Rehashing the GDF Chat, NC State and the Big Finish

Brian: Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo held a live chat on Wednesday afternoon because I guess something has to get us through the winter months before football season starts. Jeff, you probably missed the live chat since you were on the road to Raleigh, so let me give you the Cliff notes.

Q: Better attendance at football/basketball games?
A: Nothing I have done has made this better so I am throwing my hands in the air at this point.

Q: More football on national TV?
A: Only if BC keeps winning ...

Q: When can we start using the Brighton Campus for baseball/softball facilities and tailgating?
A: Only when the BRA pushes the Master Plan through.

Q: Men's varsity lacrosse?
A: Nope.

Q: Why do we have crappy recruiting classes?
A: We do? I trust in Spaz.

Q: Notre Dame on the sched post 2010? Syracuse annually after Thanksgiving?
A: Notre Dame doesn't want to play us and you read my mind about the Orange.

Q: "We can't be Harvard every day and then Alabama on game days." What's up with that?
A: Alumni want this but it is actually really difficult to do.


Personally, I was a little turned off by some of his flip responses. Pun intended. Anyway, Jeff, what answers surprised you the most? And where was GDF right on the money?

Jeff: There were really no surprising answers I think. It was kinda a boring read after you summed it up for everyone. Gene backed his boy Spaz and stuck with his stance on football and basketball attendance.

But back to Wednesday night's disappointing loss to NC State where NC State logged only its third victory in basketball and football combined since Boston College joined the ACC. As you pointed out to me shortly after the game began, attendance is not only a problem at Boston College. NC State had plenty of empty seats, the big difference being though that they play where the Carolina Hurricanes play and therefore their seating capacity is more than double that of Boston College. They must have sold a lot of tickets because people were sitting in every row of every section in the entire arena.

Brian: It was Senior night, so I was surprised how empty the arena felt on television, but this team has virtually no shot at the NCAAs (unless they win the ACC Tournament) so I guess it evens out in the end.

Jeff: NC State had many great chants and cheers during timeouts and during play which reminded me of how great college basketball is. Not many people travel to away basketball games compared to the thousands that travel for football but college basketball is truly special in its own way. My only complaint about the RBC Center was that they did not display total team fouls anywhere in the building so I did not know how many fouls the Wolfpack still had to give as it got towards the end of regulation.

Brian: Regarding fouls, I think Sidney Lowe coached a great game in the final seconds, fouling BC to put them on the line when they were down three. That all but sealed the game.

I was also really disappointed in the play of Josh Southern. In particular, there was one opportunity in the first half where Southern caught the ball down low in the post all alone, turned towards the hoops with plenty of real estate to dunk it home, went up and got blocked and fouled by an NC State defender. He simply didn't finish. You have to go big or go home, big man!

At 6'10" we need Southern to go strong to the hoop and finish. Maybe Southern just isn't the right guy to be an ACC center?! The future is certainly promising for BC basketball with the return of Trapani, Sanders, Raji, Paris and Jackson, but I don't think this team can take its play to the next level without a legit center.


Big Finish

Brian: The BC women's basketball team won their opening round matchup in the ACC Tournament, defeating Miami 76-59. The win pushes their record to 20-10, 7-7 ACC. If they lose their next game against the No. 1 seed Florida State, the Lady Eagles will finish with the exact same record as last season. The only catch is last year, BC was left out of the Dance. Do the ladies get into the NCAAs this year?

Jeff: I believe the Lady Eagles get in this year but I am no women's hoops expert.


Jeff: In USCHO.com's This Week in Hockey East column, they are predicting a Northeastern sweep of BC this weekend. Agree?

Brian: The BC optimist in me says we can sweep. The realist says we will be lucky to split with Northeastern.


Brian: The BC ticket office was honored as "Innovator of the Year" at the Ticketmaster Users Convention. That cool with you?

Jeff: I'm not going to complain about BC being honored for anything. I like their ticket marketplace but wasn't that initiated last year?


Jeff: BC captain Brock Bradford will make an appearance at this year's Frozen Four. Will the rest of the team join him?

Brian: Umm, no. Although the small sliver of hope that we have in making the Field of 16 is confirmed by USCHO.com this week. A sweep this weekend and we at least are back in the picture.


Brian: The trespassing charges against Sean Williams were dropped by the school. I'm not surprised by that, but am surprised that this was a major ESPN.com headline yesterday (slow sports news week?). Are you surprised?

Jeff: Slow news week? Why don't they just keep following A-Rod to doctors appointments? No, I am not surprised that charges were dropped. Took too long though.


Jeff: Last one, give me a Clemson vs. Wake Forest, Florida State vs. Virginia Tech and a Duke vs. North Carolina prediction.

Brian: Wake Forest, Florida State and North Carolina all win. That gives Florida State the No. 4 seed, Clemson the 5 and Boston College the 6. I am happy with this because then we avoid back-to-back games against Georgia Tech (we would play Virginia in the last game of opening day of the tournament), and our second round matchup would be against FSU instead of Clemson or Wake Forest. We have already proven we can hang with Florida State, but not so much with Clemson and Wake Forest.