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<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><rss xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:openSearch="http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/" xmlns:blogger="http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008" xmlns:georss="http://www.georss.org/georss" xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" version="2.0"><channel><atom:id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421</atom:id><lastBuildDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:51:21 +0000</lastBuildDate><category>BC</category><category>NCAABB</category><category>NCAAFB</category><category>ACC</category><category>MLB</category><category>NCAA Hockey</category><category>Misc.</category><category>NCAA Baseball</category><category>Yankees</category><category>NFL</category><category>Golf</category><category>Other BC Sports</category><category>NBA</category><category>YouTube</category><category>Horses</category><category>NHL</category><title>Soaring to Glory</title><description>A Boston College sports blog from an alum...you're here now, so you might as well read it</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/</link><managingEditor>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</managingEditor><generator>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>667</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-8662731388487689226</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:28:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-01-02T14:28:10.471-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Misc.</category><title>Major announcement on the future of STG</title><description><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d95S69My5nGcRKKQeRngzENYQm3C8nfdTvCAOGDhzvjMJPDxK-1lASJ2e6jMFN_jLFtrGsclaZZlJUuluFOR7dm3UkoyjK3VX2x_VemxEFTN6ZGMeeE_k4PW9fgwANkzwahabgVnw-g/s1600/uhaul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d95S69My5nGcRKKQeRngzENYQm3C8nfdTvCAOGDhzvjMJPDxK-1lASJ2e6jMFN_jLFtrGsclaZZlJUuluFOR7dm3UkoyjK3VX2x_VemxEFTN6ZGMeeE_k4PW9fgwANkzwahabgVnw-g/s200/uhaul.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>No, I'm not closing up shop.&nbsp; You could only wish you were so lucky.<br /><br />Instead, I'm announcing today that like the other great, tenured BC blogs before me, I am moving on up and expanding my operation.&nbsp; I have been offered the opportunity to move Soaring to Glory to a sports blog network, and after a few days of deliberating, I have accepted.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.bcinterruption.com/">BC Interruption</a> has <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/">SB Nation</a>, <a href="http://atleagle.blogspot.com/">ATL</a> and <a href="http://bcdraft.blogspot.com/">BCDraft</a> have <a href="http://bostoncollege.scout.com/">Eagle Insider</a>, and now I have <a href="http://fansided.com/">FanSided</a>.<br /><br />So, you may be wondering, when will this move take place?&nbsp; Faster than you might imagine.&nbsp; Starting Monday, I could be blogging over there, but coming to this present site will redirect you to the new URL, <b>bcsoaring.com</b>.&nbsp; Update your bookmarks accordingly.<br /><br />I have spent nearly 2 years here on Blogger, and it has been a good ride.&nbsp; It's time to move on, however, and I hope BC fans will follow me there.&nbsp; Of course, you can always still read my hysterical ranting on Twitter, <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/SoaringtoGlory">@SoaringtoGlory</a>.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2011/01/major-announcement-on-future-of-stg.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d95S69My5nGcRKKQeRngzENYQm3C8nfdTvCAOGDhzvjMJPDxK-1lASJ2e6jMFN_jLFtrGsclaZZlJUuluFOR7dm3UkoyjK3VX2x_VemxEFTN6ZGMeeE_k4PW9fgwANkzwahabgVnw-g/s72-c/uhaul.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-4207113109156621590</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:17:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2011-01-01T22:17:07.872-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Eagles bomb South Carolina to start 2011 right</title><description>After such a disappointing loss to Rhode Island, many of us wondered how the Boston College Eagles would respond on the road in South Carolina.<br /><br />Didn't take us long to find out the answer.<br /><br />The Eagles took the Gamecocks to the woodshed on New Year's Day, beating SC on the road by a final score of 85-70, and even that was not truly indicative of how well BC played.&nbsp; Outside of maybe the first ten minutes of the game, Boston College completely outplayed South Carolina in nearly all phases of the game.&nbsp; The lead in the second half ran out to as many as 29 points before the Cocks scored some garbage-time points against the walk-ons to narrow the margin.<br /><br />Joe Trapani led the Eagles with 23 points, with Biko Paris collecting 18 and Corey Raji with a double-double off the bench, a total of 16 points and 12 boards.&nbsp; This strong victory came on a night where Eagles reclamation project Josh Southern had essentially a no-show game, garnering twice as many turnovers (4) as points (2) in only 13 minutes of action.<br /><br />Texas A&amp;M is perhaps BC's best win of the year, but tonight was almost certainly the Eagles' best-played game so far.&nbsp; The Gamecocks aren't a horrible team but they're far from the elite, with their only win that comes close to resembling quality being over Clemson.&nbsp; They should not end up being much of a factor in the national tournament picture in March, but that should not take away from BC's accomplishment tonight.&nbsp; They went on the road to a major-conference school and beat the stuffing out of them, coming off of a loss.&nbsp; It was exactly what the Eagles needed to get back on track.<br /><br />With the win, as I mentioned on Twitter, BC has now beaten a team in each of the power conferences, whether they end up being good or bad teams: the ACC (Maryland, with hopefully many more to follow), Big East (Providence), Big Ten (Indiana), Big 12 (Texas A&amp;M), Pac-10 (California), and now the SEC with South Carolina.&nbsp; Outside of the Yale loss, the Eagles are putting together a respectable, well-rounded resume that I hope glistens in March.<br /><br />Boston College sits at 11-3 and comes back home on Wednesday to face a REAL test: why yes, it's Harvard, the doom-bringers from Cambridge who have tarnished our program the last few seasons.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2011/01/eagles-bomb-south-carolina-to-start.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-3208175871925446208</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:16:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-31T15:16:23.597-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Misc.</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAA Hockey</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Happy 2011</title><description><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_W15eoarAn75DziLfegZcwhPXtLY_i8v62bRkeGWKyuHEbfU8-IR3hj_MbG0Qug5ttTf6sSVuZ8Ehe-4KNXnvLdi9-yczc1ZK6dGyvoUdeb1sqJ1UVpdxmmehihHBYZKyZFRCi6uck0/s1600/BC11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_W15eoarAn75DziLfegZcwhPXtLY_i8v62bRkeGWKyuHEbfU8-IR3hj_MbG0Qug5ttTf6sSVuZ8Ehe-4KNXnvLdi9-yczc1ZK6dGyvoUdeb1sqJ1UVpdxmmehihHBYZKyZFRCi6uck0/s200/BC11.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I thought the jersey to the left was quite apropos. <br /><br />I want to extend best wishes for 2011 to all of the Boston College and ACC folk who have visited and been a part of the blog this year. I'll be entering my third year of doing this site and I've enjoyed every minute of it, and I hope for big things regarding both this blog and BC sports in 2011.<br /><br />I have hope that it will be a great sports year for us. We might not get everything we'd like, but at least I'm fairly certain that BC won't start 2011 off in sports <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=300020103">any worse than it did in 2010</a>.<br /><br />Speaking of Eagles sports, we have BC hockey tonight at 7pm in the Ledyard National Bank Classic championship, right as you start your New Year's Eve plans for this evening, and basketball tomorrow at 5:30pm against South Carolina.&nbsp; I expect that game to be at about the same difficulty level as Rhode Island, but those turnovers are going to be critical.&nbsp; BC can't turn the ball over 18 or more times and expect to win, especially given that Biko's injury status is in question.&nbsp; All this and more coming up in 2011.&nbsp; Enjoy the festivities.&nbsp;</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-2011.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_W15eoarAn75DziLfegZcwhPXtLY_i8v62bRkeGWKyuHEbfU8-IR3hj_MbG0Qug5ttTf6sSVuZ8Ehe-4KNXnvLdi9-yczc1ZK6dGyvoUdeb1sqJ1UVpdxmmehihHBYZKyZFRCi6uck0/s72-c/BC11.