Boston College Basketball Beats Syracuse: The Miracle at the Dome

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

A week ago, Boston College fans were talking about “The Timeout” at Georgia Tech.

Today, they are talking about “The Miracle.”

Nobody was more wrong than us about Wednesday night’s game between the Boston College Eagles and the Syracuse Orange. All day, we talked about how ESPN gave the Eagles a one-percent chance at victory and that the team were significant underdogs, poised for an embarrassing double-digit loss.

After all, Boston College was blowing games left and right and Syracuse kept pulling proverbial rabbits out of their imaginary hats. Eagles fans were long accustomed to the Charlie Brown and Lucy Van Pelt routine, with the football being snatched away at the last second. Surely, with the game close at the end, the Eagles would falter and undefeated Syracuse would remain as such.

But they didn’t.

There are reasons this all happened up at Syracuse. Yes, Boston College did actually play a complete game, for essentially the first time all year, and yes, the Orange did sleepwalk through most of it. Also, Syracuse deserved what they got for their efforts (see: lack thereof), if we’re going to be fair. If you are an Eagles fan, however, do the details even matter?

When it comes down to it, if you root for Boston College, you have seen not one, not two, but three lousy seasons all strung together. Since my senior year on the Heights, 2007-2008, the Eagles have made the NCAA Tournament exactly once, and in spite of last night’s revelation, that streak will probably continue for a bit longer. It has been rough sledding to be sure, but seemingly out of the blue, the perfect storm came together last night in the Finger Lakes region of New York State and, if even just for one night, the Eagles were once again the talk of the college basketball world.

None of us can change what has happened to date, and there is not much that can be done about that record. Certainly, there are many parts of the last few years every Boston College hoops fan would love to get to do over. As for today, however, that does not matter. Who cares what happened before? Who cares what this means thereafter? Boston College defeated the #1 team in the country on their home court, even with the odds and conventional wisdom completely stacked against them. We can talk about the how and why, but all that truly matters is the bottom line.

With everything in the world against them except their brothers in maroon and gold, and with the spirit of Dick Kelley smiling down on them from above, the Eagles became the kings for a day. If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.