Preview: Boston College Men’s Basketball @ Florida State

On Saturday afternoon, the Boston College Eagles head south to face the Florida State Seminoles in a men’s basketball match-up of maroon and gold.

When: Saturday February 18th at 12pm ET

Where: Tallahassee, FL

How to Watch: The game will be broadcasted live on NESN

Florida State and Boston College have had similar track records this season. Both squads are 6-10 in the ACC, both have had multiple tough losing streaks of 4+ games, and both are fighting for a first round bye in the ACC tournament that they are currently tied for at 10th place. 10th-15th seeds must play an extra game, so earning a 9th seed or higher is a big boost in making a conference tournament run. Despite both teams struggling in the ACC this season, this game is actually quite pivotal for their conference postseason fates.

FSU is led by its guards, Matthew Cleveland and Darin Green Jr. Cleveland especially is a formidable threat as a 6’7” guard that can rebound with ease and score from anywhere on the court. Outside of him and maybe one other player, though, FSU’s biggest weakness comes on the boards. They rank an abysmal 335th in the nation in total rebounds and frequently get dominated on the glass. This aspect will be essential for BC to key in on. Quinten Post is BC’s star player at this point and excels as a big man on the glass, so he and others like Devin McGlockton will be able to punish the Seminoles in the paint.

The thing to watch out for from Florida State’s offense is their depth in scoring. Four of their players average double-digits in scoring and the team’s top players shoot well from beyond the arc. Both of these were also key in BC’s loss to NC State at home last week, when the Eagles got lit up from three by the Wolfpack and couldn’t deal defensively with multiple scoring threats. FSU’s players aren’t quite as deadly, but they should be able to exploit the same weaknesses.

Prediction: Boston College 68 Florida State 67