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-6533225315688968862</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-29T11:00:06.539-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC at Rhode Island: A little more challenging</title><description>Believe me, I recognize that the Bucknell Bison gave BC everything that they could handle, but the Rhode Island Rams out of the A-10 are more than capable of giving a good performance.&nbsp; Those Rams will be BC's opponent tonight, as the Eagles take their three-point shooting contest down I-95 to Kingston for a 7pm tip.<br /><br />First, a look at Rhody.&nbsp; To this point, the schedule they've played hasn't been particularly competitive overall.&nbsp; Their first game was against Pittsburgh, and since then, their only two decent opponents were College of Charleston (win by 9) and Providence (lose by 13).&nbsp; Without the Pitt game, however, their #51 strength of schedule would be a hefty chunk lower.&nbsp; What has this schedule gotten them?&nbsp; 8-4, with two consecutive wins heading into this game over squishy opposition.<br /><br />They appear to be a little less of a shooting team than the Eagles, as they've taken more shots but made fewer, though they're about as good at the three as BC.&nbsp; Also like the Eagles, they've been outrebounded by opponents this season and are on the plus side of the turnover margin.&nbsp; On that subject, however, the Eagles have actually done a very good job of protecting the basketball so far this year, as BC averages fewer than 10 turnovers per game, whereas Rhode Island is over 13.<br /><br />The man to watch on the Rams will most certainly be Delroy James, who averages 20 points per game (with the next closest guy on the team just under 11). He's also the team's leading rebounder and is second in blocks. He, then, will be BC's public enemy #1 on the basketball court tonight. Others to watch out for, particularly on the perimeter, will be two young men by the names of Nikola Malesevic and Akeem Richmond. Malesevic has only shot 37 three pointers this year, but has made 57% of them. Richmond has made the most threes on the team, but only because he shoots a ton of them -- 21 more than Delroy James, who has the 2nd-most three attempts.&nbsp; Just like we saw against Bucknell or any other team this year, leaving three-point shooters unguarded will make BC's work very difficult, and Rhody is the kind of team that can hit this shot about as well as BC can, and they appear to defend it fairly well (although that may be more of a function of the teams they've played).<br /><br />For Boston College, who take a 7-game win streak into this game, we know who the key players are and what they must do.&nbsp; Reggie Jackson must continue to be the leader of this team, Biko Paris must continue his hot shooting, and Josh Southern must continue his renaissance under Donahue and be a force inside.&nbsp; Speaking of, from what I've gathered through scouting reports and the good old box score, Rhody's inside presence isn't the scariest BC will face all year, so hopefully that bodes well for another strong game for Southern.&nbsp;<br /><br />Rhode Island beat Boston College last year at Conte Forum -- practically ran them out of the arena, in fact, in a game that wasn't as close as the score -- but the Eagles were a worse team then, and I'd think the Rams were a better one then also.&nbsp; I go into this game expecting a narrow Eagles win, though this is on the road, and you never know what you're going to get.&nbsp; Rhode Island is a decent team, but I do not at this point believe they are a better team.&nbsp; We will learn tonight.<br /><br />Twitter coverage picks up at 7; see you folks there.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bc-at-rhode-island-little-more.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-44819597491811287</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Dec 2010 20:54:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-27T15:54:59.566-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>A little more respect for BC men's hoops</title><description>The AP poll for Week 8 was released today, and the Eagles have now gained 17 votes.&nbsp; This is up from 2 last week, and one the week before.&nbsp; Those who cast their ballots for the Eagles are as follows:<br /><br />Kevin MacNamara, Providence Journal (20)<br />Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (21)<br />John Feinstein, National Public Radio (23)<br />and Michael Rothstein, annarbor.com (23)<br /><br />MacNamara ranked Boston College 24th on his ballot last week, and this week, he was joined by three more writers.&nbsp; Right now, the trend is our friend.&nbsp; Some more solid wins and the Eagles may be able to crack the rankings.&nbsp; Of course, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports snuck the Eagles into <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/rankings/top25">his power rankings</a> at #20.&nbsp; Furthermore, as of two weeks ago, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, a man who makes a lot more than I do for something I wish I could do, had the Eagles safely in the field of 68 as an 8 seed.&nbsp; This is part of a growing trend we are seeing lately of the Eagles getting some respect by the media.&nbsp; It certainly isn't coming from all corners, however, as we do see the national beat writers who use BC's early surge in the standings (relative to the rest of the conference) as a sign of how bad the ACC is.&nbsp; I would like to think that the Eagles are one of the bright spots in the conference so far, having won 9 out of 10 since the Yale disaster.<br /><br />This "ranking" the Eagles have -- which is somewhere in the 30s -- makes them the second-highest rated ACC team by the AP.&nbsp; Duke, of course, is number one, and North Carolina and Florida State are next behind with six votes a piece.&nbsp; About the only thing it means is that Boston College is having a better than expected season, for which they deserve credit (oh yes, and that the rest of the ACC...not so good).&nbsp;<br /><br />In the coming week, BC will have road games against Rhode Island and South Carolina -- neither of whom are all that scary, but they're not roadkill either.&nbsp; If the Eagles should come out of both games with wins to climb to 12-2 (1-0), I suspect the case for Boston College being in the rankings will get a little more steam.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/little-more-respect-for-bc-mens-hoops.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-4112465707136882932</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-26T11:00:01.692-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Misc.</category><title>My Boston College Christmas loot</title><description>My family were big supporters of the Boston College Bookstore this Christmas season (as should we all be -- and please note this ad was not paid for or endorsed by the BC Bookstore).&nbsp; Here's what I added to my vast array of Eagles merchandise:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu1_0hEPI-9ppije6vTfw2qfR61NxB_IP69SW4_jsgQpDgCfuvc8n3jET_ijjzsZK6wjwIs_AoEMU5S8BPa7K49CbiJ2IMB0m-WZ1oG3eFlIUypgnZWq6g6fiWe_BxhJtRql5EGEEd6I/s1600/DSCF1365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu1_0hEPI-9ppije6vTfw2qfR61NxB_IP69SW4_jsgQpDgCfuvc8n3jET_ijjzsZK6wjwIs_AoEMU5S8BPa7K49CbiJ2IMB0m-WZ1oG3eFlIUypgnZWq6g6fiWe_BxhJtRql5EGEEd6I/s320/DSCF1365.JPG" width="320" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">New UA Boston College Basketball jersey (the only thing missing is the "ACC" on the top of the back as in the real thing)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcnov0AcWrc5ZhkX8HoHi37PMTbjo9hNR6tog4EOdoUpaD849GGMVJusGJOHXLx2zrULGCwPgTYedzY9IUywMI8E0Rhye7lUKOG7CHrxK4ek45sbt_gPEJPj8o6ULZCOupM0FLDQHOyE/s1600/DSCF1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghcnov0AcWrc5ZhkX8HoHi37PMTbjo9hNR6tog4EOdoUpaD849GGMVJusGJOHXLx2zrULGCwPgTYedzY9IUywMI8E0Rhye7lUKOG7CHrxK4ek45sbt_gPEJPj8o6ULZCOupM0FLDQHOyE/s320/DSCF1366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">UA Boston College football long-sleeved shirt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAMd1WTF1NWjLgp5dmDP3qXQkj-sRBPrCInz3vtFLbURivrZF6_lVAXfOIG0XVyfh9eNH-SUZC0aHvKKW3PJgothMIGVejXoXoqzjJXI-r7VKf-ZO4sH54ccPaYrSC7qB9erYXQCxRUI/s1600/DSCF1367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAMd1WTF1NWjLgp5dmDP3qXQkj-sRBPrCInz3vtFLbURivrZF6_lVAXfOIG0XVyfh9eNH-SUZC0aHvKKW3PJgothMIGVejXoXoqzjJXI-r7VKf-ZO4sH54ccPaYrSC7qB9erYXQCxRUI/s320/DSCF1367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston College sweatpants</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2EuZF2ssIPW6CgYB4ooPLjuvJjQZFlbqGfvWemmTBsn_AXU_zEOJUlLHmQhT_qFgpoAKSksakaxyWld3mgQDZEJHxy8MHQzBzY_DnLJZ0b3iZlBRkWqp0wc-HEtuM3VhN7eHs-0EF2g/s1600/DSCF1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2EuZF2ssIPW6CgYB4ooPLjuvJjQZFlbqGfvWemmTBsn_AXU_zEOJUlLHmQhT_qFgpoAKSksakaxyWld3mgQDZEJHxy8MHQzBzY_DnLJZ0b3iZlBRkWqp0wc-HEtuM3VhN7eHs-0EF2g/s320/DSCF1369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston College alumni license plate frame (sorry for the quality of the picture; it's very shiny and flash or not, it's hard to get a decent image)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZ8kK0sxZ1et2XYAaFNGRnHyHxn7g63Hu3WMkbMAnkn-xaJ5CQ0BFgQWhOHf2tdfp1illov6n7LC7fGANT0ZGnCdCNLhPKChcmDLgJyWgzgp12toMH6hSP-vKizIvKrBwZgm42YyKRpw/s1600/DSCF1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZ8kK0sxZ1et2XYAaFNGRnHyHxn7g63Hu3WMkbMAnkn-xaJ5CQ0BFgQWhOHf2tdfp1illov6n7LC7fGANT0ZGnCdCNLhPKChcmDLgJyWgzgp12toMH6hSP-vKizIvKrBwZgm42YyKRpw/s320/DSCF1370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston College basketball coffee mug (the basketball is metallic and embossed; my mother assures me it is dishwasher-safe)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasINrGfbMwyrWHjfYS6u_PyJ7SMSFF0NxiI5AePgAEnKbTucD459Tw2dN5eLhJkRZaXpy7fPlmVWNf3Ne9InFqwIgDjXKZTDXbzLHbS9kDaCfNskNDXf_oX_ob6JzPs20pr0vW9gy9aU/s1600/DSCF1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasINrGfbMwyrWHjfYS6u_PyJ7SMSFF0NxiI5AePgAEnKbTucD459Tw2dN5eLhJkRZaXpy7fPlmVWNf3Ne9InFqwIgDjXKZTDXbzLHbS9kDaCfNskNDXf_oX_ob6JzPs20pr0vW9gy9aU/s320/DSCF1371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston College thermos coffee cup</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And last but not least...