A Boston College blogger on Jameis Winston

One the eve of the NFL Draft there isn't much Boston College news, but the football world remains focused on a player very familiar to BC fans: Jameis Winston. His off the field issues are well known. I cannot speak to his character or his maturity. Both could be issues in his NFL success. But as a football player, I think he's going to be very good in the NFL. In fact, I have a tried and true, never failed*, totally subjective form of evaluation for all NFL prospects. I throw out all the stats. I ignore the combine. I don't even care about most of their college career. Instead I evaluate them on how they played against BC.

As silly as it might seem, I do have faith in my "how'd he play against us" theory. In part because I know our team pretty well, so I know when someone has played them well. Also our defenses have been very reliant on systems (heavy zone in Spaz, heavy pressure with Brown). Because we are one-dimensional and usually decent in that dimension, it puts pressure on the opposing QB to make the plays. If a QB cannot figure out and adjust to our systems, I don't trust them at the next level where everything gets more complex.

Russell Wilson surprised many NFL fans, but most BC fans remember how good he was against us. Michael Vick had one of his best games ever against BC. I became a believer in Colin Kaepernick when we shut down his running and he still did enough in the air to beat us. Can any BC fan think of a recent QB who looked bad against us and then went on to have a top flight NFL career?

Winston's two games against BC were probably two of his biggest tests in college. He famously used the 2013 game as a reminder to his teammates that they could come back to win the National Championship game. Last season's contest wasn't filled with highlights but it ended with Winston leading a winning drive in the final minutes.

In the two games, I saw enough to think Winston will be a good NFL QB. He made good decisions on the field. He made tight throws. He read things well and when things broke down, he made great plays (see the video above). Winston is not perfect, but he's tough to bring down and can make any throw. That alone will get him plenty of chances in the NFL. But his ability to adjust to BC's different pressures leads me to believe he'll be fine in the NFL's faster game.

Could something derail him? Sure. A bad team or more bad choices could sink his career. But if he is the player BC fans saw, he's worth the risk.

*I've never actually selected nor coached a player in the NFL. But who's paying attention to that sort of detail.

Problems with paying players

Chad Scott wrote a good piece on the head scratching math that goes into the NCAA's new cost of attendance policy. The money is supposed to be related to the cost of living in that particular area for a student, not related to tuition or already covered room, board and books. In the current world it is more costly to attend the University of Tennessee ($5,666) than Boston College ($1,400). In the spirit of the new rules, Tennessee would be able to hand out more than $4,000 to a student athlete than BC would be able to offer to the same athlete. How do you think that is going to play out?

Scott noted that these numbers were not cooked up by some scheming SEC Football recruiter, but by each university's office of financial aid and collected by the Department of Education. That explains why school that would seemingly be inline with one another (USC and UCLA) or (Auburn and Alabama) are so different.

The good news is that this calculation won't last. Forget the bad math and worse logic behind Knoxville being more costly than Chestnut Hill. The reason this won't last is that the SEC won't allow one school to have a leg up on another. I expect that eventually there will be a flattening of the cost of attendance stipend and all schools will offer the same thing.

When BC voted against the pay players plan, they never mentioned this issue. They were thinking big picture and where the paying players will creep, but they should have included this aspect of the issue in their protest. It might have generated a little more support and slowed the movement down.

Football recruiting speculation and other links

BC's top QB target Anthony Brown is nearing a decision. The recruiting analysts from 247 are still predicting that he will sign with BC.

UNC swept Baseball over the weekend. The team gets a chance to bounce back with games against URI and Bryant this week.

CBS thinks Ian Silberman will be an undrafted free agent.

Softball fell to 21-21 after losing two out of three to Louisville.

Kennesaw St. hires Al Skinner

Kennesaw State made all speculation official by hiring Al Skinner as its next basketball coach. Many felt it was a done deal from the start due to the relationship between Skinner and KSU Athletic Director Vaugh Williams. Williams worked at BC (and got his masters at BC) during some of Skinner's best seasons.

There are numerous BC alums in athletic departments around the country who had the chance to hire Skinner since he left the Heights. I am glad that Williams finally did.

As I wrote previously, I think Skinner will do well there. He always had a good eye for talent and there are enough second-tier players here in metro Atlanta to compete. Plus the college game has drastically changed with transfers and 5th years. Skinner and KSU seem well positioned to find those guys looking for a second chance or one last shot.

The local media doesn't care about KSU, so that won't bother Al. The Alumni base is not overly demanding and won't expect him at chicken dinner after chicken dinner. All he needs to do is win and coach basketball. This works. Best of luck to him and I hope he goes out on top.

Croke Park won't host BC-Georgia Tech

Earlier this week, Irish media reported the Croke Park will not host a football game between Georgia Tech and Boston College. The report said negotiations had been at "advanced" stages but potential scheduling conflicts with Irish sports, not enough support from the Irish government and the falling value of the euro vs the dollar all undermined the game.

There are other potential venues that could still host a game in Ireland, but if currency and government support issues are problems, they are going to be problems in any stadium. ESPN might up payout in hopes of getting a morning game, but I doubt that will be enough. It looks like this will be held in the U.S. after all.

(Thanks to Morrissey for the link.)

Tweets of the Week

"Oh, just SMU? CARRY ON" http://t.co/wfoPa99pcd pic.twitter.com/BSSH9QbHly

— Jason Kirk (@JasonKirkSBN) April 23, 2015

Where once was snow.... (Photo by Maria Ireland '15) pic.twitter.com/lSZDmYMEQf

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) April 22, 2015

@DavidCMorrison also Steve Addazio just said it and I feel like he has a special disdain for passing #throwgame #ifihaveto

— Lauren Brownlow (@lebrownlow) April 22, 2015

If Al Skinner to KSU happens, you can't be upset. Great hire taking a former Big East/ACC coach to A-Sun

— Kyle Sandy (@KyleSandy355) April 23, 2015

Transcribing an interview with a coach and realizing they all should send a thank-you note to Cardale Jones for giving backup QBs hope.

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) April 16, 2015

What is Kennesaw State and why would Al Skinner go there?

At this point I should just expect all Eagles to end up in Georgia. There are multiple rumors that the suburban Atlanta school is set to hire the former BC coach. To me this makes perfect sense. For the rest of you, this is probably a head scratcher. 

Even though it is not a well-known outside of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a rising university in the area. They've improved their offerings, their grad programs and are trying to transition from their roots as a commuter school. They've built housing but like other younger universities, they view sports as a way to get more students excited about the school. Think of how much attention Georgia State received during this year's NCAA Tournament. The leaders at Kennesaw want that same exposure. They've already invested in football. Now it is time for basketball. Once they demoted their most recent coach, it only made sense to go after an established coach. Skinner won't sell tickets, but he will win there and that is the end game.

As for why Skinner would take this job...some times it is as simple as it is the only offer to come his way. Skinner has interviewed multiple times over the years and never gotten that second chance. His (unfair) reputation and now his age probably hurt his chances at most major jobs and the mid majors in the northeast. Kennesaw offers one last chance to do what he wants to do: coach. The salary won't be huge, but it will be more than he is making at Bryant. With Al's eye for talent and his easy to install system, he can be one of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun annually. 

I hope the two sides can come to an agreement. It could be a happy ending for both.

Baseball wins Beanpot

Eagles WIN! The Beanpot is coming back to as The Heights!! pic.twitter.com/9DqnZx1W65
— BC Baseball (@BCBirdBall) April 23, 2015

Baseball won the school's 11th Baseball Beanpot Wednesday night beating UMass in the Final. This is the team's sixth win in a row and improves the overall record to 22-18.

