Florida State @ Boston College preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 3, 2018 ) Boston College 76, Florida State 85

Two teams looking to break out of ugly slumps collide on Sunday afternoon when Florida State visits Boston College. The 11th-ranked Seminoles are coming off an early-week loss to Pittsburgh, their second straight defeat and third in four games, while the Eagles lost their fifth in a row on Wednesday.

Florida State came out flat against Pitt and that was perhaps to be expected after having lost at the buzzer against No. 2 Duke two days earlier, but coach Leonard Hamilton wasn’t having it. “As a coach, you don’t ever want to accept that,” Hamilton told reporters after the 75-62 setback. “That was an emotional loss for us, but that’s part of what you have to prepare yourself for in the ACC. There’s no doubt that we were extremely disappointed. But Pitt lost a game Saturday, too. They bounced back, and we didn’t.” BC’s season continues to spiral downward as a late rally against Louisville came up short, leaving it without a win in conference play after the 80-70 loss. The Eagles were able to cut a 23-point deficit with 9:10 remaining to five points, but that was as close as they would get as the Cardinals held on for the win.

TV: Noon ET, ESPNU

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (13-4, 1-3 ACC): The Seminoles were ice cold against the Panthers, shooting just 34.5 percent from the field and 9.1 percent (2-of-22) from 3-point range. Florida State routinely got burned at the defensive end and resorted to using its hands, which resulted in 31 personal fouls and 46 Pitt free throws. Junior guard Trent Forrest led the way offensively, scoring 19 on 4-of-13 shooting and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, while leading-scorer Mfiondu Kabengele (11.8 points in 18.1 minutes per game) added nine.

ABOUT BOSTON COLLEGE (9-7, 0-4): Rebounding was a major issue for the Eagles against Louisville as the Cardinals held a 41-30 edge on the glass. Three-point shooting was the other deciding factor — the Eagles were just 7-of-23 while allowing Louisville to hit 12-of-29 from long range. Jordan Chatman led the team in scoring with 21 on 7-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-10 from downtown, while leading scorer Ky Bowman (19.9 points per game) added 14 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

TIP-INS

1. Florida State leads the series 11-6. The two teams split a pair of games last season, with the home team winning each time.

2. Bowman ranks third in the ACC in scoring behind Duke’s RJ Barrett (23.4) and Zion Williamson (21.2).

3. The Seminoles were shooting 47 percent through their first 13 games, but that number has dropped to 38.2 percent in their last four.

PREDICTION: Boston College 82, Florida State 79