Sunday, Bubble Sunday

It looks like we are on the outside looking in. There is still a chance but we won't know anything until the Selection Show early Sunday evening. To many BC fans this is very familiar. Unfortunately our history as a bubble team is not great. More times than not, our bubble teams have ended up in the NIT. Here is a look back.

1985
Resume: 18-9 regular season. 7-9 in Big East play. Lost first round of Big East Tournament.
Invited!
BC made the most of the invite making the Sweet 16.

1988
Resume: 15-12 regular season. 7-9 in Big East play. Lost in first round of Big East Tournament.
Not invited.
This wasn't surprising as BC had an awful Big East record. However, Jim O'Brien made the most of his NIT bid and got BC to the semi-finals before losing to UConn.

1992
Resume: 15-12 regular season. 7-11 in Big East play. Lost in the semi-finals of the Big East Tournament.
Not invited.
This was not a surprise either. The team was young, started hot and then faded later in the season. They received an NIT bid but only made it to the second round.

1993
Resume: 15-11 regular season. 9-9 in Big East play. Lost in the second round of the Big East Tournament.
Not invited.
This was a big disappointment. The team was red hot mid season, but faded down the stretch and didn't get off the bubble. They made the third round of the NIT.

1994
Resume: 20-9 regular season. 10-8 in Big East play. Lost in first round of the Big East Tournament.
Invited!
You would have thought that the resume was a lock, but it was another JOB team that faded down the stretch and got knocked out of the Big East Tournament early. They selection committee didn't think much of BC, handing the Eagles a 9 seed. BC was also put in the same bracket as the No.1 overall seed and defending champions North Carolina. We all know how that ended.

2002
Resume: 19-10 regular season. 8-8 in Big East play. Lost in second round of the Big East Tournament.
Invited!
BC was invited but many said we were flawed and undeserving. We proved them right by getting blown out against Texas.

2003
Resume: 17-10 regular season. 10-6 in Big East play. Lost in second round of the Big East Tournament.
Not invited.
This is the biggest snub in BC history. Our non-conference resume was spotty. We had good wins against UMass and NC State but bad losses to Holy Cross and Kent State. We finished strong in a weak Big East. Most pundits felt we were robbed.

Since the field expanded to 64 teams we ave been a bubble team seven times. Three times we made the Big Dance. Four times we did not. We know 2011 will be added to the list but which way will the bubble burst?

**Please not that I did not include 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2009 in the bubble review since all of those teams were solid tourney picks.

Rooting Guide for Saturday

As of Saturday morning Lundardi says we are in and Bracketology 101 says we are out. As I tweeted yesterday, I think we are in. Only three ACC teams with 9 conference wins have ever been shut out of the tournament. Now with the field expanded to 68, I still think 9 ACC wins, a win over Texas A&M and some other decent wins on our resume will be enough. But you can never be too careful. Here are your new favorite teams for Saturday. If the following win, our chances improve.

Harvard. Our loss to the Crimson becomes less of a black mark if they are the conference champions. Plus it gives our RPI a little boost.

UTEP. We are vying for a bid against their opponent -- Memphis.

Kentucky. Alabama is on the bubble. Knocking Kentucky off gets them in.

Michigan State. The Spartans are probably in. If they lose today they will give life to Penn State (another bubble team).

I imagine that Virginia Tech and Clemson are already in, so there is not much we can do there.

Down goes Duke

Coming into this stretch I said BC couldn't go 0-3 against the top teams. After watching Wake and Clemson pull away, I feared the same thing would happen against Duke. Shows that I am wrong (again) since the exact opposite happened. Instead this time BC came out with the adjustments in the second half. BC's D got better in the second half. It was Duke that saw their players foul out. And then in the final minutes BC made all the plays. This is a second "resume win" for a team that is still on the bubble. If BC can get at least one more ACC win they should be in good position for the tournament. Here are some of my additional thoughts. As always please leave yours in the comments.

Likes
-- Roche-Jackson-Sanders-Rice-Trapani lineup. I couldn't find another game where Trapani and Roche shared so much floor time. You wouldn't think it would work but both played good D and hit some huge shots. Having Jackson and Sanders out there makes this a strong rebounding group and a versatile defensive unit. A dominant big man could expose this five together, but against a team like Duke it worked wonders.
-- Sanders early. Everyone seemed a step slow to start but Sanders made some big plays and held things together early. He has certainly put the Wake game behind him.
-- Trapani's D. Smart shot blocking and some big rebounds. Who knew he had it in him.
-- Adjusting to the Duke pressure. It was the best the team has looked against an aggressive defense all season.

Dislikes
-- Dunn and Southern. I thought big men would be important. I just didn't expect it to be Trapani and Roche. These two weren't effective and also made some dumb plays.
-- Turnovers. This game was still a bit too sloppy.


Finally, here are a few more photos from Chris S.