The Quarterback of the Future? and the Big Finish

Jeff: Continuing our discussion on playing basketball games in football stadiums, let me reiterate that I love having regionals, Final Fours, and conference tournaments in arenas large enough that a sellout is not a guarantee. I like the accessibility of tickets, I like having no trouble parking around the stadium, and I like having a little room to stretch during a two game five hour session of watching live basketball. 20,000+ are going to show up and fill at least the lower bowls for these things and provide the proper atmosphere down at courtside. Ford Field is a different beast than the Georgia Dome and I can understand a little criticism but I am still absolutely shocked that you and our commenters don't seem to recall the hype that surrounded Michigan State playing Kentucky there which set all kinds of basketball attendance records. It's really the same concept as NHL teams playing in baseball and football stadiums which everyone seems to love. Why the hate against the Ford Field Final Four?

Brian: First of all, Jeff, the NHL's Winter Classic is a novelty game played once a year. They don't play any of the NHL playoffs games outside. Totally different beast. And second, yesterday on PTI, Wilbon asked TK whether Michigan State would have any sort of home court advantage for playing at Ford Field in Detroit. TK agreed that there would be some home field advantage but made the point that it wouldn't get too loud in Ford Field because the court is in the middle of the field and the seats are too spread out to have crowd noise that will impact the game. I totally agree with this point. Same sort of affect that Michigan's Big House has with crowd noise as compared to Oregon's Autzen Stadium. Autzen only seats 54,000 but is known as one of the loudest places to play in the country. The Big House has a reputation for not getting that loud despite the 100,000+ people in attendance.

Your other point about the greater availability of tickets ... I just don't understand why someone would want to go to Ford Field and sit in the cheap seats in this day and age of high-definition television. I would much rather watch the game at home on an HD television than sit in the cheap seats at a Final Four to say I was there. In that case, watching the game on TV is a much better option to actually watch the game.


Anyhow, with the Final Four this weekend and the Frozen Four next weekend, we will be winding down the basketball and hockey coverage and starting to get excited about this year's upcoming football season. So many questions for the offseason ... how will Spaziani perform in his first year as head coach? What does Gary Tranquill bring to the table? Will Dan McGovern fill into Spaz's DC position seamlessly? And that is just questions about the coaching staff.

Today, we focus on this fluff piece from HD about the BC quarterback competition. What interests me more than who will be our quarterback for the 2009 season is who is BC's quarterback of the future? We all know that (your boy) Codi Boek, Justin Tuggle and Dominique Davis will be competing for the starting role in 2009, but what about going forward? Throw Indian Hills, NJ QB recruit Michael Marscovetra into the mix, as well as BC's first recruit for the 2010 class Joe Boisture. Boisture, in particular, spurned the recruiting efforts of schools like UCLA, LSU, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin and appears to be a solid pickup for the class of 2010.

That is five potential QBs on the roster by 2010. No, Andy, I'm not including Flutie.

Now I know we have no inside information about the QB competition and who is going to emerge this fall as the starter, but who is your horse in this race? Who do you think our starting QB will be over the next few seasons? Lay out a "5 year plan" for Coach Spaz and the coaching staff.

Jeff: Well, as you alluded to I would love for it to be Codi Boek, but that is just not happening. If he had more promise you would assume he would've at least been on the depth chart last year. That doesn't mean he won't see snaps this year but as far as being our QB of the future I am ruling him out. After seeing Dominique Davis play last year, we also know that there is a ceiling for his potential also. That ceiling might be high enough to get the Eagles back to Tampa now that he could be the starter from day 1, but it is a ceiling that will prevent us from comparing him to Doug Flutie and Matt Ryan. So this leaves Tuggle as the best bet for the man that could emerge this year and could be the QB of the future.

Brian: Here's what I would love to see happen. I'm thinking that Tuggle wins the starting role in 2009. I know there are some that argue that Davis's experience starting 3 games last season gives him a leg up, but I'm not buying it. Three starts in the ACC does not an experienced college quarterback make. I mean, if Davis is the favorite because he started 3 games last season - with a different head coach, different OC and different offensive playbook, let's not discount the fact that Codi Boek played in 3 juco games at ARC in Sacramento before breaking his arm!