Next up is a three-game series against UNC in Chapel Hill. Let's hope the current momentum keeps up.

Get Addazio on TV more

Did anyone else see Jim Harbaugh on SportsCenter clips the past few days? He's been featured in ESPN's Draft Academy. It is great exposure for the coach as he returns back to college football. It is also a reminder that BC needs to get Addazio down to ESPN again this offseason. BC probably missed the window on Tebow talk, but there is always something that you could shoehorn him into. Addazio can talk Draft. He can go on about season two of the playoff and what teams have learned. I would even bet Addazio would handle himself well if ESPN needed an active coach to discuss the move to pay players.

Getting on TV is not really about Addazio improving on camera. It remains a good tool to sell the program to recruits and fans. I doubt that ESPN has anything as big as Draft Academy coming up, but Addazio doesn't need that. For this offseason it just about using ESPN to keep momentum going.

Why the "Drop Baseball" debate can't be settled by one series or one season

Baseball is playing well and that's great. Over at BCI Dan Rubin led off his recap of the weekend with a reminder how vocal the "drop baseball" crowd was a year ago and how it might have been shortsighted. I never advocated dropping baseball, but the current success doesn't validate anything and doesn't stop Brad Bates from asking the tough questions about which sports BC should support. Those who questioned BC's baseball future weren't trying to kill a program just to kill it or to make room for lacrosse. They were also looking at the big picture and where BC baseball fits.

The challenges with baseball
Some of BC baseball issues are fixable. Some are not.

The lack of depth among local recruits is probably overstated. You can deliver a consistent winner with players from the northeast.

Any coaching issue is fixable. I am not sold on Gambino being the long-term solution. But the uncertainty over BC's baseball future indirectly led to him getting more time. Hats off if he uses the time to prove he's an ACC-caliber coach. But BC is not a deadend job (see Aoki, see Hughes). If Gambino cannot sustain success, other qualified coaches will gladly take the job if there is a program.

You cannot change the New England weather. It will always make early season games a huge scheduling challenge. It will also make recruiting players from warmer regions a challenge. But BC can address this challenge with a permanent baseball facility that minimizes the impact of many of the weather issues (snow removal, drainage, synthetic fields, etc.).

Playing in a deep baseball conference is a challenge that BC cannot change. But the silver lining of ACC Baseball is that if BC competes in this conference, we can compete with any team in the country.

Funding
While many of the obstacles related to the baseball field are due to local objections, BC's support for the program is still critical. Not only are funds needed for the permanent field, but paying the players remains a looming budget issue. Football and Basketball are the sports most associated with paying athletes, but baseball will be part of the second wave (if it is not part of the first).

Lacrosse vs Baseball
Despite the ongoing debate over which is more viable at BC, the more likely outcome is neither as a varsity sport. If BC ever kills baseball over competitive and or financial reasons, I don't see them making Men's Lacrosse a funded, varsity sport.

But I don't think even the most diehard BC Baseball fan would argue that a well-funded BC Lacrosse team would be more likely to have national success than BC Baseball.

What does BC want out of Sports
Even with our grandstanding votes against paying athletes, I don't think BC will walk away from college sports. Football and, to a lessor extent basketball, are too valuable as marketing tools. The women's sports are safe as long as Title IX is law. Hockey is safe. So then it comes down to the non-revenue men's sports. Baseball is not untouchable. Bates and Father Leahy will have to decide what is important and what sports best promote and fulfill the school's mission. One hot streak in April is not going to answer that question.

Baseball sweeps GT and other links

Baseball completed its sweep of Georgia Tech. They are riding a huge wave of momentum into their Beanpot game with UMass. Softball won their series with Georgia Tech too.

The Notre Dame game at Fenway will kick off at 7:30. With the weather and home aspect of the game, I think that helps BC.

Lacrosse improved to 14-2 with their win over UNH.

A Patriots blogger broke down Andy Gallik as a prospect and potential draft pick for New England.

Baseball beats Georgia Tech on ALS Day

The Baseball team is playing its best baseball and doing it just in time to honor Pete Frates. Saturday they upset No. 24 Georgia Tech in the ALS Awareness game. The win was their second in a row against the Yellow Jackets and clinched the series. The team has now won four in a row overall and keeps the team above .500.

Tweets of the Week

Proud to see alumnus Patrick Downes at #BCStrong last night, and with fellow survivor Jeff Bauman at Fenway today. https://t.co/s3lHnkk2bj

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) April 15, 2015

Forget Drake-themed letters. An Addazio plushie or a glitter-bomb envelope will land recruits. http://t.co/n2RhTnULV5 pic.twitter.com/LVVEJSyRqI

— Michael Sullivan (@SullyHeights) April 14, 2015

College football offseason before and after pic.twitter.com/PV02gZVNMZ

— cuppycup (@cuppycup) April 16, 2015

.@PeteFrates3 is a @RedSox ! Eagles fans rejoice! Crying tears of joy at the office at right. No words. #WeAreBC

— Stephanie St. Martin (@StephStMartin) April 13, 2015

Handwritten letter of thanks for Jesuit scholarship from @JordanSpieth in 2009 in which he reveals @TheMasters dream. pic.twitter.com/95dU7soxda

— Barry Horn (@bhorn55) April 14, 2015

Ireland update? and other links

BCI put two and two together and think that Georgia Tech clearing up their 2016 schedule means that BC and the Yellow Jackets are Ireland bound. Bates keeps denying it publicly, but the maneuvering does make sense. The logistics or the game require plenty of time and plenty of marketing to our fanbase so it will have to be announced soon if it is to happen in 2016.

An EO poster dug up this link to a recent BC tax filing. Page 46 lists Addazio's total comp as $2.5M.

Eric Hoffses reported that Basketball brought in a preferred walk-on. Now we just need some impact players.

Magarity gone too

Will Magarity is the latest basketball player to depart. According to Goodman, BC released him from his scholarship. While Magarity showed some flashes, he was never going to be great fit for what Christian is trying to do. Having him around for some depth would have been nice, but his extended absence last season due to lingering effects from a concussion showed that the team could get by without him. Good luck to him and good luck to the staff in finding some more big men.

Athlon's ACC experts don't think much of the BC job

It is that time of year. The preview magazines hit the shelves and post all sorts of lists. Athlon asked a panel of ACC experts to rank the conference coaching jobs based on potential and difficulty of the job. BC came in 12th out of 14. Although this list don't mean much (is Addazio going to quit tomorrow because we are not higher up?), I still take issue a bit with the ranking.

Is it easier to win at some schools than others? Absolutely. However, when ranking jobs, fit is too often overlooked. Take TOB as an example. He left BC for NC State (ranked 8th). Is NC State a better job? Maybe on paper. Maybe the budgets are a little higher and the admissions a little more friendly. But TOB could never make it work there. He wasn't the right fit. BC in general has done a good job finding guys who can work within our culture and thrive within our region. We will never be Florida State, so it doesn't make sense to try to be Florida State. If the experts slight the job at BC or view it as too difficult, does it really matter? There will always be coaches who can win at BC. We just need to find them.

Why Christian needs transfers

With or without Hanlan, next season was probably going to be a rebuilding effort. The team is going to be young and lacking enough depth to be consistently competitive in ACC play. Christian has three respected recruits committed and will likely pick up at least one more this month. However, if he wants long-term success and stability, Christian should use his remaining scholarships to find a few transfers.

