It’s hard to watch John Muse and not think of Mike Lowell.

Boston College coach Jerry York feels that way. His star goalie, who played every minute of the team’s 2008 NCAA title run as a freshman, had surgery last April 30 to repair a torn labrum in his right hip, the same injury to the same hip that hampered the Red Sox third baseman in 2009. It was only natural for many to wonder if Muse could return to the ice and be effective, let alone return to championship form.

John Muse has returned to form, just in time for BC title hopes.

Ask Boston University and anyone who has come up against Boston College of late and they would say the East Falmouth, Mass. native is indeed capable of leading his team back to the promised land of college hockey like he did two seasons ago.

The goalie was voted MVP of the 2010 Beanpot following his performance on Monday night when he stopped 31 of 34 BU shots in a 4-3 win over the Terriers to capture the 58th Beanpot title.

“Anytime you have a hip operation, it’s a major surgery, even if it’s not hip replacement. He was on crutches for eight full weeks,” York said. “He keeps telling me, ‘I feel great coach and I feel more flexible,’ so hopefully, we’re past the area of concern.”

After starting the season, 3-3-1, Muse, who was platooning with freshman Parker Milner at one point, has caught fire in the last two months and is now 11-6-2, and appears ready to take his team back to the NCAA tournament. Read the rest of this entry »

Boston College wins the 58th annual Beanpot. Coaches and players from both teams talk.

Boston College erased a 1-0 deficit with a flurry of three second-period goals on its way to a 4-3 win over the Boston University Terriers in 58th Beanpot championship game Monday night at TD Garden.

Kevin Shattenkirk gave BU a 1-0 lead with his even strength goal at 13:36 of the first. But BC responded with three in the second, sparked by Steven Whitney’s power play goal 61 seconds in. Carl Sneep and Chris Kreider added goals to put BC in command.

BC claimed its 15th Beanpot title in school history and its second in three years when it withstood a late, furious rally by the Terriers, including a wraparound on the doorstep with 19.8 seconds remaining that was turned away by tournament MVP John Muse.

“If there was a classic Beanpot, that would be one of them,” BC coach Jerry York said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of really good matchups here. This particular one was quick, it was fast. Even at 4-1, none of us thought it was finished yet.”

BU lost in the title game for the first time since losing to BC 2-1 in overtime in 2004. The game also marked the 250th meeting between the archrivals, with BU still leading the series, 125-108 and 17 ties.

“I thought it was a fabulous game to watch as a college hockey game,” BU coach Jack Parker said. “It’s the 250th time we’ve played each other and where better to play each other than the Beanpot final. And other than the outcome, I thought it was a fabulous game. We won seven Beanpots in the decade of the 2000s and eight Beanpot in the decade of the 90s and now they won the first one of this decade so they’re one up up on us. So we’ve got a ways to go.”

Already on the power play, BU pulled goalie Kieran Millan and had a 6-on-4 advantage. Colby Cohen capitalized by scoring with 2:46 remaining to cut the Eagles’ lead to one, 4-3.

BC started the second period with a 5-on-3 power play and with BU on the verge of killing off both penalties, Steven Whitney scored 61 seconds into the period – and with 15 seconds left on the power play – to knot the game, 1-1.

Carl Sneep fired a shot from the right point that beat Kieran Millan to the far side at 12:33 and BC had the lead.

BC capped its domination in the period with a spectacular Chris Kreider goal at 15:48. He took a pass from Jimmy Hayes in the neutral zone and rushed up the left wing. He put a Gretzky-like move on Terriers blue liner Max Nicasatro and slipped the puck past a helpless – and stunned – Millan for a 3-1 Eagles’ lead.

Eagles are 14-1-1 this season when leading after two. BU is just 1-7-2 this year when trailing after two.

Boston University’s Kevin Shattenkirk capitalized on a bad clearing pass by BC defenseman Philip Samuelsson to score the first goal of the game at 13:36 of the first period.

And the first period ends with BU leading, 1-0. BU’s Sean Escobedo and Colby Cohen take penalties in the final 90 seconds of the period so BC will be on a two-man PP for the first 39 seconds of the second period.

BU is outshooting BC, 9-8, in the first 20 minutes.

Tyler McNeely scored twice while Wade McLeod and Greg Costa added single tallies as the Northeastern Huskies beat Harvard, 4-1, to claim the consolation game of the Beanpot tournament on Monday at TD Garden.

