BC wastes crazy comeback in loss to VT

As excited as I was by BC forcing ovetime with seven foul shots, I still feel frustrated by the loss to VT. BC exchanged baskets with the Hokies in OT, but then fell into bad habits (allowing open 3s and forcing bad shots) that led to the VT win. 

Robinson put up 32 and had some incredible stretches. But he also had seven TOs. Bowman finished with 22 and missed a lot of 3s. Chatman had an off night.

Even with the OT, Christian didn't use much of the bench. Reyes actually made a decent stop and moved well, but remains a problem on the offensive end. 

The team has now lost three in a row and needs a win Sunday against VT. 

Controversy turns to "Fighting Irish" nickname and mascot

Notre Dame's Fighting Irish nickname is now under fire from a few prominent Sports TV personalities. This was predictable as the silly leprechaun has always been a straw man during debates about sports nicknames. As someone who is of Irish decent and a Notre Dame hater, I can't claim that I've ever been offended by either the name or cartoon. I don't see it as offensive and not even in the same ballpark as controversial names or mascots within the rest of the sports world. 

I have met a few BC fans over the years who dislike Notre Dame's use of "Irish" but not for the reasons you would think. They claim we are the true "Irish" school given our history and population. I've never taken that argument seriously either. 

As with the debate about Crusaders at Holy Cross, I think it all comes down to common sense. If either school was picking a nickname now in 2018, would they dare pick anything with any negative connotation? Of course not. But that modern sensitivity doesn't mean they should drop ties to their history. I don't even think this compares to the Yawkey controversy from the fall, since Yawkey was an actual person with clear positions that were controversial in his time.

Usually I would enjoy Notre Dame twisting in the wind, but I can't even appreciate the schadenfreude of the moment. This debate is a waste of time and energy and a distraction from the real issues facing colleges, sports and certainly our country. If you are truly offended by the name or the mascot, I can't say I share your pain or even understand it. 

[Full Disclosure: my kids attend a school named Notre Dame and the sports team are the "Irish." However, there is no use of the tough guy leprechaun and the school doesn't use "fighting" in any official communications or branding.]

Should BC copy USF's scheduling model?

BC's Football schedule seems pretty close to ideal. In most years, BC plays a DIAA team, a Group 5 team, a potential challenge game and maybe one elite game. As much as the DIAA game might seem like filler or not worth the typical price. it is not a popular practice. USF's AD dislikes them so much that he is not going to schedule DIAA any more. Maybe BC should consider the same thing?

The DIAA game is basically a scrimmage for BC. Since we restarted playing these teams in the early 2000s, BC hasn't lost. Nor have any of the games been close. It is not fair that BC charges the same price for those games as we do for others. BC does not learn all that much and the W does not provide much respect nor something to sell. 

BC is locked in to our current schedule for a few years. I don't think the average BC fan cares about any DIAA team, but it will be nice to play Holy Cross again. Since I doubt BC will ever be as bold as USF, I think the most we can hope for are DIAA teams that have a history with our program.

Women's Basketball drops another game

The Women's Basketball team got blown out at home by Syracuse this weekend. With the loss they fell to 1-7 in ACC play. Cuse is a fine team but not some dominant power right now. Yet BC can't hang with these teams very long.

I know the casual BC fan barely cares. I can't pretend that I live and die with the team, but we shouldn't be this bad. Like hockey, this is a sport where we can and should be a consistent winner. We will see how much Jarmond cares when the season is over.

Katie Burt breaks NCAA record

The BC Women beat Providence again, but that wasn't the big story. It was Katie Burt. The win was her 115th and broke the NCAA wins record. After her shutout Friday, she is 4th on the NCAA all-time shutout list.

BC is now 17-1-3 in Hockey East play and locked up its 5th league title.

Yiadom's big week

If you are looking to make a name for yourself, the Senior Bowl is a good place to start. Because of the access and proximity to NFL coaches, you can show them how coachable you are and how you fare against the best players in college. As the press reports on this year's standouts, one name keeps coming up: Isaac Yiadom. He exceeded expectations and looks like he is shooting up Draft boards. Here are some of the things people are saying and writing.