As with football, transfers allow BC to add depth that is older and physically more mature. While the long-term upside is limited with transfers, it buys Christian time without bottoming out. Plus, transfers ease roster balance. BC Basketball is in a bad cycle of megaclasses. If a megaclass doesn't pan out, you are stuck with four years of underachievement. Megaclasses are also a challenge with player development (spreading minutes) and recruiting cycles.

Ideally BC would have three impact recruits coming in every year to provide the right mix of new energy, but plenty of depth and stability.

Christian used transfers well last year on relatively short notice. This season had more planning, so I expect one or two of these guys to end up at BC. Position is not critical (although a defensive big man and a true point guard would be nice). What is critical is getting experience to this young roster.

Sox sign Frates

The Red Sox signed Pete Frates to an honorary contract as part of the ceremonies of their home opener. The Red Sox have been very public in their support of Frates and I hope things like this continue throughout the season. Below is video of the moment:

Hanlan declares for NBA Draft

Jeff Goodman confirmed rumors that Olivier Hanlan declared for the NBA Draft. Hanlan cannot change his mind and cannot transfer. Even if he goes undrafted his college career is done. I hope he worked his way high up enough draft boards to be a first round pick. Although he was part of three frustrating seasons, I do thank Hanlan for some exciting basketball.

As for BC, without Hanlan, this team will be in bottom of the conference again. Christian will get some leeway, but this puts that much more pressure to land one final elite recruit in this class and snag a competent transfer.

I will have more on Hanlan's prospects and what Jim Christian's needs in the follow up to Draft Day and Signing Day.

Addazio working the next generation of recruits and fans

A huge part of college football is sales. You have to be out selling your program to recruits, the media and fans. For many years, BC lacked a real face of the program, salesman. Our coaches either weren't good at it, weren't particularly comfortable doing it or just didn't deem it worthy of their time. Addazio is different. We know he'll gladly talk to a reporter or attend a Wall Street dinner. His passion for recruiting is well known. But what takes it all to another level is his willingness to go talk to suburban Catholic elementary schools.

I know it is only one appearance, but can you think of any other BC coach doing that? How many Boston sports figures of his prominence are doing small appearances like that? I am not aware of a specific connection to St. Joseph's. Maybe the invite from a Catholic school with a speaker's series was all it took. Regardless, I am glad he did it and represents BC well. A few of those kids will be BC students one day and hopefully all of them will be BC fans.

BC announces ND-Fenway ticket policy; fan grumbling follows

I don't get it. By "it" I mean everything. From the moment it was announced, BC's away game at Fenway with Notre Dame generated plenty of excitement. But the "road" aspect of the game and Fenway's limited capacity also triggered warnings that tickets were going to be an issue. Those warnings should have been reset expectations for BC and BC's fans. Friday BC released their plan and shortly thereafter, the hardcore BC fans took to social media and message boards to gripe about the plan.

Here is a quick summary of BC's allocation process:

1. Staff and players first (as it should be)

2. BC takes care of big donors (as it should be)

3. Lottery among season ticket holders and smaller donors

Tickets are going to be expensive. The face value plus the expected giving make it inevitable. How is this a surprise to anyone?

I wish BC had handled this a bit better. They could have negotiated more seats from Notre Dame in the process. Maybe had lower gift minimums. Or perhaps they should have just lowered fan expectations about access from the very beginning. 

As for the fans complaining, what did you expect? That BC shouldn't use this to drive interest and giving? That lifetime loyalty should be rewarded over players and staff? There are only 5,000 tickets. Even if BC gave a priority strictly to season ticket holders based on seniority there wouldn't be enough tickets to go around. 

Fenway is not ideal for football or the average-sized American in 2015, so you'll be cramped and have a bad view. If you think it is not worth it or you think BC is being unfair, then don't go. It will be on TV. There are plenty of other, better and cheaper road games to attend. This is just a special one-time event. I am excited about it, but I would get excited about BC playing most anywhere. This should be a fun event. If you have the money and want to attend, go and enjoy it. If you're upset at how BC handled it, I suggest writing a composed, thoughtful and polite email to Brad Bates. 

This game is supposed to be special. If the price and availability squeezes you out, I am sorry. I hope that doesn't keep you from enjoying the game or the season.

Tweets of the Week

Aspiring eagle. (Photo by Daniele de Groot '17) pic.twitter.com/d1C0ehz4tz

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) April 7, 2015

All entrances to the TD Garden will have a station allowing any BC fan rooting for the Terriers to return their diploma prior to entry.

— Grant Salzano (@Salzano14) April 9, 2015

Only in this house do people ask "what the heck is wrong w BC Hockey?" Before they say happy Easter

— BC Hockey Blog (@bchockeyblog1) April 5, 2015

#flatBaldwin making Easter eggs 😉 @BostonCollege @BCSportsNews @BCEaglesUnited pic.twitter.com/aqpPYulNS9

— Samantha Brooke (@sammiejohnson_) April 5, 2015

Here's a map of which team everyone is cheering for in the NCAA championship game pic.twitter.com/8AqCB1R87A

— Bobby Big Wheel (@BobbyBigWheel) April 5, 2015

Recruiting tactic goes viral and other links

Like the "dude" movement before it, BC created another viral recruiting theme. This time they borrowed the font and theme of Drake's album and used it in recruiting materials. I know many of you are thinking: "they did what?" or "who's Drake?" Just know that it is working. Kids like the idea and will hopefully like BC.

Earlier in the week, NFL Talent Analyst Gil Brandt wrote about BC's Offensive Linemen. 

BC is one of many schools after Florida WR Ben Skowronek.

Christian focuses on Shawntrez Davis

247's Zach Spears broke the news of Shawntrez Davis' impending visit to BC later this month. This would be huge coup for Jim Christian and his 2015 recruiting class. Davis is highly ranked, a front court player who would likely start and is from outside the region. BC hasn't pulled in an offensive big man of this caliber in forever.

There are two aspects of this process that I found encouraging. First that we are in on a player like this. (Davis has numerous high profile offers.) Second, I am glad to see the staff be this opportunistic. One of the reasons Davis is available is due to coaching changes at other programs and the natural musical chairs aspect of recruiting. Now they just have to close on him.

247 predicts Davis will be an Eagle, so expect a decision quickly following his visit.

Please tell me the ACC isn't championing a terrible idea

The ACC and Big XII are pushing for changes to conference championship regulations. The Big XII's angle is obvious. They want to hold a game without expanding. The ACC's interest in change remains mysterious. Here is the ominous part of this CBS article on the change:

“I think there's some belief that ACC would play three divisions, have two highest ranked play in postseason,” said Bob Bowlsby, chairman of the new NCAA Football Oversight Committee. “Really, nobody cares how you determine your champion. It should be a conference-level decision.

“But because the ACC has persisted in saying, ‘We're not sure what we'll do,' there's probably a little bit of a shadow over it. In the end, I don't think it'll be able to hold it up. We'll probably have it in place for ‘16.”

The ACC keeps saying they have no official plans to change their own format, but want future flexibility if they do want to change. The idea of a three team conference where one of the conference winners is NOT guaranteed a spot in the conference championship gamer is a terrible idea. The whole point of a division is to group teams together and let one team win the division by playing their other division foes. Then the two division winners play each other to determine a true champion. It is fair. It is objective. It is a proven model. Now, adding a subjective layer to the process takes the worst aspects of college football and forces it on the 14 teams in the ACC. Who do you think is going to get selected for the championship if two divisions are won by traditional powers and a third is not? ACC teams like BC are going to be left out.

I am not opposed to the ACC tweaking its format. If they want to revamp divisions or scrap the divisions all together, I have no problem with that. However, I think there should be clear and fair methods to get into the championship game. If there are no divisions and they select the two teams with the best record, BC fans should live with that. But anything that involves a committee is going to end badly for BC.

