According to a report from Boston College’s student newspaper, The Heights, Notre Dame sophomore Alex Dragicevich plans to transfer to BC. Dragicevich will have to sit out a year as per NCAA rules before being eligible to suit up for the Eagles.

Dragicevich, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard from Northbrook, Ill., played in all 34 games for the Irish this past season, averaging 6.6 points in 20.9 minutes per game. He saw limited duty as a freshman, scoring 20 points in 14 games.

He reportedly chose BC over Northwestern, Loyola (Ill.), Valparaiso and Oregon State.

Luke Kuechly (40) is charging into the NFL as a first-round pick with the Panthers. (AP)

Luke Kuechly is ready to prove his skeptics wrong. At 6-foot-3 but only 237 pounds, there are those who doubt he can handle the rigors of the inside linebacker position in the NFL. He’ll get pushed around and not be fast enough, they fear.

Fear, though, is not in Kuechly’s vocabulary. Excitement and anticipation are.

“I’m so pumped up that they were interested in me and wanted me on their team,” Kuechly said in a conference call from his Cincinnati home with friends and family Thursday night after the Panthers chose him ninth overall in the 2012 NFL draft. “It’s an honor, and now I’ve got to get down there and do what I can to contribute to the team. I’m just excited right now for the opportunity.”

So why, if he was undersized and just a step slow, was he taken as the ninth overall pick?

Simple. He’s one of the smartest and most instinctive linebackers to come out in the draft in the last several years. He can also play all over the field.

He moved from inside to outside when Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. In three years at Boston College, he became a two-time first-team All-America linebacker.

“They told me to be ready to pick it up and be ready to play all three positions,” he said. “I’ve got to pick up the playbook quick and just be versatile and ready to go.

“I just love playing football. It’s been my top priority since I started playing. I love playing football, love the mental aspects of the game and preparing for the game. It’s something I enjoy doing.”

That certainly showed at Boston College, where he registered 532 tackles, including 299 solo tackles, in 38 career games in three seasons (2009-11) at Boston College. He is the NCAA career-record holder in tackles per game (14.0) and solo tackles per game (7.87).

Kuechly earned the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Lott Impact Trophy after leading all collegiate football players in tackles (191) and solo tackles (102) – for the second straight season – last fall.

“The process is about getting a job in the NFL,’’ he said Thursday night. “Everybody has to do it. It’s a business where you have to go out and perform and make plays and be productive. That’s how it works.’’

Kuechly is the 19th Eagle to have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Boston College NFL first-round draft picks:

YEAR NAME POS. TEAM RD. PICK
2012 Luke Kuechly LB Panthers 1 9
2011 Anthony Castonzo OT Colts 1 22
2009 B.J. Raji DT Packers 1 9
2008 Matt Ryan QB Falcons 1 3
2008 Gosder Cherilus OT Lions 1 17
2006 Mathias Kiwanuka DE Giants 1 32
2002 William Green RB Browns 1 16
2002 Marc Colombo OT Bears 1 29
2000 Chris Hovan DT Vikings 1 25
1999 Damien Woody C Patriots 1 17
1996 Pete Kendall OT Seahawks 1 21
1995 Mike Mamula LB Eagles 1 7
1989 Joe Wolf G Cardinals 1 17
1987 John Bosa DE Dolphins 1 16
1977 Steve Shindler G Broncos 1 18
1972 Bill Thomas RB Cowboys 1 26
1967 Bob Hyland G Packers 1 9
1959 Don Allard QB Redskins 1 4
1943 Mike Holovak FB Rams 1 5

Luke Kuechly

Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, expected to be a first-round draft pick in the NFL draft Thursday, joined the Dennis & Callahan show Wednesday morning. To hear the interview, go to the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

Kuechly made a name for himself playing in all situations for BC, but he knows that he’ll have to earn his time in the NFL.

“That’s the goal, is to be an every-down linebacker,” he said. “But again, you’ve got to prove everything. College is over. It’s a new thing now. You’ve got to work up the totem pole. That’s the goal for me, to be out there every down, but I’ve got to show I can do it.”

Kuechly said he declined an invitation to attend the draft in New York.

“I’m going to sit at home with my family in my house,” the Cincinnati native said. “I think it will be a little more relaxed. It will be something that will give me a better opportunity to maybe just hang out and not have to worry about it quite as much. I think it will be a little less maybe stressful, just to have a lot of people from my family around.”

Asked what purchase he’s been looking forward to making once he signs his first contract, Kuechly said he has his eye on a special piece of furniture.

“I’m going to get a couch and relax on that, hang out,” he said.