I've talked about him before, but BC corner Isaac Yiadom is looking really good at Sr Bowl. Good press, stays on top, clean contact IMO, looks for the ball. pic.twitter.com/oz6CfmMQE4

— Jared Stanger (@JaredStanger) January 25, 2018

Just watched film of yesterday’s senior bowl practices.....proud to report that BC CB issac yiadom had an OUTSTANDING day...finish strong young man !!

— Mike Mayock (@MikeMayock) January 25, 2018

This article focused on his ability to adjust to the ball when it is in the air.

Seattle needs to replenish their defensive backfield and Yiadom fits their mold.

This Falcons' writer thought Yiadom was one the players who improved his draft status the most.

Addressing the coaching rumors

Now that head coaches are set, the staff's version of musical chairs begins. BC is in the mix.

More on Paul Pasqualoni: His name was buzzing in Mobile, based on his past relationship with Matt Patricia. They haven’t spoken yet, but are expected to — about a senior position on the staff — when the #Lions officially hire Patricia.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 25, 2018

Patricia was a grad assistant at Syracuse, so they do have a previous relationship. But as I said on Twitter, I don't see it happening. Pasqualoni left the NFL to come to BC for very specific reasons. Part of it was Addazio, part of it was to be in the college game and part was to be near his family in Connecticut (they have not moved after UConn). I also know the family planned for his current high school senior son to attend BC and be involved in the football team. Is he willing to give that up to go help Patricia in Detroit? Maybe. It would be more money. But the guy is nearing 70. I don't know if money is the main drive to keep doing this. I would be surprised if he passes up the connection with his son. But I don't know the guy personally.

The other rumor is Minnesota making a run at Anthony Campanile. This is another one that would surprise me. Depending on the position Minnesota offers, it might be more money. But I think it would be harder to recruit New Jersey kids to Minnesota than it is to BC. Perhaps the gossip gets him a raise to stay in Boston.

BC looks bad against Syracuse

Before the game, BC fans were talking about this being an important road win for the resume. After the loss, BC fans (or maybe just me) were wondering if we've really progressed at all. The D was terrible. The roster looked real limited when injuries and foul trouble hit. Heck even blast from the past Ervins Meznieks got some minutes. Once he missed a wide open layup, you quickly remembered why he has been buried on the bench.

We can't play 40 minutes of basketball. It is often that simple. As dynamic as some of our players are and as clever as Christian might be drawing up a play or two, we have way too many defensive issues. We have a point guard who turns the ball over a ton. It's frustrating.

Now it is about regrouping. The team is off for a week. They can rest and get better. Because if this ACC schedule falls apart, then you have to question if the early success was just a fluke.

Hockey wins and other links

Hockey beat UMass in a rare Tuesday game.

This recruit claims a BC offer. I don't think BC will honor the commitment given that they kid was just arrested for crack cocaine.

Former BC assistant Dana Bible is joining Chip Kelly's team at UCLA.

Fueling Station is nice, now be leader in athlete compensation

Martin Jarmond opened BC's new athlete "Fueling Station" Monday in Conte. Think of it as sort of a snack bar for athletes that works with their hours and provides more appropriate options than BC's more traditional dining halls. This was one of the things Jarmond noticed BC was lacking when he first came on board. It is all part of the College Athletics arm's race and most of our competitors have some sort of equivalent service. Good for Jarmond on getting this done. But I think like much of the spending spree in college athletics, it misses the point.

What is the Fueling Station other than a form of special compensation for athletes? It is designed for them. It mirrors the type of service and dietary programs used by professional athletes around the world. Our athletes need this support because they are basically professionals too. They compete at a high level. They put in thousands of hours annually. They generate revenue. Yet they don't really see direct compensation for their labors. I know the price of a BC tuition, but how can we continue to make that argument when the salaries of all the administrators and coaches around these athletes keeps skyrocketing? Giving a kid a smoothie after practice is a nice idea. But how about a steady salary or even a signing bonus?

As the college basketball scandal recently confirmed, there is a huge, unfair and unregulated black market for players' services (at least in the major sports). Something needs to be done to bring it out in the open and let the players find their true value. The Alabamas of college sports are not going to do it. They have too much to lose. However, a place like BC could. We have a seat at the table as part of the Power 5, but don't really benefit from the current underground system. I wish Jarmond would use his new position to lead some sort of change. It would be a more meaningful and lasting contribution to all of college sports.