But I digress. I obviously don't like Boek's chances in this horse race. I think Boek is in the mix for nothing more than increased competition for Tuggle and Davis.

In 2010 when Boisture gets here, you redshirt him and Tuggle is again the starter in 2010. Hopefully by then he is getting Russell Wilson-esque pub going into his sophomore season. If this is the case, it will be interesting to see what Davis does. Does he stick around? Does he transfer? Who knows.

In 2011, Tuggle is your starter as a junior and Davis is the senior backup. Boisture is third on the depth chart as a freshman. Then for the 2012 season, you call for an open competition between Tuggle and then-sophomore Boisture. If Boisture gets the nod, he has the 2012 through 2014 seasons to be BC's quarterback.

There is my five year plan.

Jeff: You're putting a lot of eggs in the baskets of guys who you've never seen throw a pass.

Brian: That's what YouTube is for (Joe Boisture, Justin Tuggle #1, Justin Tuggle #2) dude. The wildcard, of course, is Michael Marscovetra. Who knows how he will perform at the Heights. I realize some guys don't pan out but to me it just seems curious that we would have so many QB prospects on the roster.


Big Finish

Jeff: The Eagles baseball team notched 2 wins this weekend. What do you expect them to do against the Wolfpack?

Brian: NC State (5-7) is right behind BC (5-5) in the ACC Atlantic standings. I am optimistic that the Eagles can take 2 of 3.


Brian: The women's basketball season ended Wednesday night, as the Lady Eagles fell to the South Florida Bulls 82-65. The reported attendance was ... 702?! That ain't right, is it?

Jeff: I'm surprised that you're surprised by that figure. The women's games are typically attended by families and families are not going to last minute find out the Lady Eagles are playing and plan a trip to Conte on a weeknight.

Brian: The women's team deserves better. If that game is at South Florida, they get a couple thousand to attend. Just a guess.


Jeff: Your men's ice hockey captains for 2009-2010 are Matt Price (C), Matt Lombardi (A) and Ben Smith (A). That cool with you?

Brian: Sure. The only other returning junior is Carl Sneep, but he plays on defense and they usually give the captaincy and the assistant positions to forwards.


Brian: It is rumored that Memphis basketball threw $21 million dollars at BC alum Bruce Pearl to become the Tigers next basketball coach. Jeff, you are ex-Baldwin Bruce Pearl. You jumping the Vol ship or staying put?

Jeff: Take the money and never think twice. Go dominate Conference USA.


Jeff: The Hobey Hat Trick finalists were announced yesterday. All three players are from Hockey East. Any doubt which college hockey conference was the best in the country last year?

Brian: None.


Brian: The MLS club Chivas USA is offering soccer fans all-you-can-eat tickets for $25. If BC football was to offer a similar ticket deal, how much food (in a dollar amount) could you put down over the span of one football game?

Jeff: I'd say 5 hot dogs, 3 popcorns, a pizza, 2 nachos and a bag of M&Ms. Add in several cokes and I figure my tab is approaching $80.00.


Jeff: Last one, who would you most like to smoke a joint with? Willie Green, Ryan Sydney, Sean Williams or BJ Raji?

Brian: That's cold man, and falls under the category of way too soon ...

Headlines: Headed to WNIT Semis and Frozen Four

Jeff: For those of you who have not been paying attention, the Lady Eagles (23-11) have rolled through three NIT games all against old rivals of Boston College. The Eagles have beaten BU, St. Johns and Georgetown to advance to the WNIT semifinals. A new Big East team, South Florida (25-10) is now headed to Conte Forum on Wednesday as BC's next opponent.

St. Mary's was largely regarded as the first team out in the men's NCAA tournament and they were unable to make the semis in the NIT. It is nice to see the Lady Eagles make a nice run in the WNIT after they may very well have been the first team left out in the women's tournament.

Brian: I agree. The Eagles may have not shot well against Georgetown, but they dominated inside to beat the Hoyas at home. You have to like what women's basketball coach Sylvia Crawley has done with the Eagles program since she replaced Cathy Inglese in 2008.

Two more victories and the Eagles can claim the postseason WNIT title. The Eagles host South Florida on Wednesday, and I hope students will make it out to support the team. If the Eagles can defeat the Bulls, the WNIT championship will be against either Illinois State or the winner of the Kansas at New Mexico game tonight.