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNR5N39LJnwP_ZIqI626ehLv_LzcCJTVjYw6DdCp37Jt5rRBeetVmEzXKeW8S6iMWzRwOw9XD4uh0rj2qHy4oK7c0p-arS94kFuXesChswpDEcO740Efaah4vDKWmQEkWhy4jRQThzfI/s1600/DSCF1372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNR5N39LJnwP_ZIqI626ehLv_LzcCJTVjYw6DdCp37Jt5rRBeetVmEzXKeW8S6iMWzRwOw9XD4uh0rj2qHy4oK7c0p-arS94kFuXesChswpDEcO740Efaah4vDKWmQEkWhy4jRQThzfI/s320/DSCF1372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Boston College alumni t-shirt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope you folks cleaned up this Christmas; if you got any BC stuff, feel free to share your joy with the rest of us.</div></description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-boston-college-christmas-loot.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtu1_0hEPI-9ppije6vTfw2qfR61NxB_IP69SW4_jsgQpDgCfuvc8n3jET_ijjzsZK6wjwIs_AoEMU5S8BPa7K49CbiJ2IMB0m-WZ1oG3eFlIUypgnZWq6g6fiWe_BxhJtRql5EGEEd6I/s72-c/DSCF1365.JPG" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>1</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-5685343922895551561</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Dec 2010 15:18:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-24T10:18:15.400-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Misc.</category><title>Merry Christmas</title><description><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrWjf7iYpQgXUKiswbyPD6BedKGg4CIGiD2VEfC0RfJam8CIN93_nfSoFazRnETDAd5tfHkCqw51ShAZhGte69jWa5j3ZXGge5tvEMcMTdNylrHG662OCbU1uWChYl8dsKp5bbHfMnuc/s1600/BCChristmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrWjf7iYpQgXUKiswbyPD6BedKGg4CIGiD2VEfC0RfJam8CIN93_nfSoFazRnETDAd5tfHkCqw51ShAZhGte69jWa5j3ZXGge5tvEMcMTdNylrHG662OCbU1uWChYl8dsKp5bbHfMnuc/s1600/BCChristmas.jpg" /></a></div>May you find some nice Boston College merchandise under your tree (I know I will; I specifically asked for it) and may we have a prosperous year of athletics in 2011.<br /><br />The next Boston College sporting event is on December 29 (BC/Rhode Island in men's basketball); we'll see you then, although I might be happy to share some photos of the BC gear I'm getting.<br /><br />Oh, and the picture above is not my work.&nbsp; I'm not talented enough to create something like that.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-christmas.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrWjf7iYpQgXUKiswbyPD6BedKGg4CIGiD2VEfC0RfJam8CIN93_nfSoFazRnETDAd5tfHkCqw51ShAZhGte69jWa5j3ZXGge5tvEMcMTdNylrHG662OCbU1uWChYl8dsKp5bbHfMnuc/s72-c/BCChristmas.jpg" height="72" width="72"/><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-1544406972933767267</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Dec 2010 02:08:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-22T21:10:43.599-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC comes from behind to clip Bucknell</title><description>In the first half, the Boston College Eagles had us thinking it was Yale, The Sequel.<br /><br />This game against Bucknell, however, ended the way I think most of us hoped that one would: with the Eagles fighting back and taking a close win at home.&nbsp; Boston College won their seventh straight game by taking down the Bison 84-80, in a game where the Eagles fell behind by 16 points early on and let Bucknell bomb threes all night.&nbsp; The Eagles' perimeter defense was lifeless and uncontested three-pointers ballooned the Bucknell lead.&nbsp; Unlike the Yale game, however, Boston College fought back at a much earlier point in the night and started to contest shots.&nbsp; As soon as that happened, the deficit began to slim until eventually, in the second half, it was gone.<br /><br />Big shots were hit tonight by Reggie Jackson, Biko Paris, and Josh Southern -- some behind the line, some under the hoop, and some at the stripe.&nbsp; Reggie led the Eagles with 22, but the game's leading scorer was Bucknell's Bryson Johnson with 23 (21 of those on the three).&nbsp; Three other Eagles made it to double figures: Joe Trapani and Josh Southern (16) and Biko Paris (14).<br /><br />It was an ugly win for sure, and had the feel of a WTF loss, but the Eagles persevered.&nbsp; Even though it looked like the game was getting away from them early, they ratcheted up the intensity on both sides of the ball and made sure this one didn't get away.&nbsp; There will be plenty of lessons to be learned from this game but I would think it will be good for their confidence: they fell behind by a large margin but still found a way to win, which is ultimately what matters most.&nbsp; If this win wasn't satisfactory enough, remember that it could be worse: this <b>wasn't</b> the Yale game, Virginia lost a cupcake game to Seattle, and Georgia Tech fell to Siena.&nbsp; At least this one is in the win column.<br /><br />BC is now a 10-2 basketball team and are going to take the week off for Christmas before heading to Kingston, Rhode Island on December 29.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bc-comes-from-behind-to-clip-bucknell.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-1250747954138809037</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-21T11:00:02.850-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC basketball thru 11: A comparison</title><description><div class="MsoNormal">The Boston College Eagles men’s basketball team is sitting at 9-2, having won six in a row following their loss to Wisconsin in Orlando.&nbsp; The Eagles are getting votes in the AP poll and some “bracketologists” have slotted BC into the newly-expanded field of 68 at this early juncture.&nbsp; But we’re at just that, an early juncture.&nbsp; I decided to look at previous years and figure out where we are now compared to then, and how those seasons turned out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Boston College Through 11 Games</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><table align="left" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: medium none; margin-left: 6.75pt; margin-right: 6.75pt;"><tbody><tr> <td style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Year</b></div></td> <td style="border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Rec</b></div></td> <td style="border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Best win(s) in 11 games</b></div></td> <td style="border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>Result</b></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2010-11</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">9-2</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Texas A&amp;M &amp; Maryland</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">??</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2009-10</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">7-4</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Michigan &amp; Miami</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">15-16</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2008-09</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">9-2</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">UAB</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">22-12, NCAA 1<sup>st</sup></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2007-08</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">9-2</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Maryland</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">14-17</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2006-07</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">7-4</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Maryland &amp; Michigan State</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">21-12, NCAA 2<sup>nd</sup></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2005-06</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">9-2</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Oklahoma State</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">28-8, NCAA S16</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.75in;" valign="top" width="72"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">2004-05</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 0.5in;" valign="top" width="48"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">11-0</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 149.4pt;" valign="top" width="199"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Clemson</div></td> <td style="border-color: -moz-use-text-color windowtext windowtext -moz-use-text-color; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 103.5pt;" valign="top" width="138"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">25-5, NCAA 2<sup>nd</sup></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As you can see, there are recent years where the Eagles didn’t start as strongly as this year but finished that way, while other seasons saw a strong start and a bad finish (2007-2008 stands out, where the Eagles blasted through their OOC schedule only to lose a total of thirteen conference games).