Familiar second half struggles in loss to Louisville

There were times in the first half when I felt that BC might pull away from Louisville. The Cards had a long scoreless streak and Robinson was looking great any time he drove to the basket. But Louisville kept it close and took a slight lead at Half. Then they pulled away in the second half as BC could not answer enough Cards' baskets. BC made a run late, but it wasn't enough as they lost to Louisville 77-69.

As I mentioned above, Robinson looked great. Bowman and Chatman were not as great. They got their points but made plenty of mistakes (especially Bowman's painful turnovers). Kraljevic put in some decent time off the bench. Baker got some minutes when Robinson got dinged up and was ok. I don't expect -- or think -- Christian to expand his rotation dramatically, but some of the young guys do deserve the occasional chance to show what they can or cannot do.

The team is back at it again on Wednesday against Syracuse.

Dayne joins 2018 recruiting class

When Addazio spoke to the media for the Early Signing Period. he made no mention of if BC would continue recruiting until the final National Signing Day in February. Now it looks like they are. Wisconsin Running Back Javian Dayne committed Saturday.

Dayne is the son of former Heisman winner Ron Dayne. The recruiting sites don't think much of him as he is only a two star. It is also surprising that he was basically ignored by the Big Ten given who his father is and that his team won the state championship. I see no downside into giving him a shot. Good luck to Javian. I hope there are a few more surprises before Signing Day.

When Twitter shows a kid is not being recruited well

It is offer season, so it is time for me to address one of my hot buttons again...

At the Early Signing Day press conference, Addazio mentioned that for a school like BC, constant contact and relationship building is key to recruiting. This makes sense. BC is not a typical Power 5 school, nor does it have an Admission's Office that will rubber stamp every coach's decision. In theory, our coaches do a little more homework on a prospect than they would at another program and this extra work pays off when fewer kids flip on their commitment. But what's clear from Twitter is that Addazio and Co. clearly still throw a lot of offers out to prospects even if the kids are never seriously considering BC. The biggest tip off is when the recruit thanks "Boston College University" in his remarks.

Not knowing the school's official name is a sign the kid (and presumably his parents and high school coaches) are not thinking about BC, haven't done any research on BC and are not familiar with BC.

Very blessed to receive a offer from Boston college university pic.twitter.com/CJZDG2oF5g

— Rian "Trouble" Davis (@Trouble_R4) January 19, 2018

I know there are some BC fans who laugh at prospects who do this. I don't. I shake my head at the assistant coach assigned to recruiting this kid. Clearly this was a bit of a shot in the dark. He just got offers from Louisville and Miami, so BC threw one his way too. Where is the homework and relationship building Addazio talks about?

I understand that you have to throw some stuff against the wall in any sales type environment. I know something can come of it sometimes. But if the kid doesn't care enough (or know) to get our name right in his response, then the odds of him ever wearing maroon and gold are long.

Hoops recruiting targets becoming clear

With good players committed for the 2018 class, Jim Christian and staff are using their few days off to target 2019 and 2020 prospects.

Part of the staff was in Texas to see ESPN Top 150 prospect Montavious Murphy. Murphy does not claim a BC offer yet and it looks like he wants to stay local. Maybe our recent success and the chance to play in the ACC will get him up to Boston.

Later in the day, the staff was in Maryland to see 2020 wing prospect Che Evans. He's got lots of impressive offers. BC has a little more time there and our staff's multiple connections to the Maryland area should help.

Reaction to 2018 Football schedule

BC and the ACC released the 2018 Football schedules Wednesday. Here is BC's:

September 1 -- UMass
September 8 -- Holy Cross
September 13 -- at Wake Forest (Thursday night game)
September 22 -- at Purdue
September 29 -- Temple
October 6 --  at NC State
October 13 -- Louisville
October 26 -- Miami (Friday night game)
November 3 -- at Virginia Tech
November 10 -- Clemson
November 17 -- at Florida State
November 24 -- Syracuse

While we have known the opponents for months, this is the first time we are seeing the order. Here are my initial thoughts.