Gabe Moton

Sophomore guard Gabe Moton asked for and was given his release from the Boston College basketball team this week. Moton averaged 2.9 points and 1.1 assists in 15.8 minutes per game this past season, losing minutes to freshman Jordan Daniels as the year progressed.

“Basically, I just felt like I have more to give. I have more to give to a team,” Moton told SB Nation‘s Gethin Coolbaugh. “I just want to find a team, find a school, you know, [that I] can contribute more [to]. I feel like I’ve got more to give than I was given the opportunity to give.”

The 6-foot-1, 177-pounder often was credited as being a standout defender by coach Steve Donahue, but Moton struggled on offense. Moton had only good things to say about his soon-to-be former coach and teammates.

“He’s a good coach, I wish him the best of luck,” Moton said of Donahue. “I had fun playing under him. … I enjoyed being around all my teammates. I love all my teammates. We really were like a family, but I’m just doing what’s best for myself.”

Moton is the second Eagle to plan his transfer since the season ended, following Matt Humphrey.

BC also made news this week when it was revealed that the Eagles are ending their series with UMass. The teams had played since 1995.

“Their coaches indicated that because of the expanded 18-game [Atlantic Coast Conference] schedule, they couldn’t continue the series,” UMass athletic director John McCutcheon told The Boston Globe. “We would have liked to continue the series. We’ll just have to find someone else.”

With four national championships in the last 12 seasons, the Boston College men’s hockey program has been perhaps the most dominant in college hockey in the new millennium, and the Eagles will look to add another trophy to their ever-expanding case as they take on Ferris State in the Frozen Four championship Saturday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.

This year marks BC’s 23rd Frozen Four appearance in program history and its 10th in the last 15 seasons. Not only has the Eagles’ run under the guidance of coach Jerry York been dominant, but BC’s run to the national title game has been a continuation of what has been yet another banner season.

The Eagles (32-10-1) captured both the Hockey East regular season championship and the conference tournament, all while securing the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament in the process. In the tournament’s first two rounds, BC waltzed its way to the Frozen Four with a combination of a Chris Kreider-led offense and a stifling defense that shut its opponents out entirely. In their wins over Air Force and defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth, the Eagles didn’t surrender a single goal, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 6-0.

Though they did let up their first goal of the tournament, perhaps the Eagles’ most impressive win came Thursday with a 6-1 rout of a talented Minnesota squad that had previously outscored its NCAA tournament opponents by a 12-5 margin. The win was BC’s 18th in a row and like it has been for much of that streak, goaltender Parker Milner was a prominent reason why the Eagles found themselves on the winning end against the Golden Gophers.

“It’s just like he’s climbing up the steps,” York told Scott McLaughlin of College Hockey News. “Every game, he gets better and better. It’s remarkable to watch. [Scott] Clemmensen and [John] Muse and [Cory] Schneider, they were always good.

“They never really had a stretch where, ‘Do we have a goalie here?’ or ‘How good’s the goalie?’ We always knew we had a goaltender with them. Parker was really struggling to play at our level. Then all of a sudden, he made all these strides. He’s just improved each week.”

In order to capture the national championship, BC will have to get through a tough Ferris State team on a streak of its own. The Bulldogs (16-7-5), the CCHA champions, have lost just three games since New Year’s Eve. While its run to the Frozen Four championship hasn’t been nearly as dominant as BC’s (Ferris State won its first two NCAA tournament games 2-1 before beating Union 3-1 in the semifinals), Ferris State has not been any less impressive, particularly in the win over a higher-seeded Union team.

Even with a stiff challenge and the grand stakes that await them, the Eagles are just focused on continuing their run, one that they hope ends with the program’s fifth national championship.

“It’s [doing] the little things,” BC captain Tommy Cross said to ESPN about the Eagles’ formula for success. “It’s doing the simple play over and over again. Earlier in the year we were trying to win the game in one shift, and that’s not how it works. Ten good shifts in a row is better than one great shift and one bad shift. So that’s our focus.”

Matt Humphrey

According to a tweet from CBS Sports college basketball writer Jeff Goodman, Boston College swingman Matt Humphrey will transfer from the program. Humphrey, who became eligible for the Eagles this past season after transferring from Oregon, is expected to receive his degree this spring, meaning he would be immediately eligible to play for another school in the fall.

Humphrey, a 6-foot-5 native of Chicago, was second to freshman Ryan Anderson on the Eagles with 10.3 points per game while playing a team-high 30.3 minutes. He also contributed 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Less than a week after informing UConn of his plans to transfer, Alex Oriakhi on Tuesday was granted his release from the school. According to a report in the Connecticut Post, the Massachusetts native is considering North Carolina, Missouri and Kentucky, with Duke also expressing an interest.