Keyes meeting NFL teams and other links

Josh Keyes might not be listed on the NFL Draft website. but he is getting some attention. He has worked out for the Falcons and the Buccaneers. Workouts don't mean he'll be drafted, but it does give him a chance to find the right team as a free agent.

Ohio Tight End Luke Farrell is set to visit BC Tuesday.

After losing two, the Baseball team managed to win a game at Wake on Sunday.

Hanlan's Draft Deadlines approaching

All NCAA underclassmen who want to test their NBA draft status have until April 10, 2015 to declare and subsequently withdraw from the Draft. If a player declares after the 10th, he cannot rescind the decision. All players who wish to be drafted must file paperwork with the NBA by April 29, 2015. As with many of these deadlines, all of this favors the college coaches and NBA. As for Olivier Hanlan, I think BC fans can read a few things into it.

It doesn't appear that Hanlan is going to "test the waters." BC's season ended weeks ago. If he wanted to find out what NBA teams thought of him, he would have entered his name by now, so that he still had the freedom "take his name out" this week. I expect the April 10 deadline to pass without issue.

The April 11-29 window still remains an opportunity for Hanlan, Christian and BC fans. If Olivier wants to go regardless of what scouts think, he still has three more weeks. I have no inside information, but the lack of rumors and scouting reports still listing him as a late second rounder lead me to believe Hanlan is coming back. At this point, it makes the most sense for him. Hanlan will be an old draftee if he waits one more year, but he can keep improving his game and reputation. He also has a decent shot at ACC Player of the Year. That one award wouldn't assure him of being drafted, but it would maximize his profile.

Regardless of his final year in college, Hanlan's professional path seems destined for overseas basketball. Let's hope the upside of a final college season and the outside chance of the NBA keeps him around the Heights one more year.

Baseball drops first two to Wake

While there is still a chance to get a win Sunday, Baseball sputtered in Winston-Salem this weekend. They lost 4-3 Friday night. The game wasn't as close Saturday as they lost 9-4. With the two losses, BC is now 4-9 in ACC play.

Tweets of the Week

@bcinterruption Can any of you kick field goals?

— Kristjan Zakelj (@Smetisce) April 2, 2015

Big date in #BChistory: April 1, 1863 - Boston College charter approved by Commonwealth of Massachusetts. pic.twitter.com/Bt0YshzNWF

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) April 1, 2015

Kraft: "I'm insanely wealthy, I don't have to remember anything. It's not in the job description." [it really isn't]

— SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) March 31, 2015

@BCHockeyNews JY is transitioning from coach to forward? Addazio then assumes both FB & MIH coaching roles, making BC Dude Central?

— Matt Nash (@hsanttam) March 30, 2015

Gleaning Draft stuff from NFL.com

We know Andy Gallik performed well at the NFL Combine. We know the turnout was good for BC's Pro Day. But will any of it lead to a big group of BC draftees? One of the best ways to gauge what NFL Teams are thinking is through the NFL's own website. Every year prior to the Draft the NFL loads up profiles of potential draftees. This year three Eagles are already in the system:

• Andy Gallik
• Ian Silberman
• Brian Mihalik

Being listed doesn't guarantee anything. Silberman and Mihalik are borderline late rounders by most accounts. Other BC guys might sneak into a late round too. But using the NFL's profiles as a guide, I think Gallik is the only lock to be drafted. 

Whose collective wisdom on Addazio is right?

The CBS College Football Staff rated and ranked all Power Five (plus Notre Dame and BYU) coaches. The haven't released the full list yet, but Addazio did show up on the first rollout. CBSers ranked him 47th. This is what they wrote:

47. Steve Addazio, Boston College: You have to admire Addazio's "dude" qualities, but Eagles fans would like to see an improvement on his 14-12 start in Chestnut Hill.

CBS left their criteria wide-open, so their rankings are subjective among their writers. Who knows why they put Addazio where they did? We don't know which writers ranked him high or ignored him altogether. What we do know is that all their voters are deep into college football coverage, and as a group they don't think much of Addazio. In fact, whoever wrote the summary inferred that most BC fans are frustrated. I would say it is the opposite. I think Addazio has exceeded fan expectations in both seasons.

But is our bias as BC fans any more irresponsible than CBS's? Most BC fans think the Dude is great and will take us higher. But we could be wrong? Maybe Addazio is just a 7-5 coach and those other Power 5 guys are better.

In Addazio's case, I think BC fans are correct. Even the most plugged-in CBS expert isn't watching every BC game. The media also doesn't realize the extent of Addazio's rebuild.

These rankings ultimately don't mean much. However, it does give us a little idea of what the outside world thinks of BC's coach. Hopefully our insight and expectations are right and theirs are wrong.

Hanlan honored and other links

The AP released their All America teams and Olivier Hanlan made the honorable mention team. As more and more underclassman declare for the NBA Draft, the hope of Hanlan returning gets better.

Chris Shaw earned Hitter of the Week honors from the NCBWA.

Hockey Captian Michael Matheson signed with the Panthers and will skip his final year of college hockey.

Former Eagle Jordan Daniels completed his degree at Drake and is now free to transfer and play right away.

The ups and downs of recruiting teenagers UPDATE

[Of course after I wrote this and went to bed, Dalton made it official and decommitted from BC. If you're listening to whispers, BC wasn't putting up with his flightiness and pulled the offer. As I wrote, BC and this class will be fine. Best of luck to Dalton...wherever he goes.]

In my short stint with Scout.com, I did my best to avoid interacting directly with recruits. My excuse at the time was that I couldn't because I am a BC booster. But the reality is that I didn't want to go near the potential eagles. I know most are probably good kids, but there are also plenty that would drive me nuts. Recruiting is an emotional roller coaster for the college coaches. Reading the tea leaves, I am sure BC's staff has spent way too much emotion already dealing with current verbal commitment Danny Dalton.

Dalton has been the subject of speculation on various BC message boards, but for those who don't read the boards, here is a quick recap. Massachusetts TE Danny Dalton committed to BC last month. A local product with upside, it seemed like Addazio found good potential and Dalton said all the right things. Of course BC's discovery sent out signals to other programs. Supposedly Alabama had interest. And maybe the extra attention got Dalton thinking, because since committing to BC, he visited Rutgers and raved about it, and visited Penn State this past weekend. Addazio and staff cannot comment publicly on a player, but I can't imagine they enjoy his mini-tour and tweeting about rival programs.

Verbal commitments are not binding and plenty of BC stars of the past were people who changed their mind and flipped to BC (Herzlich and Hilliman are two that come to mind). Addazio might lose Dalton and others in the future. He'll also flip some back to BC. I am not going to lose sleep over it, but I am sure the assistants are. They found and nurtured the relationship with Dalton and now have to fret the next 10 months until Signing Day. Or they can cut their losses and tell Dalton if he keeps looking, his BC offer is gone. Either way I doubt he ends up an Eagle. But because he's local, Addazio has to handle it with kid gloves. Pissing off one local coach or recruit can have a real ripple effect.

At this point I trust Addazio on recruiting. If he can't keep Dalton, he will find an capable replacement. Because if Dalton reminded us, teenagers love to change their minds.

A baseball sweep!

Maybe we should move all of BC's home games to Delaware!? While being the "home" team in the First State, BC Baseball swept Duke over the weekend. BC now stands at 4-7 in ACC play. The team has now won five in a row and face UConn and UMass this week. If they keep the hot streak going, they can reach .500 before the play another ACC team next week.