1. Addazio can't plan for a late-season run again. The past two years have seen BC stumble in September and early October, only to rally towards bowl eligibility during the latter parts of the season. I don't think he will have that much wiggle room this year. BC closes with Louisville, Miami, VT, Clemson, FSU and Cuse. Even though BC beat FSU and Lousville this year and even if you assume Miami takes a slight step back, that is a tough, tough stretch of games. If BC truly has ambitions of being a Top 25 team, they need to go at least 3-3 during that stretch.

2. The bye week is well placed. BC gets their bye right in middle of October and before the Friday night game against Miami. I know they don't have control over that, but it did work out. Hopefully the rest will help with injuries and the team gets plenty of time to prep for Miami.

3. Year 6 will really depend on the Wake-Purdue weeks. Although Addazio keeps pushing back the timeline a bit with regards to when the program will be "ready," there are no excuse in Year 6. This team should be a Top 25 squad and the schedule comes with three wins baked in (UMass, Holy Cross, and Temple). The difference between a Top 25 season and another middling 7-6 effort will really come down to back-to-back road games against Wake and Purdue. Both were surprise teams in 2017 and both will probably be tough wins in 2018. But BC should have more talent than both next year. It is up to Addazio to harness that talent and come away with two wins. If he doesn't, we'll be praying for 7-6 again.

BC coaches making lots of offers

With the 2018 Class presumably finished up, Addazio and his staff have used this critical time to make offers to 2019 and 2020 players. Based on their tweets, here are some of the latest targets.

This Rhode Island OLine prospect is getting offers from major programs like Ohio State and Florida. Hopefully BC can leverage our proximity.

Blessed to receive an offer from Boston College‼️ Go Eagles!🦅 pic.twitter.com/YzI7XYAmbi

— Xavier Truss (@xtruss94) January 12, 2018

Florida DB Renardo Green is highly rated but doesn't have a lot of offers yet. Perhaps it is his size. He seemed excited about BC's offer.

Blessed to receive a offer from Boston college @rwb5b @CoachAllam1 @Corey_Bender @OS_Recruiting @osvarsity @DemetricDWarren @Rivals @247fbrecruiting @Andrew_Ivins @CoachAGWaseem @KeiwanRatliff @HamiltonESPN pic.twitter.com/GnGmOuElmD

— Renardo Malcom Green (@nado2times) January 17, 2018

Coach Brian White seems active in Florida, as he also offered DLine prospect Norell Pollard and DB Brandon Hill

Blessed to have received an offer from Boston College 🦅@Corey_Bender @WekivaFootball @rwb5b @coachBwhiteBC pic.twitter.com/xIRuCVU8eh

— Norell Pollard 🤙🏾 (@rell_honcho) January 17, 2018

Very blessed to receive my 5th offer from Boston College 🦅 @Excelspeed12 @Corey_Bender @OS_Recruiting @rwb5b @coachBwhiteBC pic.twitter.com/vlhd2JsVxd

— Brandon Hill (@brandonhill_6) January 17, 2018

Another New England recruit is Avon, CT QB Taisun Phommachanh.

Blessed to receive an offer from Boston College 🦅#Goeagles @EagleInsiders @Day1toD1 pic.twitter.com/XDIDJdMDfo

— Taisun P⚡️🏈 (@tydollaz3) January 15, 2018

Gunnell offered New Jersey prospect Marlyn Johnson.

Blessed to receive an offer from Boston College! 🦅 #GoEagles @BCCoachGunnell @CoachMalleo pic.twitter.com/QgDXCBZz5q

— Marlyn Johnson (@Marlynjohnson21) January 12, 2018

This OLine prospect is in Ohio and has an OSU offer, so it may be an uphill battle.

Thankful to receive an offer from Boston College!! #DecideToFly pic.twitter.com/rOxVSYX5U0

— Ryan Jacoby (@Ryan_Jacoby) January 17, 2018

BC also offered this New York Line prospect.

Honored to have received my 5th offer from Boston College🙏🏽🦅 pic.twitter.com/wxUhjC8qEd

— LII🏴 (@RealBliss52) January 16, 2018

Coach Frye seems to be out in the Midwest making offers.

