Florida State basketball did something Tuesday night that this fanbase has been starving to see consistently, and that is refusing to fold and finishing games. Down 14 points at home and starting the disaster of losing to a Boston College team that sits at 9-17 and 1-7 in ACC play, the Seminoles dug in, clawed back, and gutted out an 80-72 comeback victory to move to 13-13 (6-7 ACC) on the season.
After the heartbreak of watching a late lead slip away against No. 15 Virginia just eight days ago, this one felt like medicine. Especially following the dominant second half they have against Virginia Tech. Make no mistake; this was not a clean win. It was gritty. It was ugly at times. But sometimes the best character-building victories are the messy ones.
Boston College wasted no time making itself at home in Tallahassee. The Eagles, behind the perimeter shooting of Luka Toews and Chase Forte, were absolutely scorching to open things up, knocking down five three-pointers early going and building a 32-19 advantage at the 7:43 mark of the first half. FSU’s defense was being too aggressive, leaving BC’s shooters with clean looks they were more than happy to take.
The Noles were shooting a woeful 35% from the floor in that stretch and could not find any offensive rhythm to speak of. By halftime, Boston College had gone 8-of-12 from three-point range in the first-half and led 42-36 heading into the break. FSU’s saving grace in the first 20 minutes? Getting to the free-throw line, which would ultimately prove to be the defining story of the entire game.
FSU cut it to nine early in the second half, but Boston College responded and kept the lead in double digits for much of the first 10 minutes. At one point, it looked like this was going to be another deflating home loss. Then Robert McCray V decided he’d change that.
McCray finished with 27 points on the night, and 18 of those came in the second half. He was everywhere: getting into the lane, drawing fouls, hitting the deep ball when it mattered, and making the kind of plays that remind you why he’s the engine of this offense.
Thomas Bassong (8 points) and Alex Steen (13 points) provided critical support, and Chauncey Wiggins (11 points) hit a huge three late in the comeback, giving FSU breathing room. AJ Swinton drilled a three from the right wing to tie the game at 68 with 3:50 remaining. Lajae Jones then grabbed a massive offensive rebound and laid it in, giving FSU its first lead since early in the game. From there, the Noles made their free throws and iced it.
Speaking of free throws, that stat line tells the whole story. FSU went 27-of-35 from the charity stripe. Boston College? A paltry 3-of-13. That free-throw differential was the difference between a comeback win and another gut-punch loss.
Protected our house! 💪🏠#Connected pic.twitter.com/UlTSHreTCC
— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) February 18, 2026
Here’s what I want you to sit with for a second. FSU has now won 6 of its last 8 games. The two losses in that stretch? A 61-58 home defeat to No. 15 Virginia, a game they led most of, and an 83-80 road loss to an 18-8 SMU squad. Both close losses. Neither an embarrassment. And in a lot of ways, both actually make this stretch feel even more impressive.
That Virginia game still stings. FSU led for over 27 minutes. But the Noles bounced back with a 92-69 blowout at Virginia Tech, and now this comeback win at home. Two wins in a row. Finishing strong. Playing with an identity. That’s a team trending in the right direction at exactly the right time. Considering Luke Loucks was hired late and had to throw a roster together from the portal, this is the proof-of-concept Seminole fans were looking for. They took some ugly losses early, but this run over the last 8 games has shown you what it can look like under Loucks.
At 13-13, FSU’s path to the NCAA Tournament isn’t an easy one, especially with games against Clemson, Miami and SMU left. However, there are some winnable games in there against Pitt and Georgia Tech. Not to mention, FSU already beat the Canes once this season and will now get SMU at home.
They have played their way into a good position to make the ACC Tournament next month, and if there is a team that could make some noise, right now, that looks to be FSU if they keep this up. Now let’s build on it. Stay tuned to your source for fan-focused FSU coverage here at Plant The Spear. Thanks for reading, and Go Noles!
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