The Delaware solution was only temporary, however, I don't think this is the end of BC's barnstorming. Weather and Shea Field will always make early season games precarious. For now let's just hope they keep making the best of the circumstances and keep on winning.

Hockey season over as Denver sends BC packing

The silver lining is that BC was still a tournament team during a transition year. As much as casual fans assume that the team can often just turn it on, not winning the Beanpot or Hockey East Tournament served as a warning sign. BC didn't have enough to hang with Denver as the Pioneers won 5-2.

BC finished the season 21-14-3. Even with the loss, the guys and Jerry York still deserve our thanks for another very good season.

Isn't it supposed to be Spring?

It is only fitting that following a winter that no one in Boston will forget, the first Boston College "open scrimmage" was filled with snow. The team started things early just to avoid the worst part of the scheduled storm. With the bubble down, the forecast becomes a much more important part of the planning process.

According to Adam Kurkjian, all three QBs looked green. But how much of that was jitters, the conditions or just young QBs getting the kinks out?

Based on some of the pictures, it seems like the weather kept most of the fans away from the new event.

Football Spring Scrimmage pic.twitter.com/TyWeoxybJ8
— WZBC Sports (@WZBCSPORTS) March 28, 2015

You cannot read too much into any of this. Even just measuring the Marketing aspect, I don't know if you can really compare this to a traditional Spring Game, since the schedule got tweaked and the weather was so bad. Let's hope it helped recruiting. I don't know if this will make Bates rethink future Spring Games, but it did help Addazio's argument for an indoor practice facility.

Tweets of the Week

Coughlin has an iPhone but only knows how to text. "I don't trust the lady in GPS. Don't trust her."

— Kevin Clark (@KevinClarkWSJ) March 25, 2015

Gottfried with a stump for the ACC, too: "No disrespect to Villanova, they're obviously very, very good ... "

— Joe Giglio (@jwgiglio) March 22, 2015

Gottfried cont.: "... but I'm not sure they're winning our league."

— Joe Giglio (@jwgiglio) March 22, 2015

Uh-oh. RT @BostonCollegeIT: Rumors swirling as to who will replace Zayn Malik. pic.twitter.com/vGuGQgQbTR

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) March 26, 2015

@french60wasp Oh god no. Not another Steve Addazio.

— Matt Barr (@MattyLight11) March 24, 2015

No confusion: Blackmon on board

Do you remember the confusion regarding Ronnie Blackmon's verbal last month? At the time, some sites said he was coming to BC, while others said it was premature. Now things are clear: Blackmon is committed. In addition to Scout's news, 247 says he a BC lock too.

Ronnie's own Tweet also shows him in Boston.

Atlanta⏩⏩Boston pic.twitter.com/3x2QdSZLcW
— Ronnie Blackmon (@smooth_ronnie4) March 26, 2015

Like all of our early verbals, Blackmon will hear from plenty of other programs, but I think BC can keep him locked in.

BC is one of many after Jaren Sina

One of the most sought after basketball transfers of this recruiting cycle is Jaren Sina. The former Setor Hall combo guard visited Binghamton, but plenty of big schools have shown interest. Reports differ on who the true favorite is, but BC is consistently mentioned. Sina is not a critical piece for BC -- especially if Hanlan returns -- but he would be a "nice to have." He can add depth and some scoring. It would also be another positive sign that Christian put together a good recruiting staff.

Morias commits

BC picked up another verbal commitment Tuesday. The newest member of the 2016 recruiting class is Bryce Morias. The Georgia DE recently visited and based on his twitter account really seemed to buy into Addazio's program.

Once again Al Washington deserves much of the credit for turning Georgia into an important recruiting territory. Morias has offers from UNC and Tennessee and I am sure other big programs will try to poach him. But I trust Washington and Addazio to keep him on board.

Barlow commits and other links

New York DE Brandon Barlow verballed to Addazio Monday. He's been at BC's camp, so the staff should know what they are getting in him.

Another reminder that baseball needs a permanent home and a better surface for dealing with wetness and rain: our series with Duke will be played in Delaware.

BC basketball target Mike Edwards is now getting attention from Michigan.

According to an ESPN study using wins and salary, Addazio is one of the better bargains in college football.

Former Eagle Tony Sanchez hopes to make the most of this season with the Pirates. Although it looked like he might start the season in Triple A, injuries to other catchers and a strong spring could help him start in the majors this year.

Addazio takes Indoor Practice Facility push to Media

The Globe and BC's own web site both had write ups on Saturday's scrimmage. Both had quotes from Addazio. BC's piece had more quotes from the coach, but left out an important one that the Globe included: "We need a permanent indoor facility." 

Addazio's push for an permanent indoor practice facility is not new to those who have heard him speak lately. He tends to work it into his speeches at booster and alumni functions. Taking it to the media though changes the objective. Now the pitch goes from receptive ears to a broader community who can interpret it a few different ways. In general, I think BC fans (the passionate and the casual) will support the facility. It is just part of the arms race of college football. And the facilities are no longer just at football factories. Private schools across the ACC have them or are building them. Good facilities can make a difference with quality recruits. But Addazio's quote will also be fuel for those who don't want it (locals who object to any BC construction) and those we recruit against.

I don't think Addazio talked about the facility to put pressure on Brad Bates or start building excuses for himself. It is still early in his tenure, but I don't think he is that manipulative. But taking the message to a wider audience is a power play. Addazio is very friendly with Vega. If he didn't want the quote out there, it would have been removed. Now, Addazio is letting the BC broader BC community know that if we want to compete we need to raise the money and build this facility.

Hockey opens Tourney against Denver

The NCAA rolled out the selections and seeding for the NCAA Tournament Sunday. BC will face Denver in the first round. The game is Saturday at 3 pm ET on ESPN 2. If they advance, they will face the winner of Miami of Ohio and Providence on Sunday. Congrats and let's go win this.

Hockey should get into the NCAA Tourney

Without their usual automatic bid, BC is going to have to wait out the last few games. The BCI crew broke down the scenarios and are very confident that BC will get invited. All that matters is getting hot at the right time. That has been a problem this season, but I still believe that York can get these guys going.

[Eds. Note: Joe corrected me on the selection process. It is pretty cut and dry on ranking. Once again as with hockey and other things, I am an idiot.]

BC starts Scholarship Fund for Marathon Couple

There were many inspirational stories that came out of the Boston Marathon Bombing, but one that captured the hearts and attention of the BC community was that of Patrick Downes '05 and his wife Jessica Kensky. Now the Boston College Class of 2005 has started a scholarship to honor both and is raising money in conjunction with BC. The class hopes to fully endow the scholarship and direct it towards students who have overcome adversity. If you are interested in pledging, learn more on the Boston College Strong Scholarship page.

Women's Hockey loses in Frozen Four

The best season in BC Women's Hockey is over...without a championship. Rough night.

That’s all folks. BC’s record-breaking season ends with a 2-1 loss to Harvard in the Frozen Four semifinals. pic.twitter.com/xcC47pZM0H
— Tom DeVoto (@DeVotoHeights) March 21, 2015

Tweets of the Week

Hey @SportsCenter, the Eagles might not have won, but we still feel Thatcher Demko's save is #SCTop10 worthy! https://t.co/omH7eR8E63

— BC Hockey (@BCHockeyNews) March 16, 2015

Mark Herzlich has gone back to his old Boston College jersey number, No. 94. That number got freed up with the release of Mathias Kiwanuka.

