After a rough outing against UNC less than a week ago, Boston College (13-6, 3-3) came out firing on all cylinders on Monday night, taking down a very solid Florida State (13-5, 2-4) team 81-75. In what was possibly the most impressive game of the season for BC--yes, possibly better than the Duke win--BC looked like an experienced, poised, and determined team. Aside from Ky Bowman’s 6 turnovers, BC made very few mistakes tonight and were locked in on both sides of the floor from the get go.

The story of the night, despite scoring 81 points, was the great defensive play by Boston College as they held FSU to just 27-80 shooting from the field and 5-26 from three. Led by a great night from Nik Popovic, BC pestered the Seminoles all night and FSU was never able to find a rhythm offensively.

In front of a very large crowd at Conte Forum, 5,867 to be exact, BC led the entire game and proved their win over Duke was anything but a fluke. After an embarrassing night at UNC, BC bounced back and held one of the most dynamic offenses in the country to just 25 first-half points. Leading 23-19 with 7:59 to go, BC would go on a 23-6 run over the next 9 minutes that would prove to be the difference in this game.

However, as great as BC’s defense in the first half was, even more impressive was BC’s ability to control the lead and respond to FSU’s second half runs. Every time FSU would cut the lead to single-digits, a well-timed bucket or defensive play from BC would quell any momentum the Seminoles had--it truly was perfect execution down the stretch. Even when BC didn’t score for nearly 4 minutes and it felt as if FSU had all the momentum, BC found a way to regain their composure and stop the bleeding.

While a home win over #1 Duke was a great day for BC basketball, I’m honestly more proud of this team after tonight’s win. The Duke win was amazing, but BC basically played out of their minds to secure the victory. In tonight’s win over FSU, things felt much different. This BC team was disciplined and determined and it felt like they were always in control. Aside from a few minor gripes, BC executed very well and made things very very difficult for FSU.

The irony of this game is that BC was -21 in the rebounding margin and gave up a season-high 80 shots--surpassing UNC’s 78 last Tuesday. BC gave up 21 offensive rebounds and 42 points in the paint and yet they led the entire time. Even with some things not breaking their way and with FSU dominating them on the glass, BC found a way to calm the storm and play some seriously good defense without fouling. Despite having a disadvantage in terms of sheer size and physicality, BC finished the game with an 8-1 advantage in blocks led by Nik Popovic’s career-high 5 blocks, all of which came in the first half.

After a very bad game against UNC that involved a late game benching, Nik Popovic has redeemed himself with two solid games in the wins over Dartmouth and FSU. Obviously, Dartmouth isn’t as talented as FSU, so it’s extremely impressive that Nik was able to up his game as the competition got tougher, as he arguably had the best game of his career tonight.

Finishing with 14 points on 10 shots, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 blocks, Popovic was heavily involved throughout the game and was an absolute force on the defensive end. Playing 31 minutes until he fouled out, Popovic is easily the MVP of tonight’s win and even FSU Head Coach Leonard Hamilton admitted he had to take 7’4” Christ Koumadje out of the game because Pop was simply too mobile. If BC can get these types of performances from Pop consistently, maybe the NCAA Tournament isn’t such a pipe dream.

Ky Bowman, even though he shot just 6-17 from the field and finished with 6 turnovers in this game, also made a ton of winning plays and his 13 rebounds made it easy for BC to get out on the break and prevent FSU from matching up on defense. Jerome Robinson also played really efficiently, scoring 19 points on just 11 shots. Overall, BC got exactly what they needed from their two best players and it was clear they were the best guys on the floor. With all the starters finishing between 13 and 19 points, the offense was spread out and 16 out of 26 baskets were assisted, meaning the Eagles weren't over-relying on their star guards.

FSU’s best guys, meanwhile, really struggled with BC’s zone early on in the game. Phil Cofer, who is one of the best stretch bigs in the ACC, finished just 1-8. Braian Angola, FSU’s second leading scorer was just 6-19. Terance Mann, a Mass native, was a decent 8-19 from the field, but it was hard for him to chain together more than one basket.

The only Seminole who had a good game was CJ Walker, who finished 7-13 and was doing a nice job of slicing through BC’s zone. Obviously, when you finish just 27-80 from the field, it’s clear you didn’t have the best night and while this may have been an off night for the Noles, BC and Coach Christian did a very good job adjusting to FSU’s strengths.

I’ll keep my thoughts short, because the specifics aren’t really important. What is important, however, is that BC looks like a legitimate ACC team and when they’re in front of a big home crowd, they are a force to be reckoned with. Everyone brought their A-game tonight--both the players and the coaches--and this is the first game where it truly felt like BC Basketball was back.

With a few days rest before taking on Louisville on Sunday, let's hope BC can maintain the momentum and head on the road hungry for victory.