McLeod also assisted on McNeely’s second goal, a power play score 6:29 into the third that gave Northeastern a 3-1 advantage.

McLeod scored an empty-netter with 1:49 remaining to seal the win. Northeastern improved to 14-12-1 while Harvard fell to 6-14-3.

Corey Raji and the Eagles are hoping to improve their standing in the league to give them a less-challenging road in the ACC tournament. (AP)

Boston College’s chances of playing in the postseason are dwindling with each loss it suffers. While that news may be grim, the idea that the players aren’t giving a solid effort has been thrown out the window. Since the humiliating loss to Maryland at Conte Forum Jan. 16, the Eagles have gone 2-3 but have not lost a game by more than four points.

This past Saturday, the Eagles were very close to pulling off one of those wins that look great on a team’s resume come Selection Sunday, but a Joe Trapani 3-pointer that would have forced overtime failed to fall at the buzzer vs. Duke.

When asked after the game what the chances of a postseason berth were, coach Al Skinner didn’t seem interested in talking about the tournament. However, he did not provide the kind of panic or great sound bite that Jim Mora did when talking about his Colts.

“Right now I can’t even think about or worry about the postseason because we haven’t really put ourselves, in my opinion, in a position to consider that,” Skinner said after his team fell to 12-11 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. “We’ve got to get ourselves some wins before we can start entertaining anything like that.

“That’s the bigger picture, and we’ve got to be focused on the smaller picture, which is Wake Forest in our next game.”

Tuesday night’s game vs. Wake became a bigger challenge when Trapani, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, was forced to skip the trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., because, according to a release, he is sick.

The Demon Deacons (16-5, 6-3) are coming off consecutive wins over Miami and upstart Virginia, and they swept the two-game series with BC last season. Before that, the Eagles dominated the series by coming away victorious in the first seven meetings, and Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said the Eagles always are a tough matchup.

“They have some hard-nosed, tough guys that play hard, and when you have that, you’ve got a chance in this league to beat anybody,” Gaudio said Monday during the ACC coaches teleconference. “Last year they won at [North Carolina] and they were right there with Duke on Saturday. I just think they have tough, hard-nosed guys that take on coach Skinner’s personality.”

The Eagles need to win and be competitive in their remaining seven games to set themselves up for a better seed in the ACC tournament. The winner of the tournament gets an automatic bid for the NCAAs, and that may be the only way the Eagles get to put on their dancing shoes.

After Saturday’s loss, Corey Raji said he was happy with the way the team was competing and looked ahead to the task at hand.

“If we play with this effort we will put ourselves in a good place for the ACC tournament,” Raji said. “We just got to go down there and play well and hopefully that will be enough to get us in.”

"Groundhog Day" (Columbia Pictures)

There was some disappointment when Punxsutawney Phil/Polamalu saw his shadow roughly a week ago. The furry rodent sentenced the superstitious to six more weeks of winter. However, the news wasn’t all that bad to some, because Groundhog Day also means that it’s only six weeks until Selection Sunday.

As the calendar turns to February, the NFL gives way to spring training and a robust college basketball scene. Sure there are NHL and NBA games, but the sports world starts to gravitate toward the excitement that college basketball thrives on and that Gus Johnson personifies. The NCAA and TV networks have crafted Saturdays to emulate what Sundays are to the NFL: wall-to-wall action to indulge the sports-starved fan that attempts to gradually come down off their fix of football.

With roughly five weeks remaining until Selection Sunday, Bracket 101 will examine the week that was in college basketball and give you a list of 16 teams that are poised to dance their way into the sweetest of company. A lot of sites focus on who will get in, but this blog spot will tell you who the actual contenders are in addition to a weekly roundup of the college hoops scene.

Rapid Rewind

(AP)

One of the major story lines over the past few weeks has been Texas. Since reaching the top spot in the polls, the Longhorns have simply fallen apart as if they were the 2007 Mets. Rick Barnes’ club has lost 4-of-6 with a matchup against No. 1 Kansas to tip off this week. Villanova and Michigan State will join Texas as top-10 teams that will undoubtedly fall a few spots due to recent losses.

Stock Up: West Virginia

West Virginia has won six in a row since its only home loss of the season vs. Syracuse Orange back on Jan. 16. Last week, the blue and gold handled Pittsburgh in the backyard brawl, but some fans took the rivalry too literally, as West Virginia fans showered the court with objects at different points of the second half. Bob Huggins had to get on the mic and address the crowd. Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion was hit with what appeared to be a coin under his right eye and had a visible bruise under the eye after the game. Unfortunately, some Mountaineers fans did not respect their guests and represent their school with class. Huggins’ team is one of the hottest in the land right now after it disposed of St. John’s Saturday after being down by as many as 16.

