2014-15 Boston College Basketball Predictions

There are a few different ways we can all go with our 2014-15 Boston College basketball predictions.

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The first might be openly optimistic. It seems to be working in football, forecasting a winning record for the Eagles when most did not even see .500 in their sights last year or this season. Perhaps Jim Christian will surprise in his first season as head coach.

Then, there is openly pessimistic. Boston College basketball is coming off of its worst three-year stretch in history, piling up 63 losses since the start of the 2011-12 season. How much could they possibly improve given how bad they have been?

Finally, we can take a temperate approach. Maybe the Eagles will not hugely improve, but they will not test single-digit wins again, either. Twice in the last three seasons was enough.

Boston College basketball fans are hungry for good news after some of the most humiliating seasons they have ever witnessed. Can we give it to them?

2014-15 Boston College Basketball Predictions: Bottom Line

There has been a good amount of change from last season, both on the bench and on the court. None of this is necessarily a bad thing, considering what was previously here crashed and burned. There are some remnants of the Steve Donahue era still around, but perhaps the short-term roster turnover is reason enough to be optimistic for now. (As for long-term, Christian’s next recruiting class or two should be our first real indication of where this thing is going. Donahue’s first and only big recruiting class tanked him.)

I gave Donahue credit for scheduling up last season. If the Eagles had really taken that step forward we all hoped they would, then they should have been able to prove it. Instead, the team skidded off the runway from the start and Donahue threw himself under the bus for the tough schedule. It showed what the team really was: not that good.

This season, the non-conference schedule looks manageable for a team having a rebuilding year, with at least enough gimmes to break even. Nevertheless, an ACC schedule still follows it and, until proven otherwise, it is hard to see Boston College getting any lift. The 2014-15 season in many ways will end up being less depressing than the ones which came before it, but most likely not any huge revelation.

2014-15 Boston College Basketball Predictions: Non-Conference By The Numbers

Predicting a 6-6 record for Boston College outside the ACC. This includes probable victories over New Hampshire, Marist, Maine, Binghamton, and UMass-Lowell, as well as one win at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off this month.

2014-15 Boston College Basketball Predictions: ACC By The Numbers

Predicting a 6-12 ACC campaign for Boston College, for an overall record of 12-18.

The early stretch of ACC play will likely start horribly for the Eagles given its difficulty; their first win may not come until Georgia Tech on January 25. After that, another sizable stretch of games in which they will be substantial underdogs.

Eventually, the ACC slate will lighten up and the wins will start to flow a little more easily. Boston College could head into the ACC Tournament on a three-game win streak, saving face with 12 wins on the season.

The closest thing to an upset I am willing to forecast is a home win over Notre Dame on February 21, 2015.