Welcome back to the work week. And welcome to another big week in BC athletics. The football team is gearing up for their final home game of the season (wait, what? how did that happen already?!!!) and a chance to become bowl-eligible (will there be hats and t-shirts?).
The men's hockey team is suddenly hot, sitting a 6-2-1, and is preparing for a home-and-home with struggling UMass. The women's hockey team has two tough ECAC road games on Friday and Saturday. And both shootyhoops teams have a chance to pick up their first wins of the season, with the men's team's home opener coming this Thursday.
But wait, there's more!
Fall sports are now into the home stretch. The ACC men's soccer tournament begins on Tuesday, with BC traveling to top-seeded Maryland in the quarterfinals. At 7-8-2 on the season, they will need to pull at least one and probably two upsets in the ACC tourney to get themselves back into the NCAA tournament - otherwise, we're looking at a very disappointing season.
The field hockey team learned its tournament fate over the weekend, as the Eagles will face UConn on Saturday.
To the links!
N.C. State's Doeren: Mitchell to start at QB at Boston College (News-Record.com)
Dave Doeren is scrapping the two-quarterback rotation at North Carolina State. Doeren said Monday that Arkansas transfer Brandon Mitchell will start this week at Boston College and that "it'll be his game."
Injuries starting to pile up for BC (ESPN Boston)
Football, it has been said, is a game of attrition. And come the end of the season, the healthiest teams often have the best chance to win. While Boston College has avoided major injuries to key personnel for the most part, the bumps and bruises and sprains and strains are starting to add up as the season has entered its final quarter.
NCAA re-rank: Our list from 1-125
61. Boston College (5-4, 2-3)
He may be the smallest member of the Boston College men's basketball team, but Robo Arcand is the source of the biggest boost of inspiration for his teammates.
The soon to be 15-year-old was diagnosed with leukemia when he was in first grade, but he is far from alone in his lifelong battle. Working with Team IMPACT, Arcand has been a member of the B.C. basketball team since 2011 - longer than most of the guys currently on the roster. With his positive outlook and appreciation of life, the Eagles view him as the role model, not the other way around.
Harvard basketball team thinking big (The Boston Globe)
The thought of perfection crossed Kyle Casey's mind when he scanned Harvard's basketball schedule. He saw the tough early-season matchup against Colorado on the road, the opening-round battle with Denver in the Great Alaska Shootout, the trips across town to Northeastern and Boston University, the home game the Crimson finally got with Boston College. He still felt comfortable.
Steve Mastalerz day-to-day for UMass hockey, not ruled out for Thursday (The Daily Collegian)
The Massachusetts hockey team is still holding out hope for Steve Mastalerz. UMass coach John Micheletto said before practice on Monday that the junior goaltender is "day-to-day" and hasn't been ruled out for Thursday's contest against Boston College at Mullins Center.
Minnesota reigns atop D-I women’s poll (USCHO.com)
With an unblemished 12-0-0 record so far, Minnesota is again the top-ranked team in the USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll. The Gophers received all 15 first-places again this week and have accomplished that feat in every poll this year. Wisconsin, Cornell, North Dakota and Boston College remain in spots two through five, respectively.