Stock Down: Texas

Lady Gaga (AP)

Why are the Longhorns sliding? Two things stick out like Lady Gaga at … well, wherever she is. 1) Bad free throw shooting. Barnes’ club made just 10-of-27 in their most recent loss to the Oklahoma Sooners – a game that they lost by 9 points.  Texas is shooting 61 percent from the charity stripe, which is good for dead last in the Big 12 and near the bottom nationally. 2) Barnes isn’t helping, either, as the former Providence coach continues to meddle with his rotation. There seems to be no consistency in the Texas lineup, especially with big man Dexter Pittman, who many thought had the potential to control the paint for the Longhorns with double-doubles every night.

Heat Check: Dominique Jones

46-28-37-29 — Those are the last four point totals for South Florida guard Dominique Jones before Sunday. Jones has shouldered the load for the Bulls, and his team has not lost since Jan. 20. During that span, the Bulls have beaten Georgetown and Pitt, two ranked teams, and have their sights set on a tournament bid after pulling themselves to 5-5 in the brutal Big East. The table is set for Jones and the Bulls as they only play one more ranked opponent, Villanova on the road, the rest of the way. If Jones continues to fill up the tin like a Big East Player of the Year candidate, the Bulls have a shot to be dancing come Selection Sunday.

The Dean’s 16

These 16 teams are the ones that have proved they have the talent to win two games in the NCAA tournament. Check out a complete look at the national polls by clicking here.

The contenders
Kansas (22-1)

Kentucky (22-1)

Syracuse (23-1)

Michigan State (19-5)

The Rest of the Elite Eight
Villanova (20-2)

Purdue (19-3)

West Virginia (19-3)

Georgetown (17-5)

We’re good, but not bound for Indy
Kansas State (19-4)

Duke (19-4)

Wisconsin (18-5)

Ohio State (18-6)

Sweet for now
Texas (19-4)

Gonzaga (19-4)

Butler (20-4)

New Mexico (21-3)

Eagles Watch

BC lost a tough one to Duke Saturday. (AP)

Unfortunately for local fans, hometown Boston College (12-11) is not equipped to take advantage of a down year for the ACC.  Coach Al Skinner doesn’t have that diamond in the rough this season that has historically carried program. Troy Bell, Craig Smith, Jared Dudley and even Tyrese Rice are not walking through that door. This BC team simply does not have that go-to guy. On Saturday, the Eagles made a nice run to put a scare into Duke at Conte Forum, but a desperation 3-pointer from Joe Trapani that would have tied the game at the buzzer clanked off the front iron. It doesn’t look like the Eagles will be a part of the field of 64 this season unless they make a run through the ACC tournament. We did say the ACC is down this year, BC just played Duke down to the last possession and Doug Flutie did hit Gerard Phelan in the end zone. So anything is possible — just not likely.

Couch Potato Fixings (Nationally televised games to watch this week)

Monday
9:00 PM ET (1) Kansas at (10) Texas (ESPN)
7:00 PM ET (2) Villanova at (6) West Virginia (ESPN)

Tuesday
9:00 PM ET (7) Purdue at (5) Michigan State (ESPN)
7:00 PM ET (14) Tennessee at (20) Vanderbilt (ESPN)

Wednesday
9:00 PM ET (9) Duke at North Carolina (ESPN)
7:00 PM ET Connecticut at (4) Syracuse (ESPN)

Thursday
11:00 PM ET Saint Mary’s at (13) Gonzaga (ESPN2)

Friday
9:00 PM ET (6) West Virginia at (21) Pittsburgh (ESPN)

Saturday
9:00 PM ET (14) Tennessee at (3) Kentucky (ESPN)
1:00 PM ET Maryland at (9) Duke (CBS)

Sunday
1:00 PM ET (18) Ohio State at Illinois (CBS)

Back-Door Cuts (recommended reading for hoopsters)
Student-section conduct conducive to epic blow-up by Gary Parrish
The Ten will live in OSU hearts forever by Doug Gottlieb
Bouldin, Fredette top best non-BCS conference players by Seth Davis

Poll

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Boston College really had no business being in a one-possession game as the final seconds ticked off Saturday at Conte Forum. Duke had outplayed the Eagles, and the Blue Devils had controlled the boards by rotating a trio of 6-foot-10 players (Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee and Miles Plumlee) in and out of the frontcourt along with 7-1 Brian Zoubek and 6-8 swingmen Kyle Singler and Lance Thomas. The Eagles have one player taller than 6-8: Josh Southern (6-10), who played just 11 minutes.