&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is mostly the same personnel as last season, however, so let’s take this season and last side by side.&nbsp; Boston College’s two best wins so far this year are the #25 team in the country on a neutral court and a team on the road which beat the crap out of them in Boston last season.&nbsp; In 2009-2010, BC’s best wins to this point were an overrated Michigan team on the road and the last-place Miami Hurricanes.&nbsp; While we don’t know how this season will end, I am reasonably assured in saying that there’s reason for optimism that this year can be different.&nbsp; Despite the fact that the Eagles already have their annual Ivy League loss, their resume to this point looks a lot better than it had last season through this stage.&nbsp; With the #15 strength of schedule (as of Monday evening – dropped 11 spots from Sunday after playing Bryant), the Eagles have faced mainly competitive opponents and have done well against them for the most part.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Last year, it was becoming clear fairly early that the season was going to be a rollercoaster ride, but it was not until the 14<sup>th</sup> game of the year that we would learn what a disaster it would be.&nbsp; Through 11 games, BC is doing well in 2010-2011, but there are many potential pitfalls ahead.&nbsp; On the flip side, there are many potential triumphs.&nbsp; Everything we’ve seen so far indicates that these Eagles will be better than last year’s, and that they just might be able to rack up some real accomplishments if the wheels don’t fall off like in 2008.</div></description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bc-basketball-thru-11-comparison.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-6530609031001342730</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-19T11:00:00.878-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Bryant vs. BC: Not much, but it’ll do, right?</title><description>The Boston College Eagles come back after 11 days since their last home game, including their annual break for finals, to face the Bryant Bulldogs. The Eagles are 8-2, while the Bulldogs are 1-8 and are also the worst team BC will face this season, with a KenPom rating in the 300s. There is no betting line for this game, but I will set it at BC -1 jillion. Yes, one JILLION. If you feel the need to throw down money on BC/Bryant in basketball, which I don’t condone anyway, then I think you should seek professional help. A loss in this game is so incomprehensible that I can’t even talk about it; needless to say, BC will most likely win by a wide margin.<br /><br />Still coaching Bryant is BC alum and former two-time Eagle assistant Tim O’Shea, as he continues to guide the Bulldogs in their Division I transition phase. The statistical tale isn’t good for his bunch as you might imagine: Bryant can’t shoot, they can’t rebound, and they can’t make free throws. That, my friends, is a recipe for complete disaster.<br /><br />Boston College, on the other hand, has been one of the most efficient offenses in the country, led by Reggie Jackson and Biko Paris, with Josh Southern coming on strong in his senior season and significant contributions from others like Corey Raji. Of course, I’m leaving out several key players, but I think I’ll give them a blanket compliment by saying that I don’t think there’s one player on this team that isn’t playing his ass off.<br /><br />Eagles take it to 9-2 in this one [sarc] which I’m sure will draw a large crowd at Conte Forum [/sarc] and come back for Bucknell on Wednesday night. The tip is at 3pm.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bryant-vs-bc-not-much-but-itll-do-right.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-7307125490855503285</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-14T11:00:07.536-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">ACC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC’s ACC hoops chances: How high can we go?</title><description>In case you haven’t noticed yet, the ACC in basketball this season is Duke and the Eleven Dwarfs. You have one team, the defending national champions, who are far and away the best team in the country, pretty much annihilating every team in their path. What’s left in the other eleven slots, however, you ask? Why, eleven teams (of which Boston College is one) with varying levels of success, but none are close to Duke in terms of completeness and domination. I think we can separate this conference out into three tiers of teams, and assess from there just where exactly BC’s place is at this juncture. Of course, this could change mightily once conference games get into high gear, but this is my evaluation as of right now.<br /><br /><B>ACC overlords</b><br />Duke<br /><br /><b>The Middle</b><br />Boston College<br />Clemson<br />Florida State<br />Maryland<br />Miami<br />North Carolina<br />NC State<br />Virginia<br />Virginia Tech<br /><br /><b>Yikes</b><br />Georgia Tech<br />Wake Forest<br /><br />And even the two teams I have in “yikes” aren’t necessarily that far behind some of the teams in the middle. That’s a big middle, though, and the last time I checked, the top four teams in the conference get byes into the second round of the ACC Tournament. Could Boston College get one of those byes, even though they were picked in the preseason to finish 10th in the conference?<br /><br />The answer, if the Eagles continue to play reasonably competitive basketball for the remainder of the season, is yes. Four teams have to get them: we know Duke is one, and the other three will be out of that muddled middle. The Eagles are playing about as well as anyone else in that group right now, so why not us? I’m not saying BC is going to cut down the nets or anything crazy like that, but the opportunity exists this season for BC to far exceed their expected ACC finish and put together a surprisingly good season, possibly culminating in an NCAA Tournament bid. Such a season would be a tremendous accomplishment for Coach Donahue in his first year at BC, following a bad 2009-2010 and the loss of several recruits and players, but it is important to remember that there is still a long way to go and much basketball to be played. It is clear, however, that with no obvious #2 (and so on) in this conference, the rest of the ACC’s top spots are up for grabs. Boston College can slide up and surprise the college basketball world.<br /><br />Now, will BC get credit for any of it, or will people just blame a down ACC for such a “bad” team finishing in a high position? The jury is out on that one. I tend to think the latter, because the so-called conventional wisdom is that BC isn’t supposed to be playing well this year. Whatever the case, though, this team is well-coached and a lot of fun to watch, so enjoy the ride, hopefully up into one of those top four slots in the ACC.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bcs-acc-hoops-chances-how-high-can-we.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-3138947572511474036</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:02:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-12T20:02:52.105-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC beats Maryland, starts the ACC season right</title><description>Look past the Boston College Eagles at your own peril.<br /><br />Not that Maryland necessarily WAS sleeping on the Eagles, mind you, but for those who contend that BC is heading for a disastrous season, well, so far, you're incorrect. The Eagles took down the Maryland Terrapins in College Park on Sunday evening, 79-75, to give Steve Donahue his first ACC win. Corey Raji was sorely missed in the previous games, and did he ever come through for the Eagles by burying a clutch 3 with 37 seconds to go, putting BC ahead for good.