For the first time since the 2010-11 season, Boston College men’s basketball (19-15, 7-11 Atlantic Coast) is headed to the National Invitational Tournament. After the Eagles won 19 games this season, including two in this past week’s ACC Tournament, BC fans were hoping to see their team play in Conte Forum in the opening round of the NIT, but instead, the No. 5 seed Eagles will head down south to play No. 4 Western Kentucky on Tuesday night.
Unlike conference foes Notre Dame and Louisville—who planned on hearing their names called earlier in the day for the Big Dance—BC is simply happy to have more to play for this season. Head coach Jim Christian recently completed the most successful regular season in his four-year tenure, and his team is surely looking at the invitation as a representation of their achievements in the 2017-18 season.
The last time the Eagles played in the NIT they made it to the second round as their region’s No. 1 seed. After a win against McNeese State, BC fell to Northwestern in a disappointing 18-point loss.
With a win on Tuesday, BC will go on to play either No. 1 USC or No. 8 UNC Asheville in the second round. There’s no telling how far the Eagles will go in the 32-team field, but at the very least, they will be playing meaningful basketball in March again.
Featured Image by Keith Carroll / Heights Editor