— Giants 101 (@Giants_101) March 18, 2015

Can BC just replace the Spring Game with "Beer and Ribs with Steve Addazio Night"? I'd attend the hell out of that

— A.J. Black (@BCHysteria) March 16, 2015

Book worlds collide. #Bapst #Burns pic.twitter.com/tDdI17ZWeB

— Boston College (@BostonCollege) March 19, 2015

Recruiting Roundup

BC continues to add targets for their 2016 class. Addazio and staff offer Michigan QB Josh Jackson. Jackson is picking up more offers but is planning a BC visit. It is still very early though for QBs and Addazio usually offers a couple. If Jackson follows through with his on campus visit, we will have a better idea of how serious he is about BC.

BC offered another Michigan prospect -- OL Michael Jordan -- but he seems focused on Big Ten powers.

BC continues to pursue California WR Anselem Umeh. No other schools have offered, but he does have interest from Pac 12 schools. BC is making other offers in California too.

Pro Day speaks to past recruiting and current development

24 NFL teams sent representatives to BC's annual Pro Day. Considering we lack any true first day draft picks, that sort of turnout is impressive. Of the potential draftees, Andy Gallik probably generated the most attention, but there weren't 24 teams there to see just him. This Pro Day was about the diamonds in the rough that helped lead the resurrection of BC football under Addazio.

The lack of elite NFL talent mostly falls back to Spaz's recruiting. Most of the guys that worked out today developed under Addazio. Outside of Gallik I would think that Asprilla, Betanourt, Keyes, Mihalik, Phillips, Silberman, Vardaro, and White all have a chance to be late round picks or undrafted free agents. None of those guys were dominant players while at BC, but I think Addazio and Co. have done good job the past two years of developing players. I think NFL teams respect what he's done and his assessments of his own players. One of those 24 teams is going to find a contributor from today.

The most interesting case will be Tyler Murphy. He threw as a QB (see the video below) but I have a hard time believing any team will give him a real shot there. He just didn't show enough as a passer for a team to use a draft pick on him. But he also showed he is a great athlete and great open field runner. I think he could be a very good NFL WR or even a 3rd RB.

@bceaglesfootball QB Tyler Murphy shows off his arm at #BCProDay

A video posted by Boston College Athletics (@bcathletics) on Mar 18, 2015 at 2:53pm PDT

BC explains its protest vote

The New York Times featured BC and Brad Bates in Monday's article on paying college athletes. As most inferred, Bates and Father Leahy knew the initiative would pass and felt they needed to send a message with their vote. I am all for being a contrarian, but I have a problem with how BC is playing this.

College athletics is headed down a path where things are going to become more professional and more commercial. It is only fair and probably in the best interest of the athletes. BC's leadership is smart. We know they see the big picture, hence the "We clearly wanted people to pause." Who does the "pausing" benefit? The current power brokers (i.e. schools, coaches, admins). It doesn't really benefit the athletes. The oncoming changes are disruptive but inevitable and trying to stop the inevitable is wasted energy.

Instead of trying to maintain the status quo even through protest votes, BC's leadership should decide where they want to be in the new world. It is not an easy decision, but coming up with real answers is more brave and shows more leadership than an "I told you so" vote among college administrators.

Why the Spring Game will always be a problem

BC cancelled their annual Spring Game. While they buried it in the announcement of their open scrimmage, the traditional Jay McGillis Spring Game will not take place in 2015. This is the second time in three years the game has been called off (the 2013 game was cancelled in the wake of Marathon bombing). At this point I don't know if it ever will or should held again.

Ideally the Spring Game is a capstone to spring practices and a fun day for fans and recruits. For a variety of reasons the BC Spring Game never draws a crowd and never generates much excitement with recruits. For a school like BC it makes sense to have a smaller, more intimate event -- like the open practice -- that allows Addazio to show off his team to the constitutes that matter and not explain away an empty stadium.

As much as I want the Spring Game to become a real event, I don't know if it ever can at BC. We have a few inherent challenges that will always create problems.

-- The University Schedule
BC has an early Spring Break and an extended long weekend at Easter. On some years Easter is quickly followed by Patriots' Day. Those breaks disrupt the flow of practices. Programs are only allowed a certain number of practices. With two long breaks annually (and a third thrown in most years), coaches have to decide to start practice early or late. If you start early the Spring Game is cold. If you start late, you get better weather for the Spring Game but kill practice momentum due to breaks at Easter and Patriots' Day.

-- The Weather
We've had some nice spring game days in the past few years, but the weather remains a crap shoot. BC can never really plan on a great spring day and the fans are always going to wait to see the weather before they turn out in droves.

-- The roster limitations
We are always going to lack an army of walk-ons who fill out spring games across the country. Throw in the inevitable injuries and each spring BC doesn't have enough players to field two 'teams'. That leads to convoluted offense vs defense formats that the fans cannot really understand.

BC is not the first school to cancel their Spring Game. I don't know if this will be permanent. If no one misses it and recruits like the new concept, then I have no problem trading out the Spring Game for an annual open practice. Sometimes new traditions are better than old ones.

BC-centric takeaways from Tourney Teams

While we dream of even being near a bubble, there are still plenty of BC-related storylines and takeaways from the NCAA Tournament teams. Hindsight on these things is always 20/20, but overall I still believe BC's future is bright.

Coen and Cooley

Both of Al Skinner's former assistants made the Tournament. As much as I love Al and wish we had hired one of his proteges, I understand why we passed on both guys twice. Steve Donahue turned out to be the wrong coach, but he wasn't the wrong hire. I didn't love the Christian hire last year, but Coen's uneven track record at Northeastern didn't help his candidacy. Cooley's resume was arguably better than Christian's but I can rationalize Christian over Cooley. In the end, I am happy for both and don't think there success speaks to BC's mistakes. BC might not be better off right now, but I don't think there is anything either are doing at their current school that Christian cannot do at BC.

Notre Dame

The Irish just won the ACC Tournament and secured a 3 seed with a Massachusetts-heavy roster. As frustrating as that might be to BC fans, it gives me hope. There is more than enough local talent for us to compete in the ACC. We just need to identify the right kids and get them to commit. We haven't recruited well locally since the JOB days. Despite ruffling a few feathers, I think Christian will change that. 

The Big East vs the ACC

The smaller, refocused Big East earned six selections from a ten-team conference. The mighty ACC also got six. As the teams were announced, I was convinced that Mike Tranghese was still on the committee. But it seems it was just a good year for the old basketball schools. Good for them. As much as they screwed up the conference, I never begrudged their demands. It was the UConns and West Virginias of the world that always upset me. In most years the ACC will lead the nation and our former home when it comes to tournament teams.

Power 5 prevailed
When it came to the bubble, the committee went with bigger schools and traditional powers over the mid majors. That's great news for BC. One season doesn't always set a precedent, but it is good for BC that the benefit of the doubt seems to be shifting to the Power 5 teams.

UVM upset Hockey and other links

BC's out of the Hockey East Tournament. UVM upset BC Sunday with a 1-0 win at Conte. Losing the Hockey East Tourney puts BC on the bubble, but the experts still think we're in.

Louisville completed their sweep of baseball on Sunday.

People are already profiling BC's pro prospects. This one took a look at Mihalik. BC's Pro Day is this Wednesday.

Women's Hockey to Frozen Four and other links

The Women's Ice Hockey team is one step closer to their championship. They advanced to the Frozen Four with a 5-1 win over Clarkson.

Unfortunately the news for the Men's team wasn't as good. After losing Saturday, they will need Game 3 on Sunday to advance in the Hockey East Tournament.

Eric Hoffses wrote a good recap of the first spring scrimmage.

Lacrosse crushed UConn.