<br /><br />This was a 75-68 projected loss according to KenPom, so you'll take it, if not for the fact that it is a big conference road win for this team. They're now 8-2 (1-0) and heading into a little bit of a soft stretch with Bryant and Bucknell before Christmas. After that, Rhode Island (Dec. 29) have not played up to expectations so far, which means there's a chance for BC to run off a few more wins in the near future before they eventually return to conference play in January. The Eagles are building a resume now, too, having wasted tournament contenders like Texas A&M and Maryland, and collecting wins over the Big 12, Pac-10, Big Ten, Big East, and now their own conference (with hopefully at least 7 or 8 more to come if they want to be in tournament position). You can't make it to the NCAAs in December, but you can blow it, and so far, BC isn't. Without that Yale loss, BC is probably getting votes in the polls. Hell, we still might get a few tomorrow, since the Terps are no pushover.<br /><br />This team is exciting and playing with quite a lot of effort. They are surely to be commended for their hard work, as are Coach Donahue and his associates. This is probably the most fun we've had watching BC basketball since we had guys like Dudley and Rice together on the floor. This team isn't as talented as that one, but they give it their all and have definitely picked up their game since last season.<br /><br />BC sports the second-best overall record in the ACC at present, behind 10-0 Duke, and have put together a very nice ten game start (outside of the Yale disaster). I'll post up an article this week about what's at stake for BC this year in an ACC that has good but beatable teams aside from Duke. It's still very early, but it doesn't quite look like a 10th place kind of season, does it?</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bc-beats-maryland-starts-acc-season.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-6967941025392519851</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:41:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-08T21:47:47.432-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Heart-attack Eagles stave off Providence, plus a rant</title><description>Boston College put forth a great effort on Wednesday night against Providence College in basketball.&nbsp; Until they didn't.<br /><br />The Eagles went nearly wire to wire against Providence, outside of an early tie, beating the Friars 88-86.&nbsp; Boston College led by as many as 15 in the second half, only to see their lead crumble once again (just like in the Indiana game and basically every game in which BC led against a marginally-relevant team last season).&nbsp; Providence came within a few inches on a half-court, buzzer-beating heave of shocking the Eagles, but the shot didn't go and BC survived.<br /><br />Plenty to like and dislike about this one, a game in which they survived without Corey Raji and Cortney Dunn for added depth.&nbsp; I liked Josh Southern's play once again, as he had his second-consecutive game scoring a career-high of 16 points.&nbsp; He looks like a completely different player from years past, and it's refreshing to finally see him play to his potential in his senior season.&nbsp; It's hard not to like Reggie Jackson, who led the way with 26 and made some clutch shots.&nbsp; Finally, I liked that the three was falling, as BC hit 50% from long range.<br /><br />The dislikes: BC came &gt;this&lt; close to blowing what was looking like an easy win half-way through the second.&nbsp; The Eagles gave up 55 points in the second half, which is just way too friggin many.&nbsp; BC missed a lot of free throws tonight, more than ten if you want to be more specific.&nbsp; Furthermore, the scoreboard wasn't working, we got some very bad stretches out of some players towards the end (and they know who they are), and last but not least, Conte Forum was overrun by Providence fans.<br /><br />On that, I think I need to deliver a dressing-down of the Superfans like I did back in my WZBC days.&nbsp; I know, it's such a long walk to Conte from CLXF or Ignacio or Walsh or wherever the hell else you guys live, but you know, you have an exciting basketball team, BC students, GO TO THE GAMES.&nbsp; If I lived in the Boston area, I would have season tickets.&nbsp; You guys have an ACC program right there and most of you don't show up.&nbsp; Look at our student section and then look at the student sections in the rest of the ACC -- we disgrace our conference and our school when we see behind the basket on TV and the gold seats are 1/3 full.&nbsp; Being a BC fan doesn't mean going to only the Duke or UNC games in basketball, or just rooting for hockey because they win, or just going to football games because you drink before, during, and after in the Mods.&nbsp; There is an athletics program here which, despite the curious efforts of some, has become quite respectable.&nbsp; Show your support for them dammit.<br /><br />Anyway, with the win, BC is 7-2 and opens conference play against Maryland this Sunday.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/heart-attack-eagles-stave-off.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-2433860717414486489</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:45:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-07T20:45:20.266-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">ACC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Misc.</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAAFB</category><title>ACC Roundtabling with BC Interruption</title><description>I -- yes, I -- was selected to partake in the ACC Blogger Roundtable being hosted by BC Interruption as the BC blog representative. I was asked questions, and I answered them. And we're off!<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 1. Virginia Tech and Florida State seemed to acquit the ACC Championship Game well this year, turning in an entertaining 44-33 game in front of a crowd of 72,379 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Assess the success of the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte in year one. How much of the success can be attributed to the host city, and how much can be attributed to the matchup? A little of A, a little of B?</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>I’ve said all along that I like the game in Charlotte, as it’s much closer to the geographic center of the conference than Jacksonville or anywhere else in Florida. Flights to Charlotte can be pretty inexpensive on the East Coast if you book in advance. I think the matchup has more to do with it, though. Both of these fanbases are big and they travel well. Going up or down (as the case may be) to Charlotte clearly wasn’t a dealbreaker for VT or FSU fans, as it’s situated pretty well in between both schools. They’d have gone regardless of where the game was, however. These are big-time football schools and it was expected to be a good game, so you’d have to have imagined a large turnout was in the cards.<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 2. Would you like to see Charlotte become the permanent home of the ACC Football Championship? Or would you be in favor of some alternate Championship Game format? (continuing to rotate the location, move to campus a la the Pac 12, etc.) Explain.</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>If Charlotte became the permanent home, I’d be fine with it. If they decided to have championship games hosted on campuses, I think it would be interesting but it probably won’t happen. Could you see Alumni Stadium hosting one of those? The thought is practically surreal and I don’t know if I mean that in a good way or a bad way.<br /><br />I wasn’t crazy about Jacksonville and Tampa didn’t do much for me. Back to Charlotte though, I think it’s a decent venue and as I mentioned in the first response, it’s pretty close to the midpoint of the ACC schools, which I think is fair.<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 3. On to the ACC's 2010 slate of bowl games. How happy are you with your program's bowl placement? Did your team's bowl destination exceed or fall short of preseason expectations? (No, I didn't forget about you, Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia. You can speak to general season results relative to preseason expectations here).</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>Well, San Francisco is apparently so nice, we’re doing it twice. I’d be lying if I said I’m thrilled, however. Going into the season, I thought we had a decent chance of ending up in Charlotte, but when you dig yourself a 2-5 hole, that’s a good way to blow up the season. Yes, BC squeezed out five wins to close out the season, but three of those teams are terrible and the other two are so-so teams with their own issues that squeaked into bowls themselves. Some would argue that 7-5 is good considering where BC was in October, but relative to our preseason expectations, winning 7 games with a defense this stout and a schedule this easy is just not acceptable. BC let a few too many get away. Forgive the rant, but being a 7-8 win team in a third-rate “leftovers” bowl every year is not what BC football should be aiming for; we should aspire to be where the Hokies are, but for some reason, we don't. <br /><br />Anyway, as for this particular bowl matchup, well, I don’t think we got an easy one. I’ve seen several of Nevada’s games and they are a very good team (ranked, no less) with an outstanding offense. I expect BC’s defense to slow them down some, but the Eagles haven’t exceeded 26 points against an FBS opponent this season. The defense will have to play the game of their lives just to keep BC in it because quite frankly, we just don’t score points. Further, our best win this year was an average Syracuse team; BC hasn’t beaten anyone this good all year and it will be a big challenge. I can see how easy it would be for BC fans to think things have turned around lately and give us good odds in the bowl game, but we’ve beaten two bowl-eligible teams all year, and haven’t beaten anyone remotely good. UNR is a step up from our recent competition.