Florida State and Boston College opened ACC play on the wrong foot, each stumbling through extended losing streaks. But as we hit mid-February, these two programs have taken sharply different turns - and Tuesday night in Tallahassee, they’ll meet with momentum (or the lack of it) on full display.
Let’s start with the Seminoles. Florida State (12-13, 5-7 ACC) looked like a team in free fall after dropping its first five conference games.
But since then? They’ve flipped a switch, winning five of their last seven and showing flashes of the kind of basketball that can make noise down the stretch.
Their latest outing was a statement - a 92-69 road blowout at Virginia Tech that wasn’t just a win, it was a flex.
Yes, the offense was electric. Shooting 78.3% in the second half and outscoring the Hokies 53-27 over the final 20 minutes?
That’s the kind of efficiency coaches dream about. Martin Somerville was the headliner, dropping 18 of his season-high-tying 23 points after the break.
He didn’t miss a single shot in the second half - 7-for-7 from the field, including three from deep. That’s a heater in every sense of the word.
But head coach Luke Loucks wasn’t rushing to hand out flowers for the offensive fireworks. Instead, he pointed to what he felt was the real catalyst: defense.
“The stats would say our guys had great offensive games,” Loucks said. “I would argue that their defense was better than their offense, especially in the second half. Even though the second half was a great offensive half - probably the best offensive half of the year for us - our defense is what allowed that to happen.”
That’s the kind of mindset that can carry a team through the grind of conference play. If the ‘Noles can keep stacking stops, the buckets will come - especially with the way Somerville and company are shooting it right now. A win Tuesday would bring Florida State back to .500 overall, a notable turnaround considering where they stood at 7-11 just a few weeks ago.
On the other side, Boston College (9-16, 2-10 ACC) is still searching for answers. After an 0-4 start in league play, the Eagles briefly showed signs of life with back-to-back wins. But since then, it’s been a tough six-game slide - and while some of those losses were tightly contested (four by seven points or fewer), the most recent one was anything but.
Hosting Cal on Saturday, BC fell behind early and never really recovered. The Eagles trailed by 15 at the half and, despite a late push, only managed to cut the deficit to single digits once - with just over two minutes to play - before falling 86-75.
A major factor? The absence of Donald Hand Jr., who’s been one of Boston College’s most reliable contributors this season, averaging 13.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Hand suffered a leg injury in the previous game against Stanford and was sidelined against Cal - a blow the Eagles clearly felt on both ends of the floor.
Head coach Earl Grant offered a cautiously optimistic update after the loss.
“He wants to be back and he’s passing all tests and all of his imaging is coming back with the best news he can get,” Grant said. “But, until they tell us or tell him, ‘Hey, you cleared and you can play,’ we’re going to continue to move forward without him.”
Without Hand, BC will need to find production elsewhere - and fast. They’ll face a Florida State team that’s not only finding its rhythm but playing with confidence and defensive intensity.
For the Eagles, this is about more than just ending a skid. It’s about rediscovering an identity before the season slips away completely.
Tuesday night in Tallahassee, two teams that started in the same hole will share the court - but only one looks like it’s climbing out.