-up against the Boston College Eagles by an 85-76 final score.

Saturday’s victory over Boston College bodes well for Florida State’s NCAA Tournament chances. The team reached the crucial 20-win mark and .500 record in the ACC.

Combined with their victories over multiple ranked opponents, and the Seminoles feel good about their chances come Selection Sunday. They can feel even more secure with a win or two in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

Observations

• Florida State’s offense had a pitiful start to begin the contest. It wasn’t getting open shots and generally could not create space. That being said, Boston College was also playing very solid defense on the guards.
• The Seminoles got back into the game in an unusual way: 3-point shooting. They started out 4-for-8 from behind the arc, which got them out of their slump and forced the Eagles to play up more on the outside. Not surprisingly, down low began to open up.
• It was hard to draw many conclusions from the first half because neither team looked all that consistent. Boston College was more than content with letting Jordan Chatman and Ky Bowman hit any shot they could find, while FSU spread the ball around hoping that someone could find a spark. They largely went back to attacking the rim, with moderate success.
• Ike Obiagu is making a late push for serious minutes heading into the postseason. He’s an absolute defensive enforcer that looks more natural at the center position with each game. He finished Saturday’s game with seven blocks.
• The good news for Florida State was that the bench had little trouble carrying the scoring load for the team. Reserves had 27 out of the 34 points at half.
• It’s hard to understate how frustrating it was for the Seminoles to play good defense but still get burned by Boston College’s shooting. The Eagles had great passing and were able to find the inches of separation that allow quick attempts.
• One reality that Florida State must grapple with is its need for decent outside shooting. The Seminoles cannot rely on players like Obiagu, Mfiondu Kabengele, and Christ Koumadje to dominate down low. The latter two are still very raw in this regard and will need more development before they provide the offensive impact expected of them.
• The Seminoles could not buy a defensive stop in the middle of the second half. They kept pulling within one possession, but then they’d give up quick transition points and be right back where they were for most of the game.
• With a little over five minutes remaining, the Seminoles put it into overdrive. They were very active on defense and caused multiple loose ball situations that led to points on the fast break. Both Trent Forrest and Braian Angola stood out in this regard. They took their first lead of the game with four minutes left.
• The drop-off in shooting finally occurred for Boston College in the final five minutes. The Eagles missed six straight field goals and went scoreless for over four minutes.
• Officiating was particularly awful in the final two minutes. Obiagu blocked a shot and no foul was called on the floor. The Boston College player stayed down and the ref called time. They then assessed Obiagu a flagrant and gave the possession to Boston College. Later, Angola went up for a shot and somehow got the foul called on him.
• Transition points sealed the deal for the Seminoles, with Angola and Phil Cofer both breaking free down the stretch and widening the lead with open dunks.
• Florida State actually finished with a better overall shooting percentage (50 vs. 40) when it was all said and done.

Notable Numbers

Trent Forrest (FSU): 21 points (6-for-10), 10 rebounds, 5 assists

Braian Angola (FSU): 21 points (8-for-10), 4 assists

Ky Bowman (BC): 22 points (6-for-17), 6 rebounds, 5 assists

Jerome Robinson (BC): 16 points (6-for-14), 11 rebounds, 7 assists