<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 4. Looking at the conference's bowl schedule as a whole, how many games do you have the conference winning? Is this the year the conference has a breakout year come bowl season?</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>On a really quick glance, I give the ACC five or six bowl wins, so no, no breakout year. There are a few I view as tossups, but overall it should be a meh bowl season for a meh power conference. Going on the record, I do not presently have Boston College as one of those wins.<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 5. Clearly, there are many factors other than on-field performance that go into bowl selections (travel rep, ticket sales, travel distances). Pretend for a moment that the ACC placed teams in our conference's bowl games 1-9 based solely on their on-field performance this season (you can rank 1-9 anyway you see fit). Holding our bowl opponents fixed, how does your answer to question 4 change? Does the ACC then win more or less bowl games this year?</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>Well, if travel distances were REALLY a factor, we wouldn’t be getting stuck out in friggin California for the second straight year against a much more local team. Anyway, I don’t think my answer would change too much, because outside of Virginia Tech and perhaps Florida State, the middle of the ACC is very mushy and just not that dangerous. There are teams in there who I think will have difficulty winning bowl games no matter who they play.<br /><br /><i>(BCI) 6. Last one. The home of the ACC Champion has been the redheaded step child of BCS bowls the past few seasons. The Orange Bowl has been awarded either the Big East champ or a BCS at-large leftover the past few seasons and the casual fan has responded with some of the lowest TV ratings in BCS bowl history. Did the Hokies/ACC dodge a bullet not drawing an 8-4 Big East champ UConn in the Orange Bowl? Or would you have rather have had the Hokies face an easier opponent to improve on the ACC's 2-10 record in BCS bowls?</i><br /><br /><b>&gt;&gt;(STG) </b>I’m fine with the way things worked out. I’m quite interested to see what the Hokies can do against a talented Stanford team, and yet I would have rather enjoyed watching the Hokies beat the crap out of UConn (though I’m fairly certain Oklahoma will take care of that). I think VT is capable of winning the game and improving that BCS bowl record. Playing a so-so team like UConn would have been a no-win situation of sorts for the Hokies: if you win, you were supposed to so it’s no big deal, and if you lose, you’re a disgrace to college football. So yes, VT dodged a bullet, we’re going to get a decent game out of it, and that school in Storrs probably will still lose.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/acc-roundtabling-with-bc-interruption.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-2936658985981544923</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-04T11:00:00.953-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAA Hockey</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>...and a busy Saturday</title><description>I love this time of year when we have multiple BC sports going at the same time. After an interesting and busy Friday in Boston College sports, we'll have just as busy of a Saturday. At 6:30pm, your Boston College men's basketball Eagles will face the Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst at the TD Garden. UMass's 7-0 record might fool you, much like Indiana's 6-0 record might have, but the Minutemens' best win this season (according to Ken Pomeroy's rankings) was Rider. <i>Yeah, exactly.</i><br /><br />The Eagles, meanwhile, have now won four out of their last five games, beating teams from the Big 12, Pac-10, and Big Ten along the way. They might not do a lot this year, and they might have their struggles as they go on, but this team is a lot of fun to watch. You have to respect the intensity that Coach Donahue has infused into this team, doing a lot with little depth. There's a long way to go, of course, but you have to like BC's odds of moving to 6-2 by taking down their Commonwealth rivals, over whom they are 8-point favorites amongst the Vegas bookies. The game will be on Comcast New England, which is Channel 630 for DirecTV people like me.<br /><br />One final word on BC basketball: We now know that this team plays an up-tempo offensive game. A stat I found very interesting, however, comes once again from Ken Pomeroy: according to his rankings last night, the Eagles have the 7th-most efficient offense in the country, and second only to Duke in the ACC. Another suggests that BC has the 4th-best offensive turnover percentage in the nation, which is tops in the conference. Yet another stat has us at the top of the ACC in free throw percentage, something which plagued BC teams in years past. It's still early, but these are some real improvements we've seen already in the Eagles' play since last year.<br /><br />The second game of a home-and-home hockey duel against the Boston University Terriers will start about an hour later at Conte Forum. We all saw the smackdown the Eagles laid on the <i>other</i> Comm Ave school last night, so it will be interesting to see how BU responds, especially given their four-goal third period to trim the deficit. It will also be interesting to see how many goals BC has left in them. This game, like yesterday, will also be on CBS College Sports (DTV 613). <br /><br />Of course, I won't see any of it, because I'll be having a lot of fun on my Saturday night. So long suckers! I mean, uh, enjoy the games.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/and-busy-saturday.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-8663219129545249643</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Dec 2010 03:37:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-03T22:37:38.975-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAA Hockey</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Other BC Sports</category><title>Mixed Friday for BC</title><description>We had one nice win and one bitter defeat tonight. As most people usually want the bad news first, we'll start there: BC's quest for a national title in something other than hockey or sailing came to an end tonight in North Carolina, as the women's soccer team lost in the national semifinals to Stanford, 2-0. This was more or less a case of history repeating itself, as Stanford beat BC by two goals last season in the Elite Eight. Still a great season for the ladies, and they are to be commended for another deep run in the NCAA Tournament.<br /><br />Now on to the good news. Boston College men's hockey went down Commonwealth Avenue this evening to play a school where it still most assuredly sucks to BU. The Eagles beat the Terriers 9-5 in a sometimes wild, sometimes ugly, heavily-officiated game at Agganis Arena. Getting in the box score with BC goals were Cam Atkinson (2), Brian Gibbons, Philip Samuelsson, Paul Carey, Jimmy Hayes, Chris Krieder, Bill Arnold, and Barry Almeida. I love when just about everybody gets in on it, don't you?<br /><br />Most of BU's scoring came late, with four goals in the third period, but the Eagles' lead was too big for BU to seriously close the gap. They will play again tomorrow night at the same time, and that will be covered in tomorrow morning's article.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/mixed-friday-for-bc.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-9150110743143969937</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:25:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-12-01T21:25:57.743-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC beats Indiana; wins 5th straight Challenge game</title><description>You wouldn't know it by the final score, but Boston College got a big scare from the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half. In the end, however, the Eagles left Conte Forum tonight with an 88-76 victory and their 5th consecutive ACC-Big Ten Challenge win in five tries. Reggie Jackson was BC's leading scorer with 27 points, but not to be lost was Biko Paris's huge game with 19.<br /><br />BC went into the break with a 14-point lead, but Indiana came out of the locker room shooting the lights out and out-hustling the Eagles in much the same way they had been out-hustled earlier. Whenever Indiana got close, however, someone on Boston College -- be it Reggie Jackson, Biko Paris, or Danny Rubin towards the end -- would hit a big shot to stave off the Hoosiers.