Sunday, March 11, 2018

BC returns to postseason via the NIT

In the grand scheme of things, an NIT appearance should be a disappointment. Even in the context of this BC season -- which had moments of brilliance -- an NIT bid should be a big "whatever." But that's not how I feel. I am legitimately excited about BC taking on Western Kentucky Tuesday night in the NIT.

The NIT should never be the goal and our last two NIT appearances were legit letdowns and both teams could and probably should have been at large in the NCAA Tournament. This year seems a little different. After a long drought filled with apathy, mediocrity and plain bad basketball, this feels like a small step back to respectability. 

Like any tournament, winning the NIT takes a little luck. It is also about wanting to be there and peaking at the right time. In our past two appearances, the players' lack of enthusiasm was palpable. I hope this year is different. BC can win the NIT and if they do, I think many people will feel that much better about our future.

36 comments:

mod34b said...

Excellent!

mod34b said...

Win NIT. Nah. I’ll take a three win run, including wins over USC, Stanford and Okla St. and call it major progress.

Even with this improved season, I’d still like to see Christian fired. Christian is not the answer for BC Hoops. And get a real winner for a coach.

mod34b said...

*USC, Stanford OR okla st”

EagleFan#1 said...

Is it too soon to hang a banner for this NIT appearance?

Won Jae Hudson said...

Steve Donahue back in the Dance with Penn.

EagleFan#1 said...

Why can't we get coaches like that?

Napolean Bonaparte said...

Ha! Well good for him.

John said...

Good for BC and it's incremental improvement. Next year = the Big Dance. Would love to see the Eagles make it to Madison Square Garden.

There are some very good teams in this NIT and Western Kentucky will be a big challenge at their place in front of a home crowd. A true away game.

A tournament is a tournament and hopefully we grow from this.

Go BC - best of luck.

The was a time when the NIT was THE Tournament.

Edward Griffith said...

Katie Burt first appeared FACES IN THE CROWD Sports Illustrated in 2009 as a sixth grader
March 12 2018 Edition page 26 She gets one-third of faces page as BC women's ice hockey
stellar goalie. Nice feature for her and BC WIH.
Lets hope Jim and kids can grab a couple in NIT in prep for next season.
What news on Deonate's red shirt?

downtown_resident said...

The team looked pretty excited by the announcement. They'll be tested immediately by a pretty good WKU team, and will likely be the underdog playing on the road and with only two true road wins this season (Pitt, Hartford).

This was a nice coaching job by Christian, regardless of what happens tomorrow. +8 wins over last season, +5 wins in the ACC not even counting the two tournament victories, broke several losing streaks to conference foes (Duke, FSU, Miami, and Pitt), and reeled in the highest-rated recruit for the program since 2002. Christian is obviously returning, and you have to ask yourself what coach would take this job knowing his predecessor was fired after a season of accomplishments like these.

mod34b said...

Downtown - you make an excellent case of BC saps accepting mediocrity as a substitute for success.

Tons of coaches would take the head coaching job at an ACC team (especially an improving one) for over a $1,000,000 in a heartbeat.

BC has given JC ample opportunity. And there is little to show for it. (5th seed in NIT is not impressive. It’s just meh/ok)

In contrast, Pitt dumped their coach after 2 years because he was not the right guy. Same goes for JC.

This is a great time to get a better coach. Jarmond appears to lacks the stones to do it

knucklehead said...

It is the most inappropriate time to fire the coach. You win 19 games and get yout most highly touted recruit coming in and you want to restart. Makes no sense.

knucklehead said...

Pitt did this and rutgers did that. Who gives a mod34b what they do.

mod34b said...

thank you Bitch. try responding to someone who cares what you say.

downtown_resident said...

mod, you admit the team is improving. Why do you think they're improving?

Please don't mistake an endorsement of Christian returning for next season as anything more than that. He gets next year to take this team into the NCAAs, with or without Robinson. If they fall short, he's out, and nobody in the coaching community will think BC's expectations are impossible to meet for firing a coach with a losing record and no NCAAs in five seasons.

On the other hand, BC will look like a school with ridiculous expectations if we purge a coach now who just almost doubled our win total, developed a player from an unnoticed recruit into the ACC POY runner-up, returns (hopefully) everybody and is adding two highly-regarded recruits next season. Not to mention there's an excellent chance of a mass exodus from the roster if Christian was moved.

