Jeff: There are a lot of things we do not know about this BC Eagles basketball team. However, we do know that this core of players has played better this year and last year in games televised on ESPN and against teams with Duke and North Carolina written across their jerseys. I think because of this, more so than the improvement the team has shown, BC has a chance tomorrow. Do you agree?
Brian: Not sure I agree. Sure, BC has been playing better and beat both Duke and North Carolina last year. But don’t forget that Duke is playing better, too. Duke just dismantled a Georgia Tech team that beat them the first time around. While it was great for BC to beat Duke for the first time in 25 years, I’m not expecting a repeat performance. The Eagles have been too inconsistent this year, and have let too many close games slip away for me to say that BC has a good chance today. Do they have a chance? Absolutely. But I don’t think just because their uniforms say Duke and Mike Krzyzewski will be roaming the sidelines that the Eagles have any more of a chance than they normally would.
Jeff: Do you think the Eagles can win their three remaining home games if they can get past Duke to finish the season with a nice 6-2 home record? Our remaining home games against Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia are clearly games against the bottom of the league in terms of RPI. Currently RPI standings look something like:
Duke (7)
Georgia Tech (22)
Florida State (27)
Clemson (28)
Wake Forest (29)
Marlyand (40)
Virginia (58)
Virginia Tech (63)
UNC (69)
Miami (80)
NC State (99)
Brian: I think regardless of the outcome of the Duke game, I like the Eagles in all 3 of their remaining home games. With UNC losing on Thursday night - their sixth loss in eight games, pushing their record to 13-9 overall - the wheels have all but completely come off the Tar Heels bandwagon. College basketball fans should get used to the idea of the defending National Champions being left out of the Big Dance. BC proved they could play with Virginia Tech on the road at Cassell. Finally, while the Cavaliers 5-2 ACC record looks impressive at face value, we will catch UVA just at the right time. The Cavaliers starts a tough stretch of games this Saturday that includes Wake Forest, at Maryland, at Virginia Tech, FSU, at Clemson, at Miami, and Duke. After they navigate that stretch of games, they then travel to Chestnut Hill. The Eagles may very well catch the ‘Hoos on a 4, 5 or 6 game slide, and as a result, I like BC’s chances to beat Virginia.