Jeff: Unfortunately though Brian, there is no men's basketball or hockey to talk about any more this season so we must turn to the women's team and the baseball team for some Eagle victories this spring.

Brian: Speaking of hockey, the Eagles missed an absolutely crazy opening round of the NCAA Division I men's hockey championship. Fourth seeded CHA champion Bemidji State played the role of giant killers two nights in a row, defeating No. 1 seed Notre Dame 5-1 on Saturday, and taking out No. 3 seeded Cornell in the regional final 4-1. Bemidji State becomes the first non-major conference team to make the Frozen Four.

With BC finally out of the tournament, 4 seed Miami (OH) skated past Denver and topped Minnesota-Duluth for their first Frozen Four appearance in school history. BC had bounced the Red Hawks from the tournament the previous three seasons.

So the Frozen Four field is set this year, with Hockey East teams battling in the first Frozen Four semifinal. (1) Boston University will play (3) Vermont in the first semifinal, and (4) Miami (OH) will play (4) Bemidji State in the second semifinal. This is what drives me nuts about the selection process, having two Hockey East teams playing in the National semifinal and not potentially meeting in the title game. Not to mention BU needing a last second goal to get past fellow Hockey East member New Hampshire in the Northeast Regional final.

There is no question which conference was the best in college hockey this year after this weekend's tournament action. The selection committee should have spread the Hockey East teams out among the four regions.

Take a look at the records for each of the conferences in the tournament so far (and no, the answer to this is not the CHA despite Bemidji State's success so far):

• CHA 2-0
• Hockey East 5-2 (with 1 loss coming to another Hockey East team)
• Atlantic Hockey 1-1
  
• CCHA 2-3 (including two 1 seeds - Notre Dame and Michigan - going down in the first round)
• WCHA 1-3
• ECAC 1-3

Tough to think about what could have been for the Eagles if they had made the tournament field this year. I'll be cheering for a Catamount-Beaver final in Washington D.C.

Headlines: Lady Eagles Snubbed

Brian: The women's NCAA Tournament bracket was announced last night, and BC ain't in it. For the second year in a row, the Boston College women's basketball team was left at the altar by the NCAA selection committee. Despite being a 10 seed in ESPN's latest women bracketology, the 20-11 (7-7 ACC) Eagles were left out of the field of 64.

The Eagles beat tournament teams TCU (20-10) at home and Georgia Tech (21-9) on the road as well as taking care of business against the bottom half of the ACC. Despite having an RPI in the 40s and a strength of schedule in the 30s, the Eagles won't be Dancing for the second straight season. Six - and not seven - teams will represent the ACC in this year's tournament.

I know we don't purport to be women's college basketball experts here, but what gives Jeff? Is it fair to leave the women's team out of this year's tournament? Is this simply a case of BC not winning games against anyone decent this season except TCU or Georgia Tech? Or do you think the Lady Eagles resume warranted being included in the field of 64?

Jeff: I am not claiming to know much about women's college basketball but I do know that while Tennessee and Connecticut are not in the ACC, a lot of the other top women's programs including North Carolina, Duke, Maryland and NC State are in our conference. Therefore, you would think a team that went .500 in the conference would be able to get in.

Why are they out? The answer is obvious. They have no quality wins. They might not have had any bad losses but just as the men's team was better off beating North Carolina and losing to Harvard than vice versa, the women would've been better off coming up with a marquee win along the way and still ending up with the same record.

How many BC women's game did you ever attend? I remember watching the women play Notre Dame when ND was #1 in the country and when Pat Summit and the Lady Vols came to town.

Brian: I can't say I've been to many games, maybe 1-2. I've been to quite a few more women's ice hockey games though.

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.

Headlines: Postseason Hoops Victory

Jeff: My girl, Carolyn Swords, and the Eagles defeated the Catamounts last night at Conte. The ladies next head to Queens to play St. John's in an old Big East matchup. Brian, are you gonna be in attendance since the game is being played in your backyard? Breaking out the superfan shirt?

Brian: Unfortunately, I won't be in attendance on Thursday. Queens is a little further than my backyard frontyard. However, I thought that I could catch them at the Garden but just read up on the Women's NIT and found out that they don't play the final four in the World's Most Famous Arena. Bummer. If the Eagles can get past St. John's, they will face the winner of NC State/Florida game for a chance to make it to the final four of the tournament. Go BC!