Thank you to the Boston College Football staff and @CoachJFrye for granting me a scholarship offer #GoEagles🦅 pic.twitter.com/pA4IdsdF5r

— Bryce Kirtz (@kirtz__) January 15, 2018

Basketball takes care of FSU at home

If you are measuring baby steps, Jim Christian passed last year's ACC win total by beating Florida State Monday night. BC dominated the first half with a great defensive effort. There was good rebounding, good movement and plenty of blocks. FSU only shot 26% in the first half and BC built a 16-point lead. The 'Noles chipped away at that lead and made it interesting in the second half. But BC made their foul shots and closed it out.

Popovic had the most notable night. His five blocks helped BC build the lead. He also made some nice plays late in the second half as Florida State tried to force BC into turnovers and bad shots.

You would hope with such a big lead, Christian would have given his bench more minutes, but Reyes and Baker barely played.

While exceeding the two ACC win mark is not really a big deal, I do like the general progress of the team. There should be more ACC wins ahead.

Where did BC fall in CFN's final ranking?

It was a 7-6 year, but it still felt a little different this season. BC found itself in a big hole and then it went on a refreshing win streak. At times the team looked like it could beat anyone. The next week, you were surprised with some of the simple struggles. College Football News seems to have more respect for BC's accomplishments than maybe even a regular BC fan. CFN put BC at No. 28 in their Final Season Rankings.

If you look, some familiar teams are around BC (Iowa, Wake, NC State). I guess another win might have helped perception a little, but clearly not much.

I don't know if BC is a Top 25 team next year, but that should be the expectation. There are plenty of pieces coming back and the schedule is manageable. I don't want to be sitting here a year from now, glad that CFN or some other site almost ranked BC.

BC downs Darthmouth

BC made the most of their last non-conference game of the season by beating Dartmouth on Saturday. It wasn't perfect though. BC started the game flat again and only led by three at half. They cannot take whole chunks of the game off again if they want to compete in ACC games. 

Dartmouth made seven 3s in the first half. In the second, BC adjusted and the Green only made two more.

Bowman scored 19, but it was a balanced effort with five Eagles in double-digits. Baker came off the bench to score nine.

The ACC gauntlet resumes Monday against FSU.

Hasselbeck favorite for MNF and other links

Matt Hasselbeck will call the Pro Bowl with Sean McDonough for ESPN in place of Jon Gruden. It is sort of an audition/tryout for the full-time role on Monday Night Football. It appears Hasselbeck is the network's favorite for the job.

Hockey lost to Providence. They have UNH Sunday.

That'll do it from The Heights. Let's get it back right here against New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon at 1pm. #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/v0XPmLaJGs

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) January 13, 2018

If you haven' already heard, Hilliman is headed to Rutgers. This was rumored since the bowl game. As a graduate, he will be eligible to play immediately. Best of luck to him.

BC offered a 2019 Rhode Island Line prospect.

Christian lands his biggest recruit yet in Jairus Hamilton

While the talent level has improved under Jim Christian, the program still lacks depth and elite talent. The elite talent is about to change as consensus Top 100 recruit Jairus Hamilton committed to BC Thursday.

The 6'8 Forward is a 4-star with all the services and selected BC over Maryland and Mississippi State. He also had offers from Duke, NC State and Kansas. He's another North Carolina prospect to go with our two current Carolina stars. Christian and his staff's ability to get Tobacco Road players to leave the state is encouraging. One of the ways BC landed Hamilton was by also offering his brother Jared, who just transferred to BC. Jared comes from Georgia Southern and is not an elite player, but sometimes you've got to play the game and if Jairus wanted to play with his brother and we have the room, why not offer them both?

If Hamilton lives up to the hype, BC will have enough talent to compete in the ACC. Let's hope this year ends on a high note, so we continue to generate interest from elite players.

ESPN says Antoine Smith is getting promoted to 10th assistant

According to ESPN, current Football Director Antoine Smith will get promoted to BC as its new 10th assistant. Smith joined Addazio's staff last year as "Director of Football Initiatives."

I have no idea what "Football Initiatives" means. But all of these new, non-recruiting roles don't really have to be defined (at any school). Usually there is a good deal of film study, since there are also limitations on player interaction. But these types of jobs are different from Graduate Assistants, as they typically get paid better and don't have as much grunt work.