<br /><br />The second half looked sloppy for about the first fifteen minutes, but BC started and finished strong. With the win, the Eagles are now 5-2 and that loss to Yale seems further and further away. Outside of the loss to Wisconsin, a team that has shown it can flat out play, Boston College has played good basketball since their disappointing defeat to the Bulldogs. Beating Indiana has now given BC wins over teams in three power conferences so far this season, and has firmed up our spot as one of the reliable wins for the ACC in this Challenge.<br /><br />The next game is the Boston Tip-Off Classic against UMass on Saturday night at the Garden, a game that will also be televised.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/12/bc-beats-indiana-wins-5th-straight.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-3498764213114877124</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:27:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-28T15:27:38.560-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC wraps up Old Spice Classic with blowout win</title><description>Boston College went 2-1 this season in their early season tournament, taking 3rd place at the 2010 Old Spice Classic via a rout of the California Golden Bears, 68-46.&nbsp; It was a four-point BC lead at the half, but the Eagles pulled away fast in the 2nd and never looked back.&nbsp; The leading scores for BC were Joe Trapani and Biko Paris at 12 a piece, with Reggie right behind at 11.&nbsp; Danny Rubin had another nice day with 9 points.&nbsp; Trapani's team-leading 8 rebounds put him two short of a double-double. &nbsp; <br /><br />This was not a bad tournament for the Eagles AT ALL.&nbsp; Yes, the loss to Wisconsin got ugly as it went on, but BC will go back home having beaten a Big 12 and Pac-10 team, whether or not those teams end up being any good as the season goes along.&nbsp; If you have any doubt, remember where we were at this point last year: BC got creamed by what was a very good UNI team, and beat also-ran South Dakota State, but started things off with a disgusting loss to an uncharacteristically bad St. Joe's team.&nbsp; We may not have much talent or depth on this team, but they played hard just about the whole way through this tournament, and they should be proud of 3rd place and having won two games. <br /><br />Next up will be the 2010 ACC-Big Ten Challenge against Indiana on December 1.&nbsp; Boston College has never lost a Challenge game, but will have an interesting test against an improving Indiana squad.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/bc-wraps-up-old-spice-classic-with.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-4907486117653449740</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Nov 2010 19:17:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-25T14:18:34.698-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC dumps A&M, date with the Badgers tomorrow?</title><description>Behind Reggie Jackson's 21 points, the underdog Boston College Eagles beat the Texas A&amp;M Aggies in a thriller in Orlando, 67-65.&nbsp; They will face the winner of the Wisconsin/Manhattan game later on this afternoon, likely Wisconsin, who will most certainly not make things easy for BC.&nbsp; Like the Aggies, they are a solid basketball program and will pose another strong test, should they get by Manhattan today.&nbsp; As far as I see it, however, we weren't supposed to win today anyway, so the Eagles are playing with the house's money tomorrow.<br /><br />Don't sell the Eagles short in this one: Texas A&amp;M is a potential NCAA Tournament team this year.&nbsp; BC didn't play a perfect game, but led wire to wire and made the shots they needed to make.&nbsp; At times, the defense was shaky, but at others, it was good.&nbsp; They played with energy and outside of a few stretches, played good basketball.&nbsp; The Eagles' perimeter defense became a problem in the second half, as the ordinarily-cold Aggies started bombing from behind the arc.&nbsp; They themselves, however, did just fine in three-point land, making 9 shots.&nbsp; Rebounding was also a problem, as the Aggies dominated on the boards.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />BC is now 3-1 with the win, and hopefully this is a win that will look good down the road.&nbsp; Look at it this way: this tournament is already more successful than the disastrous Paradise Jam last year.&nbsp; Enjoy your Thanksgiving and we'll see you back here tomorrow for more BC basketball.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/bc-dumps-date-with-badgers-tomorrow.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-1150258133708435560</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:23:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-24T15:23:37.224-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Eagles vs. Aggies: Does BC have a shot?</title><description>Tomorrow at noon, right after Santa Claus arrives at Herald Square and just as J. Peterman himself kicks off the Dog Show on NBC, your Boston College Eagles will be playing a little bit of hoops on ESPN2. There has not been any point spread established as of this writing, but one would assume the Eagles are not favored. After all, their opponent, Texas A&amp;M, are 3-0 with wins over Alcorn State, Texas A&amp;M Corpus Christi, and Texas A&amp;M International. Three unimpressive teams, but three impressive wins for the Aggies. We all know what BC's deal is, having lost one of their cupcake games. In this first game of the Old Spice Classic, does BC realistically have a chance of winning?<br /><br />Well, there's a chance, but admittedly it's not an overwhelming one. The most obvious problem with the Eagles is their lack of perimeter defense, with Yale and Holy Cross shooting a combined 18-35 from beyond the arc. If you're looking for something positive, however, the Aggies have struggled from 3, and are currently ranked 268th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage (29.3%). The thing is, they haven't taken many threes against this weak opposition, but have made their shots count inside two-point range and will pose problems for BC unless they play a solid defensive game. A&amp;M currently has one of the better offenses in the nation and, unlike us, received a vote in the Coaches' Poll this week.<br /><br />If Boston College's shots don't fall, then we're not going to win, but there's no way to know until gametime.&nbsp; The Eagles need to keep doing what they're doing in creating open shots, but getting them into the bucket is a completely different matter. <br /><br />The only thing about this game, however, is that this is the first time this season either team will have played anyone of note. Not that it really even makes a difference, but I'd argue that BC has played a slightly tougher schedule, given that one of the Aggies' opponents was a D-II team. When you boil it all down though, they won those games, and the Eagles didn't. Still, it should be an interesting matchup between these two teams and a chance to see where BC really is at this point. I haven't gotten a chance to see A&amp;M this year, but I am of the understanding that they're a good team. How much better than BC, however, remains to be seen. Even if nothing else, this game should not be a blowout.<br /><br />KenPom believes the Eagles have a 43% chance of victory tomorrow. I think it's more like 35%. I'll be around tomorrow to cover this game on Twitter and wrap it up afterwards right here, so join in @SoaringtoGlory during the game. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/eagles-vs-aggies-does-bc-have-shot.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-6594099161528918370</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:04:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-22T21:04:50.991-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>BC wastes HC, restores order</title><description>In the matchup of two Massachusetts Jesuit former rivals, and my alma mater against my older brother's alma mater, the Boston College Eagles have recovered from their loss to Yale last weekend by taking down Holy Cross, 69-54. Corey Raji led Boston College with 15 points while Danny Rubin, the freshman making his first NCAA start, was right behind with 14.<br /><br />The Eagles trailed only briefly in the first half, and led the rest of the way. It was a close contest for roughly the first two thirds, until Boston College pulled away late. The 3-ball, unlike in the Yale game, was falling again for BC as they made 10 of them. We knew it coming in, and we know it now: BC will live and die by the 3, which is quite something when we have a team of such mediocre shooters.<br /><br />I did not watch the game, because I couldn't, but going by what Meterparel and Huckaby were saying, BC played with much more energy tonight. That, of course, is nice to see following the loss. Donahue probably busted their asses all weekend.<br /><br />With the win, BC is 2-1 and heads to Orlando to face their first real test: the Texas A&M Aggies on Thanksgiving. This will be BC's first real gauge of where they are this season -- more to come later on this week.