Game 15: Boston College-Harvard Basketball Gameday
By Joe Micik
On Harvard basketball gameday, the Boston College Eagles attempt to slay ghosts of failures past.
One loss to Harvard.
Two losses in a row to Harvard.
Three losses in a row to Harvard.
Four losses in a row to Harvard.
Five losses in a row to Harvard.
Six freakin’ losses in a row to Harvard.
Surely, this has been a dark and embarrassing stretch in Boston College basketball history, and these six games are among their most treacherous failures. Harvard basketball has been on the rise under Tommy Amaker in recent years, but that might explain Harvard clipping an ACC team once or twice. Six times? They’re in your head, and it’s passing down from Eagle generation to generation. The Eagles were still deeply entrenched in the Al Skinner era the last time Boston College took down the Crimson.
New coach Jim Christian will aim to change that tonight. Boston College is already in a position where they are not playing for much more than their own dignity, but if this team does nothing else this season, they must correct six years of humiliation by the team from Cambridge.
Over the past few years, there has been no debate: Harvard has been the better program with the better trajectory. Amaker could not cut it in the big boy leagues but is overqualified to coach the Crimson, with strong results. Meanwhile, Boston College has been in an endless decline, such that the only power-conference team in the state is not even the third-best within the confines of the Commonwealth most nights.
For our collective sanity, the streak must end tonight.
Follow @SoaringtoGlory for updates on the game.
Boston College-Harvard Basketball Gameday:
Game #15 Info
Gametime
7:00pm Eastern
Venue
Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
The Line
Harvard -3.5
”Television”
ESPN3 (Bob Picozzi, Malcolm Huckaby)
Radio
WEEI 850AM (Online link)
(Jon Meterparel, Danya Abrams)
Records and Rankings
Boston College, unranked, are 7-7 (0-3) on the season. They have lost three games in a row, all within the ACC, but have gone 7-4 in non-conference play.
Unranked Harvard is 10-3 (1-0) this season. They are 3-2 on the road overall and have won three games in a row. In their only meetings with power-conference teams so far, Virginia beat them by 49 and Arizona State won by 10.
Boston College and Harvard Basketball Top Performers
The Eagles get 16.4 points per game from Olivier Hanlan, while Aaron Brown, trailing off lately, is down to 14.6. Dimitri Batten is next with 8.1 and Dennis Clifford scores eight a game.
Boston College Eagles
Clifford, the tallest Eagle, tops the team with 5.8 rebounds on average; Patrick Heckmann grabs 4.6.
Wesley Saunders is by far Harvard’s main scoring threat with 16.2 points per game; Corbin Miller is second with 9.5. Siyani Chambers averages 8.8 per contest for a team that tallies 65 per game.
Steve Moundou-Missi leads in rebounding with 6.8 per game, while Wesley Saunders pulls down 5.8.
Recent Results vs. Harvard Basketball
See top of article.
Boston College leads the all-time series, 32-15.