According to ESPN, Smith will work with the DLine. The big advantage of adding him is the new foot on the ground to talk to recruits. Smith has history in the region, having played at Maine and worked at Holy Cross. He was at Texas State prior to BC.

Still no official word from BC, so there could be other developments. I expect BC will also add a few more Football Directors this offseason.

UNC kills BC on boards

BC has made a habit of playing much better in the second half of games. That didn't work out so well against North Carolina Tuesday night. The Tar Heels built an early lead by dominating BC on the boards and never looked back. BC mounted a min-comeback in when Bowman hit a few 3s in a row, but nothing ever really serious.

Beyond the rebounding issues, the D wasn't good either. Carolina had a ton of easy baskets and Luke Maye had his way with Pop and JCR.

Whenever we face a team with a defined style (UVA, UNC) it can get messy. We play their way and are depth usually becomes an issue. A high scoring, uptempo game against a talented team like UNC was going to be tough. Our lack of D and bad shots didn't make it easier.

The good news out of the game was Tim Brando mentioning BC's new basketball facility. Jarmond has been talking to donors about it (including Tuesday's Monan Donor call), but there hasn't been a public statement from the school. It would be a basketball dedicated practice facility and would put us in line with the rest of the conference. Like the Football facility, it would show the recruits and basketball world that we are serious about competing in the ACC. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I am sure the school will explain something shortly.

How Georgia provides a lesson for BC

[I am writing this prior to kickoff of the game, so there is a good chance that when you read this Georgia will have been smothered in another clinical Alabama championship game. I don't think that's going to happen, but the outcome is not really the point of this post.] 

The last time Georgia competed for a National Championship was in the early '80s with Herschel Walker carrying the team. A contemporary of Doug Flutie, Walker won the Heisman and was a household name. Like BC, Georgia has had some high points since, but has never recaptured the glory of the Walker years...until now. The reasons for Georgia's ups and downs are many. And Georgia will never be a great parallel for BC due to their different histories, local talent, and fan expectations. However, there is one lesson from Georgia's success this year that BC can apply. It involves making a tough decision on a coaching change.

Mark Richt did nearly everything right at Georgia. He was a model citizen and a mentor. While perhaps a tad boring, he was someone that the fans base could be proud of and the recruits could embrace. High school coaches loved him. The media loved him. He was not some constant malcontent like Saban and became part of the community in Athens. He won two SEC Championships. If a coach won two ACC titles at BC, he would probably be employed for life. That's not how it worked in Athens

Georgia fired Mark Richt two years ago. Their leadership felt a change was needed in order to take their program to the next level. Now they are playing for the National Championship.

It is tough to fire a winning coach. Just ask BC fans. You can spin it to the media and your fanbase, but if the new coach doesn't win at a higher level, the school and its AD look dumb. I don't know what the future holds for Addazio. I appreciate many of the things he has done, but still have real doubts if he can ever rise above his established ceiling. If he keeps going 7-6, will Jarmond -- our whoever is AD at the time -- make the call to replace him? Georgia made the tough call and it looks like it was worth the risk.

What's the early consensus on Landry?

Zach Allen's decision to return to BC was a reminder that another elite BC Defensive End returned for a senior season just a year ago. Harold Landry came back for many of the same reasons as Allen, including the goal of becoming a first round draft pick. Injuries derailed most of Landry's season, but not his chance at the NFL. But did he do enough to be a first-round pick? Here are what the early mock drafts say:

-- Bleacher Report: To Tampa at No. 7
-- USA Today: To Tennessee at No. 21
-- The Sporting News: To Arizona at No. 16

Now these guesses don't guarantee anything, but it does reinforce the idea that Landry's stock is still high. The Senior Bowl, the Combine and individual workouts will give him the chance to move up...or down. He needs to prove he is healthy and that his 2016 season is just a glimpse of what he can do.

Basketball bounces back against Wake

If BC is really a bubble team, then they needed to prove it Saturday in a game against a depleted Wake Forest team. And they did!

Robinson had another big day with 25 points, including 10-10 from the foul line. Chatman also started scoring again after going 0fer this week and coming out cold. Check out Bowman's highlight dunk below.