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/bc-wastes-hc-restores-order.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>4</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-4082967877190446791</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-22T11:00:02.467-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAA Hockey</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAAFB</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Other BC Sports</category><title>Playing catch-up</title><description>Alright, here was your BC weekend: <br /><br /><b>Football: BC beats Virginia 17-13.</b><br /><br />I'm happy for the players, particularly the seniors, that they won their final home game.&nbsp; I did not watch or listen to any of it, but of course, I noticed that the Eagles scored 17 points, which makes ten straight BCS games where BC has not topped 26 points in offensive output.&nbsp; I know we're all high on specific parts of this offense -- for example, Chase Rettig -- but if it were not for BC's defense and things like them holding their opponents to 20 or fewer points SEVEN times this season, this team would easily have a losing record.&nbsp; Yes, the quality of BC's opposition has not been good overall (which is why this season remains a bitter disappointment), but the defense's accomplishments are very notable and to be respected. It is quite a shame that this team has no offense, because the sky might have been the limit in a weak ACC.<br /><br />Now, if you're one of those people who is going to throw a party for becoming bowl eligible in the second to last game of the season, well, congratulations.&nbsp; I have hopes for this program becoming more than a middling 6-8 win squad with no real chance of national prominence or reaching a BCS bowl under the current coaching staff, but hey, that's just me.&nbsp; At least Rettig and the rest get to play in a bowl, regardless of how meaningless it is.&nbsp; The only problem is, with the exception of Clemson, none of the teams BC has beaten are good enough to make bowls, anyway, so I wouldn't count on any miracles with Geritol Gary calling the plays upstairs.<br /><br /><b>Men's hockey: BC beats Maine 4-0 (Friday), 4-1 (Sunday).</b><br /><br />A big weekend sweep of the Maine Black Bears for the Eagles at Conte Forum, and the Eagles are up to 8-4 on the year.&nbsp; Maine, BC's opponent in last season's Hockey East title game, are one of the best teams in the conference.&nbsp; That BC pushed them aside with two solid victories is nothing to take lightly.<br /><br /><b>Women's soccer: Defeats West Virginia 4-0</b><br /><br />The Eagles have advanced once again to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, beating West Virginia at home 4-zip. Next Saturday afternoon on Newton Campus, the Eagles will host the University of Washington for a chance to move to the Final Four.<br /><br /><b>Women's basketball: BC beats Dartmouth 87-61 and Vermont 85-50.</b><br /><br />Two more runaway wins for the Eagles, both on the road. Their average margin of victory in their first four games is 26.8 points. BC is now 4-0 heading into their next game against Seton Hall on Black Friday.<br /><br /><b>Women's hockey: BC beats Boston University 6-3 (Saturday), loses 1-0 (Sunday). </b><br /><br />Never a bad weekend when BU loses, especially to us. Olympic medalist Kelli Stack had a hat trick as the #6 Eagles improve to 8-1-4 on Saturday. Unfortunately, this was followed up by a Sunday loss to split the weekend series.<br /><br /><b>Co-ed sailing: BC repeats as ICSA Championship winners.</b><br /><br />Can't close out the article without mentioning our sailing team which is essentially the best in the nation several years running. They hauled in another national championship this weekend at the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY (Long Island). Congratulations to them.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/playing-catch-up.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-3943218931926990698</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:03:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-18T22:03:45.817-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>...but get 1-1 instead</title><description>(Facepalm)<br /><br />Three years in a row that BC has lost to an Ivy League school, but you won't beat much of anyone in the nation when you (1) don't play good defense and (2) can't shoot.<br /><br />I think that's about all of the post-game reaction I'm game for right now.&nbsp; Chug some Pepto and we'll see you for Holy Cross Monday night.&nbsp; Well, with hockey and football in between.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/but-get-1-1-instead.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-7523176591376013593</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-18T11:00:00.233-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><title>Yale @ BC: Eagles look for 2-0</title><description>Tonight at 7pm, the Boston College Eagles men's basketball team will host the Yale Bulldogs in the second game of the 2010-2011 season.<br /><br />The Eagles, 1-0, look to double their win total against Yale, against whom they are 9-2 all-time.&nbsp; BC's most recent loss to the Bulldogs was in February 1961; the Eagles have won the last eight meetings, the last of which was in 2007, a 72-56 win at Conte Forum.<br /><br />Boston College's first game of the season was a 30-point victory over St. Francis College (of New York).&nbsp; Joe Trapani led BC with 20 points, while Reggie Jackson and Corey Raji had 17 a piece.&nbsp; Yale has played two games, losing both: an 84-75 loss to Quinnipiac and a 58-55 loss at Providence.&nbsp; Yale led for a portion of the 2nd half at the Dunk, coming close to the upset despite having shot 33% from the floor.&nbsp; In the QU loss, Yale shot 42%.<br /><br />Yale have had two close calls early on in the season, but won neither.&nbsp; Early on, they do not seem like a team that shoots very well, and if that is the case, then we could have a SFC redux tonight at Conte.&nbsp; As far as the Eagles go, I would have to assume that most BC fans are itching to see this new motion offense yet again, hoping that they can duplicate the results of the last game and the exhibition.&nbsp; Of course, I think we're itching more to see BC stack up against real competition (which will come on Thanksgiving in the form of Texas A&amp;M), but this will be sufficient for the time being.&nbsp; Not to be overlooked is the fact that BC played a fine defensive game against SFC; given Yale's cold shooting in the first two games and the Eagles' seemingly improved D, another low-scoring game for the opposition seems quite possible.<br /><br />This looks like another 20+ point win for Boston College.&nbsp; The bookies have BC as 19-point favorites, while <a href="http://kenpom.com/team.php?team=Boston%20College">KenPom</a> currently has the spread at a 21-point Eagles victory.<br /><br />A video feed will be available on BCEagles.com (but I hope you have $$). I'm sure there will be other means available to us, however. (wink wink)<br /><br />In other related news, BC yesterday announced the signing of five new players for the 2011-2012 season: Ryan Anderson, Kyle Caudill, Dennis Clifford, Eddie Odio, and Lonnie Jackson.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/yale-bc-eagles-look-for-2-0.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107141435853229421.post-8770476726436013208</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-16T11:00:03.619-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">BC</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAA Hockey</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAABB</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">NCAAFB</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Other BC Sports</category><title>Support your Eagles this week</title><description>Because I don't feel like writing a real article, these are your BC home games:<br /><br />*<b>Men's basketball vs. Yale: Thursday 7pm</b>.&nbsp; The Eagles look to go 2-0 to start the year with another creampuff opponent.&nbsp; Coach D went 2-for-2 against the Bulldogs last year with Cornell, winning both games by double digits.<br /><br />*<b>Women's soccer vs. West Virginia: Friday 7pm.&nbsp;</b> This will also be on Newton Campus as the ladies play on in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.<br /><br />*<b>Men's hockey vs. Maine: Friday 7pm.</b>&nbsp; A rematch of the 2010 Hockey East championship game.<br /><br />*<b>Football vs. Virginia: Saturday 12pm.</b> Amongst others, Mark Herzlich's senior day at Alumni Stadium.<br /><br />Plenty of good events from which to choose.&nbsp; I know all of the teams would be appreciative of your support if you can give it.</description><link>http://soaringtoglory.blogspot.com/2010/11/support-your-eagles-this-week.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total></item></channel></rss>If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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