Remember back in April when some guy at Projo.com took exception to the fact that the high-falutin', ACC Eagles couldn't find room on its 2011-2012 men's basketball schedule to play Harvard? Well it looks like the erstwhile Eagles -- Cluck, cluck! -- found room on the sched for the Crimson on this year's schedule after all.
The Eagles will host the Harvard Crimson on Thursday, December 29 at Conte Forum, according to the Crimson's 2011-12 schedule. So I guess the Projo.com can go back to coverage of its 14th place Big East men's basketball program and 9th place Hockey East hockey team.
As we are all painfully aware, the Crimson have won three straight over the Eagles, a streak that goes back to January 7, 2009. Coming off a big road victory over then number 1 North Carolina, BC dropped its next game to Harvard 82-70, setting off a four game losing streak in early January that put the Eagles in a 1-3 hole in the ACC. The following season, it was a 74-67 setback in a year where the Eagles limped to a 15-16 overall record, resulting in the firing of Al Skinner. Finally, last season the Eagles fell to the Crimson once again, a 78-69 loss that probably was part of the reason that BC was left out of last year's NCAA Tournament.
So will the Eagles get off the schneid and notch their first win over Harvard since 2005?
It's not going to be easy considering the Crimson don't lose anyone from last year's 23-7 squad. Leading scorer Keith Wright returns for his senior season, coming off a year in which he averaged 14.8 PPG and 8.3 RPG (Wright went for 15 and 5 against BC last season). Sophomore guard Laurent Rivard also returns, having dropped 23 on BC this January and finishing the year with 11 PPG.
Much like previous seasons, the timing of this year's BC vs. Harvard game isn't conducive to finally getting into the win column against the Crimson either. This year's date falls a few days after the Christmas holiday smack in the middle of 2011 ACC bowl week. Attendance will probably once again be light.
Scheduled Boston College basketball games below:
Thursday, November 24 vs. Saint Louis (76 Classic, ESPNU)
Friday, November 25 vs. Villanova / UC Riverside (76 Classic)
Sunday, November 27 vs. New Mexico / Santa Clara / Oklahoma / Washington State (76 Classic)
Wednesday, November 30 vs. Penn State (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
Thursday, December 8 at Providence
Sunday, December 11 vs. Stony Brook
Wednesday, December 21 vs. Sacred Heart
Thursday, December 29 vs. Harvard
Monday, January 2 vs. Rhode Island