Headlines: Hockey East Title

Jeff: As we all know by now, BC won the Hockey East tournament with you in attendance on Saturday night. Anything more to tell us about the game?

Brian: Despite an anti-climatic game, it was good to finally see the Eagles in action this year and watch them raise the hardware in the Garden. There was a decent section of BC faithful in attendance and I was moderately impressed with attendance given that:

1. It wasn't BC v. BU in the Garden, but instead Hockey East newbie UVM, and
2. It was the night before Easter Sunday

My one complaint was that we sat behind 4-5 older UNH fans who decided to stay for the championship. Complete sour grapes the entire night. Comments like "I can't believe this is the #3 seed in Hockey East (Vermont) ... shows how terrible the conference is this year." And "I can't believe the #4 seed in the conference is going to win the tourny championship." That, and a smattering of yelling for penalties that weren't there - "Interference!" No need for that. I felt like suggesting that if UNH had taken care of business in the semifinal up 4-1 late in the second period, that they wouldn't have had such a bitter Saturday night experience.

Jeff: Continuing with hockey, the Eagles will face Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Expect an easy victory for BC after making it through the Hockey East tournament, right?

Brian: Nothing comes easy in the NCAAs, especially since the field expanded to 16 teams (the field was only 12 teams in 2001 when we won it all). The first round game is an interesting matchup since the Eagles and Gophers have faced each other quite a bit in the NCAA tournament. We have faced each other in the NCAAs 8 times, with each team winning 4 times. Minnesota leads the all-time series 14-10-2. I expect the game to be very competitive. Luckily for BC, we are playing great hockey and got hot at the perfect time of year. Freshman netminder Muse looked solid in his championship shutout performance.

Brian: Boston College women begin their NIT tournament run tonight at Conte against Vermont, who beat Dartmouth easily in their opening round game. What do you expect out of the Eagles tonight?

Jeff: Our ladies have not had a game for over two weeks now so the beginning might be a little shaky, but in the end, I do not expect Vermont to go on the road and beat an ACC team regardless of how well they played a few nights ago.

Brian: The women Eagles have a point to prove after getting passed over for the National Tournament. I hope they can get the job done and keep their NIT title hopes alive tonight.


Brian: Jeff, you had 6 more wins than me in the first round and 2 more wins than me in the second? Impressive, but you have already lost a team you had in the National Championship (Clemson). I'm not panicked quite yet considering I still have all 4 of my Final Four teams in play. Ever the BC and ACC optimist, what do you think of the conference's performance now through two rounds?

Jeff: Clemson hurt my bracket big time, but I still would pick it the same way next time. Clemson just doesn't have any tournament experience and when they were at halftime up 12 against 'Nova they thought they had already won, but guess what? They didn't. Meanwhile, UNC has dominated and most people didn't even expect Miami to win their first round game but they instead nearly upset #2 Texas. Duke was not going to go to the Final Four but I was surprised about the way they lost to West Virginia, missing free throws as well as 3s.

ACC ROY and the Big Finish

It's Friday so we go to the Big Finish

Jeff: Brian is off frolicking in the sun with Megan so we bring back "BC hockey expert" Christian in his place. Welcome, Christian, what do you have for us?

Christian: Thanks, Jeff. Well, I'm going to stray from my hockey knowledge for a bit to congratulate Stefanie Murphy of our women's hoops team for being named ACC Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. Quite the accomplishment. She and Carolyn Swords were also both named to the All-ACC Freshman team. Congrats ladies.

Jeff: In the first round of the ACC tournament last night the Lady Eagles beat Virginia Tech in overtime. Is this enough to get the Lady Eagles in the NCAA tournament?

Christian: I'm not so sure yet, but it's a possibility. They were a 7 seed that beat a 10 seed, so that shouldn't have been a surprise victory, even though it advances them in the tourney. But the fact of the matter is that they're only 7-7 in conference and behind 5 other ACC teams with better records. Plus, they're going to have a tough time against Maryland tonight, who already blew them out in their first two meetings. Assuming they lose, that puts them at 20-11. 20 wins is good, so I'm going to be optimistic. Let's hope for a big upset tonight to really seal the deal. We need at least one of our teams to make it to the big dance....