The baseball team lost both ends of a double header with Louisville.

Ohio recruit Luke Farrell is scheduled to visit BC.

Hockey wins Game 1!

BC started the Hockey East Tournament the right way: with a win! They held on to beat Vermont 4-2. Game 2 is Saturday night.

Game one in the books….EAGLES WIN! See you tomorrow night for game two at Kelley Rink #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/yZR1snKpIp
— BC Hockey (@BCHockeyNews) March 14, 2015

Tweets of the Week

BC's Bobby Swigert poised for remarkable comeback http://t.co/NsoXoHmgGI

— ESPN ACC (@ESPN_ACC) March 12, 2015

4 ACC wins in a row! Ties longest Eagles ACC winning streak in past 5 years #WeAreBC

— Preston Murphy (@coach_pmurph) March 11, 2015

Not cool pic.twitter.com/5Ly49fNIvM

— Otto The Orange (@OttotheOrange) March 6, 2015

At Boston College our athletes are very well rounded! pic.twitter.com/x9cFxZDvH4

— Ben Albert (@coachbenalbert) March 10, 2015

Guessing the dollars of BC's Under Armour extension

BC and Under Armour extended their partnership another 10 years. This is good news for BC. Despite some early gripes in the first year with regards to feet problems with the shoes, overall I think both sides have been happy. Under Armour is still only supplying eight Power 5 schools, so BC still gets the attention we deserve. It still also adds a little coolness to recruits and fans. But as much as the marketing and recruiting is important, what really matters is the money.

Unfortunately for BC, it doesn't seem like our other potential partners in Adidas and Nike were writing blank checks for apparel deals. Under Armour just signed Notre Dame to the largest deal in college sports. It is estimated that the Irish got $100 million for 10 years. Nike even let Miami leave for Adidas for an estimated $4.5 million. If Under Armour didn't break the bank to sign Miami -- a traditionally a higher profile school than BC -- I don't think they were breaking the bank for BC's extension. The most lucrative UA deal right now is with Auburn and that is only a little over $4 million annually. Texas Tech renewed their UA deal recently and terms are not yet public. My guess is that because we renewed and agreed to a long deal, BC is probably getting around $3.5 and have some kickers if we raise our profile in the next ten years with some sort of basketball or football championship.

Now that the deal is done, I hope BC and Under Armour agree to some new looks and guidelines for the uniform. My preference remains a traditional, consistent conservative look for the majority of our games. I don't like tweaks year to year and especially tweaks during the season. Then in the one or two "marketing" games BC can go crazy. Try Super Fan yellow! Go with a winged helmet! I would even accept a full stain glass helmet for one game. Do throw backs from different eras.

BC's revenue from apparel is never going to be among the highest in college football. At this point that doesn't really matter. What matters is getting fair money with upside and having a partner who is focused on BC. This UA renewal does that.

BC runs out of steam against UNC

It was a nice little run there. BC rattled off four straight conference wins amidst Olivier Hanlan's scoring binge. But it wasn't going to last forever...and didn't as UNC controlled most of the game in BC's 81-63 loss. Back-to-back games are tough for deep team. For thin squads like BC, they are brutal. BC didn't get any points from their bench until the game was well out of hand late in the second half.

With the loss, the season is over. BC finished 13-19, 4-14 ACC and 1-1 in the ACC Tournament. That's disappointing to me based on my preseason expectations, but I am encouraged enough with what I saw to think Christian might be a decent coach. I will have more recaps on the season in the coming weeks.

With specifics to this game, here are a few thoughts:

-- Who is the real Dennis Clifford? For two years we kept hearing that a healthy Dennis Clifford would have been a difference maker. With the player we saw as a freshman, that made sense. He was a legit 7-footer with some good offensive skills. Now I don't know what we have. He showed flashes this season and worked hard on D, but I don't know what he can be. He just got man handled the past two days on the boards. Many times by smaller men. The rebounding was better against UNC, but still not enough.
-- Terrible refs. It wasn't the reason we lost the game, but the ticky tack fouls on Heckmann didn't help. You would hope that there was some consistency in a tournament like this. But things were all over the place.
-- Hanlan starts cold. He got his his points and played well enough, but his shots weren't falling early. That contributed to the halftime deficit.

The ACC Tournament doesn't really mean much when you are 12 seed. But I have hope. I have hope that things will matter soon.

No rebounds; No Problems!

When BC fell behind six with a minute and a half left, I thought this run was over. But Hanlan made a clutch pullup to give BC the 66-65 win. It was a clutch comeback and keeps BC alive in the ACC Tournament. It wasn't a good performance, but style points don't matter. All BC needs to do is regroup and play better against UNC on Wednesday. Here are some other thoughts:

-- Missing Magarity. Magarity is not a Swedish Dennis Rodman, but another big man would have helped. GT's bruisers controlled the boards and the game. I don't know why Christian didn't have the guards help more. When he finally did, Batten made some good stops.

-- Need more from Brown. As much as "good" Heckmann makes a difference, a "bad" Brown can undermine it all. He was totally out of it. Not only were his shots off, but he dribbled wildly into traffic too often. Hopefully he shakes it off.

-- Big plays from our best player. He had a big second half. He made shots down the stretch and he made our final basket. This might be the end of his BC career, but at least he is going out playing his best basketball.

Now we get to do it all again! This wasn't the start I hoped for, but I still like the UNC matchup. Let's roll. 

In-game comments post: ACC Tournament

This could be the start of something or BC's last game during a transition season. I am hoping (and believing) that we make a strong statement and start a mini-run. Leave your thoughts and comments below.

You can also follow me on Twitter.

TOB: the power broker?

Multiple reports are saying the College Football Playoff committee reached out to Tom O'Brien about joining the committee. The potential opening is still a few seasons off, so it will give TOB plenty of time to plan. I don't like the idea of BC's fate in the hands of a committee, but it would not be a bad thing to have TOB around. He understands BC's challenges better than most. Even if he had to recuse himself during any BC talk, his casual influence would help.

Now let's get the TOB day at Alumni going to so we can start buttering up the committee just in time for our championship run.

Can BC make a run in the ACC Tourney?

Let's get the obvious out of the way: 12 seeds don't win Conference Tournaments. There is too much to overcome and they usually are ranked 12th for a reason. BC's not going to win the ACC Tournament, but...I still believe we can create some problems for the unlucky teams we face.

Winning the first game is key and BC is actually favored against Georgia Tech. We beat the Jackets in a close game earlier this year, so there is no reason to think we won't this time. We've improved and they've gotten worse. They will also be without Marcus Georges-Hunt and Chris Bolden. Their coach Brian Gregory is clearly on the Hot Seat. I don't expect them to come out fired up. I think BC controls from the tip.

After that we would take on North Carolina. Even with their recent struggles, the Tar Heels would be favored in the game. But I think BC could pull off an upset. The teams have similar issues (interior) so it could come down to our guards vs theirs. If Hanlan gets hot and the other guys play halfway decent...it could happen.

The winner of UNC-BC would play Louisville. This is where the double-byes start to impact the tournament. Playing a fresh team would be a major disadvantage. However, the Cards are without Chris Jones, who had 28 in our first game. Is that enough to swing things?

BC has nothing to lose. There is no NIT bid on the line and certainly no NCAA Tournament spot. This is really about playing well, showing pride and building something long-term. We can do it. Who's with me?

Hanlan makes 1st team ACC and other links

The ACC named Olivier Hanlan to their 1st team All Conference. Despite his strong showing, he only received one vote for the Player of the Year award.

The Women's Hockey team dropped the Hockey East Championship to BU. Aside from losing, the game wasn't that big of a setback. They are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and take on Clarkson in the opener.

