Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice may have been the top scorers on Sunday afternoon, but junior center Tyrelle Blair was the difference maker in a tough inter-conference match-up between the Boston College Eagles and the Seminoles of Florida State.Coming into the game, Florida State held a stellar 7-1 record at home with their only defeat coming at the hands of 18th ranked Clemson. But Boston College made it two losses at home for them this season, handing the Seminoles a crushing 68-67 last second loss.With six seconds left on the shot clock and seven left on the game clock, BC inbounded the ball down by one with hopes that Jared Dudley, reigning ACC Player of the Week, would lift them to victory. But a funny thing happened along the way. Junior back-up center Tyrelle Blair caught the ball at the top of the key, caught a glimpse of the basket and sank the biggest shot of his college career, putting the Eagles up by one with 3.3 seconds left.Blair had only four points in the game, but it seemed fitting that he hit the game winning shot, considering he altered the defensive end of the floor more than anyone on Sunday. To go with four points, Blair compiled six rebounds and a game-high six blocked shots.Before Sean Williams was dismissed from the team in mid-January, Tyrelle Blair didn’t see more than 20 minutes of floor time per game. All that changed when Williams was dismissed from the team for reasons still unknown. Now Blair is getting at least 20 minutes per game, and is making the most of his newfound minutes, averaging over three blocks per game and being a defensive low-post presence in William’s absence. BC came out of the gate Sunday sluggish and sloppy and Florida State took full advantage, building a 22-9 lead with excellent defensive pressure and crisp offensive execution. The Seminoles’ star player Al Thornton had his way in the first half, shooting from the outside and showing his strength and quickness inside, scoring 9 points in the first half. Tyrese Rice and Jared Dudley almost single-handedly kept the Eagles close in the first half, scoring 15 and 12 points respectively, with Rice going 7-7 from the stripe to keep the half-time deficit to four. Blair was also a big factor in the first half with four blocks. Rice (7-11 FG) and Dudley (7-12 FG) finished the game with 23 points each, along with Dudley chipping in 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. Throughout the entire second half, the game was competitive and hard fought, with both teams scratching and clawing for loose balls. FSU’s defense smothered the Eagles’ offense at times, making BC look out of sync for much of the second half. The largest lead for either team was six points, with four lead changes in the last 11:15 of the game.Turning points in the game included the Seminoles’ best player, Al Thornton going down half way through the second half with leg cramps, rendering him hobbled for the rest of the game. Jared Dudley’s improbable four-point play, where he was literally wrapped up mid-air, threw up a prayer three-pointer and watched it hit nothing but the bottom of the net also changed the game. Please let me reiterate last week’s point: Jared Dudley is REALLY good at what he does. Dudley’s four-point-how-the-hell-near-miracle play tied the game 64-64 with just over two minutes remaining. Florida State’s last sniff of a basket was at the 1:40 mark when Al Thornton drilled a deep three to give the Seminoles a three-point lead at 67-64. Freshman forward Shamari Spears hit two clutch free throws to bring the Eagles within one and from there you know the rest. BC inbounds ball, passes to Blair, Blair hits big shot, FSU out of timeouts, BC goes home with another W. With the win the Eagles are now 9-2 in conference play, good enough for sole possession of first place in the ACC. They are one-half game ahead of power-house North Carolina, whom the Eagles will be hosting at Conte Forum come Saturday, February 17th. Like all other athletes and coaches, we cannot look too far ahead. Prior to the UNC showdown, the Eagles host a struggling Duke team that has lost four consecutive games and is in desperate need of a win to stay in contention for a spot in the big dance come March. Imagine an NCAA tournament without Duke. That’s like not having performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports (oops, was I supposed to say that?) it just wouldn’t be the same without them, you know?