Christian: Men's hockey has a weekend series against Northeastern starting tonight. Do you think we'll be able to finish the season strong?

Jeff: I always think and expect BC hockey to finish the season strong and they usually do not disappoint. I am going for 3 wins between men's hockey games against NU, basketball against GT and women's bball against Maryland. Optimistic I know, but BC is going to start turning things around this weekend.

Christian: I like your optimism as always, but I'm sensing more of a 2 win, 1 tie weekend. We all know the hockey team gets what seems like one a weekend. Another big ACC matchup this weekend is the always heavily hyped UNC vs Duke game. Are you going to be watching, secretly rooting for Duke like the closet Blue Devils fan I know you are? Or did I just open your closet door?

Jeff: I stopped being a Duke fan when I got rejected for admission Christian, but since our friend LK is currently a student there I will certainly be cheering for them over UNC.

Dan Lebetard is an unworthy replacement for TK and Mike Wilbon but Christian you have been a more than worthy replacement for Brian. See you again on Monday when we can preview the Men's ACC tournament.

Headlines: Rice Drops 46 In Losing Effort

Brian: The blowout loss to Virginia Tech in men's hoops affected Jeff so deeply that he had to get out of town to clear his head and get some sun. So here is a rundown of today's and this past weekend's headlines. More analysis when Jeff is back tomorrow.

If you missed the game on Saturday, it was one for the record books. Here is Eagle in Atlanta's recap. Rice's 46 points and first half performance (8-8 from beyond the arc, 34 points) were incredible. I haven't seen an individual performance like that from an Eagle since Gionta's 5 goals in the first period of a 2001 game against Maine.

Jeff correctly predicted a win by the Eagles women's hoops team against Miami on Sunday. The women notch another win to improve their tournament resume. They go into the women's ACC tournament as the No. 7 seed. They will face #10 Virginia Tech in the first round, a team that they beat earlier in the season 63-53.


Sure, the Irish have a better men's hoops team this year, but we were able to knock them off in baseball yesterday, 7-2. The win comes after two straight losses over the weekend, both in extra innings - 15-14 in 11 innings to the Bonnies on Saturday, and 16-14 in 10 innings to Lehigh.


After my ACC Select disappointment on Friday night, the men's ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Providence. The 1 point kept us tied for 4th with Providence in Hockey East. If the season ended today, we would see Providence yet again for 3 games in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Bad news for the Eagles considering we couldn't find a way to beat the Friars in the regular season.

The women's hockey team recorded a win and a tie this weekend against Providence, but it wasn't enough to get past Boston University for fourth place in Hockey East. The women Terriers captured the final seed in the women's Hockey East tournament with a weekend sweep of Northeastern.

Heels in Conte and the Big Finish

Jeff: Brian, (not so) big game against UNC tomorrow at Conte, you gonna be there?

Brian: Unfortunately, no. It is on ABC at 3:30pm. Looks like a majority of readers expect it to be a blowout anyhow.

Jeff: I'm trying to stay positive about the Eagles but after the ugly loss to Virginia Tech, it is difficult so I refrain from predicting a score or outcome.


Brian: We move to hockey. An article in the Globe about Massachusetts HS phenom Peter Starrett. BU, BC and Harvard are actively recruiting him. Chances he lands with the Eagles?

Jeff: If you're a star hockey player, why would you not go to BC?

Brian: This guy got a 800 on the math portion of the SAT. I think if he wants a Harvard education (with all due respect to my education at BC), more power to him.


Jeff: Men's hockey east action tonight and tomorrow against Providence College. Make a prediction.

Brian: I will be optimistic and say we make it a 4 point weekend. We desperately need the 4 points to stay apace in Hockey East.


Brian: Last one, women's basketball hopes to make the tournament. Minor setback last night in their 67-57 loss to the Cavaliers. Their last regular season game is this Sunday in Miami. Make a prediction.

Jeff: The freshman Storm and the Eagles get it done. I predict a win.

