BC 64, Florida State 60: Eagles Spring Huge Upset of #15 Seminoles

To call it a huge win would be an understatement. Same with calling it BC’s biggest win of the season so far.

On Wednesday night at Conte Forum, Boston College erased a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat the #15 Florida State Seminoles, 64-60. BC is now 8-16 (3-7) and have their first win over a ranked team this year.

The Eagles looked good early, but eventually slumped into a 23-10 deficit. That’s when the three-pointers began raining down, many of them off of the hands of Jordan Daniels, who led BC with 19 points. This young team found a way to take a one-point lead into halftime.

In the second, both teams started very hot, but it was the Eagles who took control, pushing their lead out to as many as eight points late in the second half. Florida State would make several final pushes, but Boston College held themselves together and persevered, weathering every one and not letting the Seminoles tie the game or retake the lead late.

For most of the night, Boston College looked composed and resilient, getting good shots and playing with a tangible level of confidence. Florida State, for their part, looked frustrated and could not get shots to fall. Jordan Daniels, Ryan Anderson, Matt Humphrey, and Lonnie Jackson all had at least 12 points for BC, while Anderson yet again led the team in rebounds with six.

To think that a team which, early in the season, struggled incredibly against UMass, Holy Cross, and BU could play a solid basketball game and take out a top 15 team — one that has won games over UNC, Duke, and Virginia, no less — is amazing. It is a testament to the coaching ability of Steve Donahue as well as the abilities these young players have.

Prior to the season, some people thought the Eagles would be lucky to win one ACC game. Now, not only have they won three, but they’ve taken out a ranked team in the process. Clearly, in the long run, this season will be unmemorable, but now these players know that they can beat some of the best teams in the country. This ought to be a huge confidence boost going forward, and considering that their next game is against Virginia Tech (Sunday, 6pm), a team they’ve already beaten, it will be interesting to see if BC can ride the wave and turn it into their first road win.