If UConn’s 2013 NCAA tournament ban is upheld due to its poor academic progress rating, Oriakhi could be allowed to play immediately for his new school. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Oriakhi, a 6-foot-9 forward/center, averaged 6.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.5 minutes this season. Those numbers are down from his sophomore season, when he averaged 9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 29.1 minutes and helped the Huskies win the national championship.

The University of Rhode Island announced Tuesday that Dan Hurley will be the school’s new basketball coach. Hurley, 39, will be introduced at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

According to the Staten Island Advance, the deal is for six years and could be worth more than $4 million.

“We are thrilled to name Dan Hurley as our new head men’s basketball coach,” URI athletic director Thorr Bjorn said in a statement from the school. “Dan is a proven winner at every level and I am looking forward to partnering with him to build on the solid foundation we have in place. Our goals are to compete for — and win — Atlantic 10 championships and advance to play in NCAA tournaments.”

Hurley coached at Wagner the past two years, going 25-5 this season. He will be bringing his brother Bobby, the former Duke standout who assisted Dan at Wagner.

Boston College defenseman Brian Dumoulin, a junior from Biddeford, Maine, is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top player, as announced Thursday.

Dumoulin, a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, was a 2009 second-round draft pick of the Hurricanes. He was named the best defensive defenseman in Hockey East on Thursday, the second consecutive year he was so honored.  Dumoulin has 26 points this season on six goals and 20 assists in 38 games, and he leads the team with a plus-20 rating.

One other New England collegian is on the list of finalists: Maine senior forward Spencer Abbott, who on Thursday was named Hockey East Player of the Year. The 5-10, 175-pounder from Hamilton, Ontario, leads the Black Bears with 59 points on 20 goals and 39 assists.

Top-seeded BC and fourth-seeded Maine are in action Friday in the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden. BC plays seventh-seeded Providence at 5 p.m. before Maine meets third-seeded Boston University. The conference championship game is Saturday night (8). All three games are on NESN and NBC Sports Network.

The other finalists are Minnesota-Duluth forward Jack Connolly, Union goaltender Troy Grosenick, Michigan goalie Shawn Hunwick, Air Force defenseman Tim Kirby, Michigan State defenseman Torey Krug, Wisconsin defenseman Justin Schultz, Colgate forward Austin Smith and Miami (Ohio) forward Reilly Smith.

The list will be cut to three on March 29 and the winner will be revealed on April 6, during the Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.

Miami (Ohio) forward Andy Miele, now a rookie with the Coyotes, won the award last year.

Kyle Casey and the Crimson will have to play big when they face Vanderbilt Thursday in the NCAA tournament. (AP)

When Tommy Amaker held a conference call Monday to discuss the Crimson’s NCAA tournament matchup Thursday (4:40 p.m., TNT) against Vanderbilt, one of the first questions came from a reporter from Nashville who clearly hadn’t done his homework.

The writer understandably expected that Harvard would be a team that would play mostly zone defense, especially when out of conference play. Surely, an Ivy League team needed to rely on zone or gimmick defenses to compete with bigger, stronger and faster players around the country.

How wrong he was.

Harvard plays man-to-man almost exclusively — “Our bread and butter,” a polite Amaker said in correcting the reporter. That’s the way Amaker coaches, and that’s the way he recruits.

“That’s the type of defense he wants,” junior guard Brandyn Curry said after a recent game. “He wants you up, denying the passing lanes, pressuring the ball, pressuring full court. That’s definitely the type of playing style I wanted to play with when I got here. I liked the sound of it. And then on offense he wants us to push the ball, move it and attack — so, on both sides of the court. When he was recruiting all of us, that definitely was very big to us.”

If you don’t think Harvard can be successful playing straight man against a Top 25 team, you only need to look at the Crimson’s victory over Florida State on Nov. 25. The Crimson didn’t just win the game, they held the Seminoles to 41 points on 36 percent shooting and outrebounded them 40-30. FSU turned over the ball 16 times.

Overall this season, Harvard opponents shoot just 40.6 percent from the field, and the Crimson are fourth nationally in allowing just 54.8 points per game.

“That’s what we do. We sit down and guard, no matter the team, no matter who you are, what league. It doesn’t matter,” junior forward Kyle Casey said recently. “We’re worried about what we do, and not so much about what other people do. We pride ourself on our defense. … I don’t see us changing our philosophy just to adapt to someone else.”

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