Happy Time: Brennan, Manning Award and Women's Hoops

Thursday Happys …

Happy Birthday Mike Brennan. The senior defensemen is a current team captain of the Boston College Eagles. In his three years at the Heights, Mike has played in 3 Hockey East championship games (2-1), 2 Beanpot finals, three NCAA tournaments, and 2 Frozen Fours, and has played in all 146 games for BC. Hopefully this is the year the senior class breaks through in the Beanpot and the NCAAs.

Jeff: Also, happy belated birthday Brian (January 21), Brian's girlfriend Megan (January 23) and happy early birthday me (January 28). Kinda freaky it all happens in a week's time.


Happy Trails Tim Tebow, Erik Ainge, Sam Bradford, Colt Brennan, Chase Daniel, Dennis Dixon, Graham Harrell, Patrick White and Andre’ Woodson. All of these college signal callers play second fiddle to Matt Ryan, who took home the 2008 Manning Award. The award, announced Tuesday, is the second major piece of hardware for the senior QB. Ryan earlier was awarded the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, awarded to the most outstanding senior quarterback.


Happy Anniversary to the women’s hoops team. On January 26 two years ago, the women’s team rebounded from an 0-4 start in league play to win their first ever ACC game defeating Virginia 57-43. That team would go on to be the #8 seed in the NCAAs, beating Notre Dame and shocking #1 Ohio State in the round of 32. Unfortunately, in their next game, BC would be eliminated from the tournament, falling to Utah in the Sweet 16.

Headlines: Men's and Women's Hoops and Hockey

Brian: Men's hoops was downed by the Virginia Cavaliers Saturday night in Charlottesville. The Cavs used a 20-6 run in the second half to put away the young Eagles. Jeff, your thoughts?

Jeff: Great first half for the Eagles and then things went south quickly in the second half. Virginia hit some 3s to really extend the lead but dominated every aspect of the game in the second half. BC can not have so many turnovers and expect to win on the road in the ACC. Would have been a great win for the Eagles and it is instead a loss that was expected and does not hurt them. They have a good chance to get back on track Saturday against Virginia Tech. By the way, did you know I spent $15 to watch that second half debacle on pay-per-view?

What was somewhat encouraging from the weekend's ACC basketball action is that Maryland went into Chapel Hill and won and Wake Forest handled Florida State.

Meanwhile Brian, the men's hockey team went 1-0-1 this weekend. I know you would've liked 2-0 but you can't complain too much, right?

Brian: I can complain, unfortunately. The win against UMass-Lowell was a solid road victory, but in Saturday's game against rival Boston University, junior forward Brock Bradford broke his arm for the second time this season. Bradford is out for the season. This is a huge loss for the Eagles offense, as they will now rely on Gerbe to carry the load the rest of the way. I was encouraged by the play of freshman John Muse, who stopped 70 of 76 shots over the weekend. With the 3 points, the Eagles moved into a tie for first place in the Hockey East standings, and up 3 spots in the national rankings to #8 this week. Up next is a tough road test against Maine Friday and Saturday night at Alfond. This isn't your older brother's Maine team, but Alfond is still a hostile environment and it should be a good test for the Bradford-less Eagles.

Jeff: For clarification for our less hockey savvy readers, Alfond is UNH's home ice, correct?

Brian: Alfond is Maine's home ice. In 2001, we made the road trip to see New Hampshire play in the Whittemore Center (to see a heartbreaking 5-4 OT loss).

Jeff: Of course of course. How many of our readers can say they have traveled to an away BC hockey game outside of Boston????


Jeff: Let's move to women's hoops. The Lady Eagles have only lost to Maryland and North Carolina so far this year in conference. You don't have to follow women's hoops to know there is no shame in that. Hopefully the women can have a nice above .500 conference season.

Brian: I don't really purport to know much about women's basketball, but no shame in losing to the two best teams in the ACC (and arguably the entire country). A good win against Wake Forest on Sunday. Take away a few peculiar out of conference losses, at UMass and at Fairfield, and this Eagles team would definitely be ranked in the top 25 at this point.

Finally, are you finally going to show some support for your home town Giants? What a great game on the frozen tundra! Top 3 football games I have watched/attended this year: 1) BC @ Virginia Tech, 2) Giants @ Packers, 3) BC @ Clemson. It's been a great season to be a BC Eagles and a NY football Giants fan.

Jeff: Never would've guessed that the Giants would win in Lambeau on a Brett Farve interception in OT.