Are the Boston College Eagles Ready to Soar in the ACC?

If there’s a single theme that will determine the fate of the 2008-09 Boston College Eagles men’s basketball team, it can be summed up in one word.

Youth.

A quick scan of the roster reveals three freshmen, seven sophomores, one junior, and a lone senior.

Fortunately for the Eagles, that senior just happens to be Tyrese Rice.

Rice, who earned first team All-ACC honors last season, will be counted on by his young teammates and his coach, Al Skinner. He will have to provide leadership throughout what’s sure to be a challenging journey through the Atlantic Coast Conference portion of the schedule.

A jack of all trades, Rice, the 6’1” Richmond, VA native, averaged 21 points, five assists, and a little over three rebounds last season, all while logging 38 of a possible 40 minutes per game. Does he sell concessions at halftime too?

The Eagles endured a long season last year. It was certainly not one they’ve been typically used to when the likes of current NBA players Craig Smith and Jared Dudley and classic glue-guy Sean Marshall patrolled the hardwood at Conte Forum.

The bright spots of the 2007-08 campaign for the Eagles were few and far between, as they finished the year with a record of 14-17, including a mark of 4-12 in ACC play.

Heading into this year, expectations (at least among media members) were for another season similar to last, as the Eagles were picked to finish 11th in the conference, beating out only the Virginia Cavaliers.

But like the late Al McGuire once said, “the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.”

So the lumps that B.C. endured last year should have a positive effect on players like Rakim Sanders, Josh Southern, Corey Raji, and Biko Paris, all of whom received the proverbial “baptism by fire.”

Those players, along with Vermont transfer Joe Trapani (eligible this season) and freshmen Reggie Jackson (hold the baseball jokes), Dallas Elmore, and Evan Ravenel, should all be ready to play the role of Tonto to Rice’s Lone Ranger.

But when your team consists of 10 players in either their freshman or sophomore year of eligibility, constructing an out-of-conference slate that would make John Calipari or Mark Few blush isn’t exactly the way to build confidence.

Scheduling a bunch of what should be “gimme” wins is. And from the looks of B.C.’s early season schedule, that’s just what Coach Skinner did.

To borrow a phrase from Dick Vitale, Skinner and the Eagles feasted on a steady diet of Hostess Cupcakes before the calendar changed, although there were a few games of note to whet the appetites of their fan base.

Boston College played in the Pre-Season NIT, and after two fairly easy early round victories over Loyola (MD) and St. John's, the Eagles advanced to the semifinals in Madison Square Garden to meet No. 9 Purdue.

The Eagles hung tough with Matt Painter’s talented Boilermakers before ultimately dropping a 71-64 decision.

Purdue’s defense was the difference, as B.C. made only 39 percent of their field goals for the game and shot a measly 21 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

Two nights later, Skinner’s team defeated Alabama-Birmingham to capture third place in the tournament behind 24 points from Rice.

The Eagles outscored the Blazers by 14 in the second half after trailing by eight at the intermission.

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