The bad news is that the team started flat again. They also made plenty of mental mistakes in the first half.

They are back at it again Tuesday against North Carolina.

Watch the #SCTop10 dunk from @JumpmanBowman with both the broadcast call from @ACCNetworkExtra as well as @meatstweets & @dabrams24 on the @BCIMGSportsNet #BCEagles #WeAreBC pic.twitter.com/ZDKlJhEKL8

— BC Men's Basketball (@BCMBB) January 7, 2018

Allen returning and other links

I never thought he was a real threat to leave, but Zach Allen announced he will return for his final year. His goal is to become a first round pick.

As for Darius Wade, if you base it off of who he started following on Twitter, he is talking to lots of teams. The obvious target is his home town Delaware, but he is following plenty of Illinois coaches, plus FAU, plus Kansas and Texas A&M, and many more.

Hockey lost their opener in the Las Vegas Tournament.

Women's Basketball upset UNC, to earn their first ACC win of the year.

The assistant coaching carousel

An ugly problem of College Football has moved up the calendar a bit. It used to be that many assistants didn't switch jobs until after Signing Day. This was so they could lock the kids into their previous employer and then move onto the new one. The recruits got screwed when their lead recruiter or position coach left, but the coaches took care of each other. The Early Signing Day now means more recruiting classes are locked in, so more assistants are free to leave. Former BC assistant Al Washington is leaving Cincinnati after one year to join Jim Harbaugh's staff at Michigan. This is a good move for Al and I hope he has real success there. Doing well outside of BC makes him that much better of a candidate to return to BC in a high level position.

As for BC's current staff, I haven't heard of any pending departures. Anthony Campanile is now a hot name and I could see multiple programs contacting him, but I don't know if he will leave for just any job and I don't see him getting a coordinator role at a Power 5.

Next week all programs are allowed to add to their official staffs, so we know BC will be getting at least one new assistant. Addazio has done a mix of internal promotions and hiring outside guys. I have no idea which way he will go now.

I also know that the administrative staff will get beefed up with some familiar names. I assume BC will announce that next week too.

Comeback against Clemson comes up short

The good news is that Robinson's hot streak wasn't a one-time thing. He played out of his mind again in the second half against Clemson, including six 3s. The bad news is that the heroic performance was wasted in another close loss.

BC was really sloppy and ineffective in the first half and put themselves in a big hole (down 19 at one point). They got no movement towards the basket and were chucking bad perimeter shots. They were also turning the ball over.

In the second half, BC turned it on...but it wasn't enough. Aside from Robinson, the other big game came from Mitchell, who made smart plays all over the court.

Chatman was too quiet for such and important game and Robinson and Bowman have to be more careful with their passes against a good defense.

BC's overall D was good in the half court. If not of Clemson's transition off of our turnovers, BC would have won the game.

Like others I am sick of the close losses. If we just play a little smarter early in the game, we will start winning.

What are the experts saying about BC's bubble?

It is probably premature, but what the heck? The bracketologists are listing BC, so we might as well track their thoughts.

Fox Sports' Howie Schwab has BC as a 10 seed.

Bracketville has us in the First Four. CBS hasn't updated in the new year, but had us in the First Four also.

Last week ESPN had us as 12 seed.

Something to watch in 2018: a coaching change in Women's Basketball

When Martin Jarmond was hired, we assumed that the first coaching decisions he might have to make would be in Football or Men's Basketball. Instead it looks like he might have to address Women's Basketball first. I haven't written about it much, but the current season is off to a disaster. BC sits at 5-9 (0-1) and has shown little promise heading into the heart of ACC play.

Coach Erik Johnson -- who was one of Gene D's last major hires -- is now 66-101 (17-66). I don't pretend that a lot of people care about BC Women's Basketball, but letting the program flounder like this is a wasted opportunity. BC can and should be competitive in Women's Basketball. The cliche challenge we face in Football and Basketball -- recruiting -- is not as much of an issue for Women's Basketball. There is plenty of local talent and you are not battling the one and done mentality (and buying of players) of Men's Basketball.

Jarmond has nothing to lose with making a change and actually can use the hiring/firing to learn how a coaching change actually works at BC. There won't be as much meddling or scrutiny, but it will still deal with the BC politics of the process.