But BC’s smaller players crashed the boards hard and narrowed the rebounding deficit to four by game’s end. And the Eagles, down 10 points with 3:49 remaining and seemingly on the cusp of letting the game slip away, gamely battled back, to the point where they had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer. However, a 3-pointer by Joe Trapani — under pressure from the taller Zoubek — was off the mark, and the Eagles fell, 66-63.

Duke helped BC’s comeback by missing free throws, misfiring uncontested 3-pointers and failing to convert a couple of inside baskets.

“Offensively, we left a lot of points on the court,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Up until the last four free throws [by Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer in the game's final 26 seconds] we were 11-for-22. That’s not very good, just in case you don’t have your calculator. That’s not really good. And we left a lot of points on the floor inside. I really thought we played well and didn’t score. I thought they played well. I thought we played better. And we played better than the score.”

Krzyzewski sensed his team was leaving the door open for the Eagles, but he wasn’t unhappy with the Devils’ effort.

Said Krzyzewski: “[After the game] I was telling our athletic director, Kevin White, I said it felt like a baseball manager. You’re up 2-1, bottom of the sixth, second and third, nobody out, you don’t score. Bottom of the seventh, bases loaded, nobody out, you don’t score. All of a sudden you get to the eighth and ninth inning, it’s still 2-1. And that’s what happened in that ballgame. When we had that 10-point lead, we went to the line a lot, we had a couple of inside things that [we] didn’t score on. That’s why I’m proud of my guys, [because] they had the toughness at the end to still win. They inbounded the ball well, we never turned it over against the press, and then Nolan and Jon hit four big free throws. And then Zoubek made the play of the game in closing out on Trapani and taking him off the 3 where he had to put the ball on the floor because obviously he’s a heck of a shooter. So, for Brian to do that — we made winning plays to win. I just felt that we played better than the score.”

On the final play, the Eagles had Reggie Jackson bring the ball up the court with 11 seconds left, following two free throws by Scheyer. On the Eagles’ previous possession, Jackson delivered a high-arching trey from well beyond the top of the 3-point line to draw BC within a point and send the crowd of 8,606 into a frenzy. This time, Duke double-teamed the sophomore right after he crossed the midcourt line.

Read the rest of this entry »

Duke's Kyle Singler shoots over Boston College's Tyler Roche and Joe Trapani (right) during Saturday's game at Conte Forum. (AP)

Boston College almost made Duke’s annual trip to the Heights a nightmare for the second straight season Saturday at Conte Forum. Joe Trapani’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was unsuccessful, and the Eagles fell short 66-63, a month after the No. 10 Blue Devils embarrassed BC at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke (19-4 overall, 7-2 ACC) led by 10 with less than four minutes to go, but the Eagles chipped away and pulled to within one point before falling just short before a crowd of 8,606.

The loss probably leaves the Eagles (12-11, 3-6) on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA tournament. Only North Carolina, Miami and NC State were in the Eagles’ wake coming into the game.

“Right now I can’t even think about or worry about postseason because we haven’t really put ourselves, in my opinion, in a position to consider that,” said BC coach Al Skinner, whose team fell to 2-12 all-time vs. Duke. “We’ve got to get ourselves some wins before we can start entertaining anything like that.

“That’s the bigger picture, and we’ve got to be focused on the smaller picture, which is Wake Forest in our next game.”

Here are three things worth further examination from Saturday’s game:

THE FINAL PLAY

After John Scheyer (21 points) nailed two free throws to give the Blue Devils a 66-63 lead with 12.1 seconds remaining, the Eagles inbounded the ball and decided to forgo their final timeout. Reggie Jackson brought the ball up and was forced right by a double team and had to throw a desperate pass back across to Trapani, whose off-balance 3-pointer was unsuccessful.

The timeout was in the coach’s back pocket, but Skinner said he didn’t need the timeout because he felt comfortable in his team executing the final play.

“We had already called the play, so we already knew what we wanted,” Skinner said. “I didn’t want to give [the Blue Devils] a chance to set their defense and I didn’t want them to be able to make a substitution.”

Read the rest of this entry »