Give Christian next year to prove what he can do, and give Jarmond that time to do some more fundraising for the practice facility. Whatever happens for the program, BC is in a better place for long-term success.

mod34b said...

Georgia fired its coach after making NIT with 15 loss record (and a history of NCAA success)

http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/news/mark-fox-fired-georgia-basketball-ncaa-college-tom-crean-coach/1n9eyh6d3iwbs1df6lol75cjw2

ole miss pushed out it bb coachg after a series of "NIT success"

http://www.coachesdatabase.com/andy-kennedy/

Bryant, Utah State, others..


mod34b said...

downtown... such a low-energy reply filled with fear..... fear of success...

they did improve because they started at the bottom and had another year of playing together. But merely improving from the bottom of the barrel to closer to the middle is not success. Its mediocrity

BC need not worry about public perception in firing Christian. Completely understandable to dump him. See above. BC owes JC nothing more that a a year or two or pay.

Imagine if BC could get a Tom Crean this year?

Jarmond is not impressing yet. He seems to be a mouse.

Creighton, Loyola- Chi; Xavier; Gonzaga; Providence; "Nova; St Bonnies; Seton HAll; Iona.. all in Big Dance... all small Catholic schools not in a prestige conference... They are all better than BC... that should not be. BC is ranked #95 is CBS rankings. That blows.

NYCEagle said...

Coaching change for the sake of coaching change is never a good idea. If you want Bowman and Robinson to either transfer or go pro, and for Hamilton to reneg on his committment, then that’s a very good idea. You’d have our program in another 5 year tailspin with some “greater long-term good” argument being your thesis. BC might literally fold as a program before that would ever come to fruition

bceagle91 said...

2 years ago, the team was 7-25 and 0-18 in ACC play with an average margin of defeat in conference play of almost 20 points. Last year, the team was 9-23 overall and 2-16 in the ACC. This year, 19-15 overall so more wins this year than in the last 2 years combined. The team was 7-11 in the ACC (before the tournament).

While this isn't where we want to be, there is some momentum here. 2 wins in the ACC tournament and a signature win over Duke on national TV certainly help. I think Christian deserves another year.

John said...

Another year is appropriate, IMHO.

Go BC!

John said...

I don't think moving the 3 point arc back for the NIT will hurt our gunners too much, but it might. But JRob, Ky and Chat can fire from the coach's box.


I haven't seen 3 seconds called in a long time, so the wider lane may not be a factor.

Traveling on short notice can be a factor - so I hope the players can get some rest after the trip to WKY.

knucklehead said...

Georgia coach had 9 years and no restrictions.

downtown_resident said...

Does anyone besides mod believe Christian should be fired?

eagleboston said...

My God, Mod, you would have fired Coach K after his first three seasons. He went 17-13, 10-17 and 11-17 in his first 3 years. Of course, Christian is no Coach K., but he did beat Duke this year. He definitely deserves another year.

curranac said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mod34b said...

Eaglebostom. Cmon. Thst post was not too logical. Jc results don’t come close to coach K and it’s s very different sports world now.

Don’t embrace the mediocre, the safe. Dare to be great.

You guys are sheep (and one jack ass)

John said...

The team will be glad to be out of Boston and yet another snow storm.

Bravesbill said...

Gene Stallings was a horrific hire, akin to Nebraska hiring Mike Riley for football. I’m on the fence about Christian. BC has significantly improved but it’s still at the bottom of the conference. It’s progress could be a mirage given the depths of ineptitude it fell to the previous two seasons.

knucklehead said...

Yeah. Imagine if they had Tom Crean. Another unoriginal thought. Look up who started beating the Tom Crean drum here. It sure as Mod34b wasn't you.

knucklehead said...

. . . . Real ahead of the curve/sheep thought. Douche.

mod34b said...

Thanks angry bitch. You are crushing it.

Knucklehead said...

You have no clue.

No original thoughts either.

mod34b said...

Your gracious comments are much appreciated Bitch

Knucklehead said...

When someone is gracious they get treated with grace. When someone is a silly, dimwitted, parrot like you then they get treated as such.

Like I said. Clueless.

mod34b said...

You are too kind bitch

knucklehead said...

Weird.