Brian: The Eagles let the Deacons hang around for the games first 8 minutes before using an 18-2 run midway through the first half to pull away en route to a 84-68 victory over Wake Forest. The win pushes BC's record to 19-11 (9-7 ACC) and gives the Eagles the no. 5 seed in this week's ACC Tournament.
BC seniors Corey Raji (21 points, 6 boards), Biko Paris (19 points, 4 assists) and Joe Trapani (17 points, 3 boards) had big nights in their final home game in the maroon and gold. The Eagles -- led by Biko's 6-7 three point shooting -- finally got hot from beyond the arc, finishing 12-22 (54.55 percent).
Let's get right to what everyone has on their minds: BC's NCAA Tournament resume.
The Eagles earned a rematch against Wake Forest in the 5-12 matchup on Thursday (2 PM, ACC Network). Should BC get past Wake, they would face Clemson on Friday at 2 PM. I maintain that BC is in with a second win over Wake Forest. Others disagree, saying that Friday's BC-Clemson matchup is an NCAA Tournament elimination game.
So which is it? One more win, or two (or more) for BC?
Jeff: I think we all agree that losing to Wake ensures BC of an NIT rather than NCAA berth. After that, BC needs to assure itself that they are among the top four considered by the committee out of the ACC. Going into the weekend, BC was the third best ACC school based on RPI but Florida State certainly has a better overall resume according to 99 percent of people.
Then BC should certainly get chosen over Virginia Tech after having beaten them twice this season and Virginia Tech finishing the season with two losses going into the ACC Tournament. Clemson, however, might be able to say the same in comparison to BC after Friday. If Clemson beats BC, they'll be able to point to two victories over the Eagles when fighting for one of those final at-large bids into the tournament.
Unfortunately, this may very well be only a four team league this season. I do not see any scenario where the league gets only three teams regardless off how crazy the events of the week play out, but it is difficult to see five teams and impossible to see six. Losing to Clemson will not mean certain elimination for the Eagles, but it could be real tough for them to get in. If they lose a close game, their chances improve. If they lose in blowout fashion, NIT it is.
The strange thing is that with two wins in the ACC Tournament, I don't think BC is even on the bubble come Sunday. With a victory over Clemson and a game against UNC on Saturday, the Eagles are safely in the dance. BC controls its own destiny right now as much as a bubble team possibly can without winning their conference tournament.