Florida State swept the baseball team over the weekend. BC had its chances. They blew a save Saturday night. Let's hope they rally for next week's series with Louisville.

Men's Hockey picked up a big commitment from goalie prospect Joseph Woll.

Women's Lacrosse beat Notre Dame 16-5. Next up: Louisville.

Steve Donahue is the leading candidate for the opening at Penn.

Eagles keep rolling

After the last win, I joked on Twitter about BC running the table. Now it feels a little more possible. The team played really well against Wake for their third straight win. Even if we don't make a big run in the ACC, this has been an encouraging end to the season. It seemed like the team checked out on Christian a few weeks ago. But they clearly responded. Here are some other thoughts:

-- 'Good' Heckmann. Christian is on record saying that when Heckmann plays well, BC plays well. Saturday he played well enough. There were still too many turnovers, but he shot well and played better defense.

-- Batten's D. As much as Hanlan's scoring and a softer schedule contributed to this run, it was also due to improved defense. Batten keys that D. He's our most intense defender and is very good as slowing the other team's sets.

-- Clifford contributing without scoring. He was cold shooting, but he was still important to the win...especially his rebounding.

Hanlan's game was good, but probably not good enough to earn Player of the Year votes. But who cares about awards now? We have the Conference to win. Let's keep it rolling Tuesday!

Brad Bates Town Hall comments post

Brad Bates is holding another Town Hall at noon today. If you attend and want to share your opinions and thoughts on the event, please leave a post them in the comments section.

Tweets of the Week

#SOAR RT @Bucks: After the game last night, @JaredDudley619 met with a group of @BostonCollege Alumns pic.twitter.com/4NoDp0xOtF

— Mike Gib (@HoyaEagle) March 5, 2015

Thinking of @PeteFrates3 and his family as @BCBirdBall takes on the @RedSox. It will be special to see all wearing #3 on 3/3. – Rob Manfred

— MLB (@MLB) March 3, 2015

@dabrams24 Some old school reading for the plane ride back to beantown #bigeast #Bceagles pic.twitter.com/eM2jLTqIbq

— Big East Hoops 24/7 (@BigEastTourney) March 3, 2015

We are officially the best worst team in the country.

— The Resurrection (@BookofBC) February 28, 2015

Mark Gottfried on Olivier Hanlan: He's as good as any guard in the country, period. He's terrific. He should be in the ACC POY discussion.

— Pack Pride (@PackPride) February 28, 2015

Can Hanlan with ACC Player of the Year?

With the regular season coming to an end, there is serious talk about Olivier Hanlan winning the ACC Player of the Year award. BC is even pushing the cause. The stats are there: he leads the conference in scoring and in minutes and is in the Top 10 in numerous other categories. The only real obstacle to getting votes is BC's current record. Since 1954, only one players from a losing team has won the award.

The lone winner from a losing team -- Virginia Tech's Erick Green in 2013 -- was sort of a fluke. He split the award with Miami's Shane Larkin. The split also came in part because for the first time the coaches and media voted differently.

There are plenty of bigger names competing with Hanlan for the prize. I think it will really come down to how everyone finishes. If Hanlan puts up huge numbers in a BC win over Wake, his heroics will be fresh in voters' mind.

We can't go back and make this season more fun, but seeing our best player get the conference's biggest award would be a nice high note.

Signs the players are buying in

Coaches spend countless hours texting and calling, and schools build shiny new facilities all in an effort to impress new recruits. But the most underrated tool in recruiting remains current players. They host potential recruits and they create the team culture.

When things turned bad under Spaz, the players were the canaries in the coal mine. You could see their comments on social media and read between the lines on recruiting stories. If the current players are not buying in, it is that much harder for recruits to buy into a coach or potential program. I think the current players believe in BC and in Addazio. The most recent example is Jonathan Hilliman's tweet about potential transfer Matt Hegarty.

I have no idea if Hilliman has any prior relationship with Hegarty. The former Notre Dame player is from New Mexico, so there is no obvious connection. I don't know if Hegarty is interested in BC or if the staff wants him, but it is a great sign that our current players want him. If they are this excited about a transfer, imagine what they are saying to the high school kids that come to campus.

Hilliman is only one guy, but he's one of our best young players. Let's hope other players believe in BC like he does and want great recruits and transfers to join the team.

BC lose to Sox in Frates game

No one expected BC to beat the Red Sox Tuesday. We never do. So the close game was a bit of a moral victory. The focus of the day and game was really on former Eagle Pete Frates. Both teams honored him by wearing his number and there were special videos played prior to the game. BC starts playing games that count again this Friday.

The Red Sox also beat Northeastern earlier in the day.

Red Sox Frates jerseys

The annual game against the Red Sox is a nice tradition. It helps promote BC Baseball and keeps ties between the two organizations. The Red Sox honoring Frates like this make the relationship that much more special.

Jerseys for our game against Boston College. In honor of Pete Frates and the fight against ALS. pic.twitter.com/irRXUMeCEt
— Tom McLaughlin (@TMacBrighton) March 3, 2015

Eagles on a roll

BC won again. Back-to-back! I almost forgot that was even possible! BC's first half was better, but overall they did enough down the stretch to beat Virginia Tech 66-59. Other than escaping the bottom of the ACC standings, the other big takeaway was that BC didn't need a great game from Hanlan. After a strong first half, Olivier cooled off, yet BC still controlled. Some other thoughts:

-- Batten! His 18 led BC scorers. I loved the way he drove to the basket. Even with missing a dunk he finished 7 for 9 from the floor. His slashing kept VT honest and opened other things on the floor.
-- Good D again. Virginia Tech is bad, but BC's defense made them look worse. 4 blocks and controlling the boards limited shots. The movement on D was smooth too (until the final minute...because BC has to give their fans ulcers).
-- Winning without a bench. In many losses, Christian blamed the bench. In this game he only went eight deep and only got five points from the bench, but it didn't matter. All the starters played well.

The team is coming together. It is a little late to matter, but that shouldn't stop them. Maybe we can make a small run in the ACC Tourney.

What should expectations be for BC Baseball?

Sorry for the misleading headline. I want to use this post to address BC Baseball this season. The long-term future of BC Baseball is a different and more complicated topic. However, after winning three straight in the Snowbird Classic, Baseball improved to 5-6. They play their exhibition against the Red Sox Tuesday and then start ACC play against Florida State this weekend. Putting aside the predictable sweep by LSU, this season is off to a promising start. But a season is not built on a few out of conference wins. The team needs to compete in ACC play. Which brings me back to the question: what should expectations be for BC Baseball this season?

At this point in Gambino's tenure, I think the team has to finish close to .500 in ACC play and win enough of the remaining out of conference games left on the schedule to finish above .500 overall. This is his 5th season. He's been around long enough to refresh the full roster once. We improved his staff in the offseason. Yes, there is still no new field, but that is an issue out of his control.

Perhaps I am setting the bar too high. What are you thoughts?

Hockey is a 3 seed and other links

After things shook out over the weekend -- including BC's split with Notre Dame -- Men's Hockey fell to the 3 seed in the Hockey East Tournament. That is still enough to give them a bye into the Quarterfinals.

The Women's Hockey team crushed Providence in the opener of their Hockey East Tournament.

Baseball improved to 4-6 with their win over Kansas.

Women's Lacrosse upset Syracuse, ending a 0-13 streak against the Orange.

Women's Basketball beat Virginia Tech on some last second free throws.

Johnny Gaudreau is excited about the chance to play in front of his hometown crowd.