BOSTON (AP) – Boston College picked a dramatic way to get off to its best start ever.

The Eagles improved to 12-0 by winning on the road against defending national basketball champion Connecticut in their last season before moving from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference. And they did it with their best player, Craig Smith, on the bench for more than half the game with foul trouble.

“We are a great team with (Smith), but we’ve played enough games without him to know how to play,” Eagles coach Al Skinner said after Wednesday night’s 75-70 victory.

Next up for No. 25 BC is a game at Providence on Saturday night. They don’t play again after that until eight days later at No. 21 West Virginia.

The Eagles are one of just four unbeaten teams in Division 1. The others are top-ranked Illinois (15-0), No. 2 Kansas (10-0) and No. 5 Duke (10-0), all programs with much more impressive basketball reputations.

No. 10 Connecticut dropped to 8-2 in what could be its last game against BC for a long time.

“I’m going to miss playing a lot of teams in this league, but right now we still have to play them, so in all honesty I’m really not thinking about that,” Skinner said. “Our focus is on what we have to do in this league. There are some great teams in this league and we have to be prepared.

“I don’t have the luxury to think about what the future is.”

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Smith had 16 points and six rebounds against Connecticut and is averaging 19.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Jared Dudley led the Eagles with 17 points ands senior Jermaine Watson added 10.

“That’s one of the biggest wins we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Watson said.

Skinner is in his eighth year as coach after taking the job at a low point in the school’s basketball history.

Jim O’Brien quit as coach after two recruits who he felt had met admissions standards were rejected by the admissions office. Two other recruits then decided to go elsewhere, leaving Skinner with just five returning players, three freshmen recruited after the better ones went elsewhere and four walk-ons.

Skinner had losing records in his first three seasons, then went 27-5 in 2000-01 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Eagles opened that season at 11-0, their best start until this season.

They were tied with Connecticut 70-70 with 56 seconds left after squandering a 61-51 lead. Then Smith hit two free throws and Dudley sank two more after stealing a pass.

“We know that there have been stretches where we’ve played poorly. We just have to regroup and play it the right way,” Skinner said. “Any time you can go on the road and get a win at anyone else’s building it is an outstanding effort and a great win.”