The Boston College Eagles men's basketball program represents Boston College in NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball. The team has competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 2005, having previously played in the Big East. The Eagles have appeared in 18 NCAA Tournaments in their history, most recently in 2009. Home games have been played at the Conte Forum since 1988. The current head coach of the program is Luke Murray.
History
In 1904, the first men's varsity team was sanctioned at Boston College, and was coached by James Crowley. On December 26 of that year, BC played its first-ever game, losing 8–6 to Battery H of Navy. The team earned its first win that season against Tufts, 23–17, in Medford. Basketball, not a popular sport at the turn of the 20th century, suffered through years of weak fan support and lasted three initial seasons before being abandoned. A brief revival in the early 1920s brought the men's team back before being dropped again following the 1924–25 season. Finally, following World War II when the sport began to gain popularity in the United States, the basketball team became a permanent part of the Boston College athletics program for the 1945–46 season. Through 2021–22, there have been 84 seasons of BC basketball.
In 1963, BC hired Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy as head coach and earned postseason berths in five of his six years in the role, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1967. Boston College has hired several other notable coaches through the years, including Chuck Daly, Tom Davis, Gary Williams and former Eagle Jim O'Brien ('71).
During one of the darkest periods in BC history, several members of the 1978–79 basketball team were accused of being involved in a point-shaving scandal that drew national attention due to the involvement of the infamous Mafia associate Henry Hill. One player, Rick Kuhn, was found guilty and served time in jail for his efforts in the fix.Fixed: How Goodfellas Bought Boston College Basketball, by David Porter
Before the 1979–80 season, Boston College basketball became a charter member of the Big East Conference. With increased national exposure and better competition—leading to improved and more expansive recruiting—BC ensured itself of an opportunity to compete at the highest level of NCAA Division I basketball each year.
From the time the seven original Northeastern schools formed the Big East, the BC men's basketball team achieved several high points: Advancing to the Elite Eight in the 1982 NCAA tournament; winning the Big East tournament in 1997 and 2001; four Big East Coach of the Year awards; three Big East Player of the Year awards and a memorable win over No. 1-ranked North Carolina in the 1994 NCAA tourney. Boston College left the Big East in all sports and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2004–05 season.
Among Boston College's biggest non-conference rivals in basketball is the University of Massachusetts. First played in 1905 and held annually since 1995, BC's basketball rivalry with UMass is called the "Commonwealth Classic" and was played on several occasions at what is now known as TD Garden in the 1990s until BC ended the annual game in 2012. The Eagles are 22–17 against their cross-state rival. The Boston College men's basketball team has made 18 overall appearances in the NCAA tournament, including three trips to the Elite Eight. The team has played in the NIT 10 times. BC has produced four conference players of the year: John Bagley '83, was the Big East Player of the Year in 1980–1981. Troy Bell '03 was co-Big East Player of the Year in 2000–2001, and won the title outright in 2002–2003. Jared Dudley '07 was the ACC Player of the Year in 2006–07.
Additionally, the Eagles have had one conference rookie of the year, with Olivier Hanlan earning the ACC Rookie of the Year honor in the 2012–13 season.
Notable BC student-athletes who have gone on to careers in the NBA include: Michael Adams '85, John Bagley '83, Dana Barros '89, Troy Bell '03, Bill Curley '94, Howard Eisley '94, Jay Murphy '84, Gerry Ward '63, Sean Williams '07, Craig Smith '06, Jared Dudley '07, Reggie Jackson '11, Olivier Hanlan '16, and most recently Jerome Robinson '18 and Ky Bowman '19.
1986–1997: O'Brien returns to the Heights On March 26, 1986, Jim O'Brien '71 returned to his alma mater as coach of the Boston College Eagles basketball team. Despite a bitter end to his tenure as head coach, O'Brien has been credited with resuscitating the BC basketball team, which—aside from some success in the early 1980s—had not been a consistent NCAA tournament contender since the 1960s. Although O'Brien built a solid program, his timing was excellent: Boston College opened its new hockey and basketball arena, Conte Forum, in 1988; the Big East reached its zenith with conference teams winning national championships in 1984 and 1985; and at the time, BC was still feeling the positive effects of the Flutie effect, leading to an increase in national exposure for Boston College athletics.
Boston College played its final season in the Roberts Center in the 1987–88 season and were invited to the NIT, advancing to the semi-finals before being knocked off by regional rival UConn, 73–67. BC returned to the NIT in 1992 and 1993. In 1989–90, Israeli Lior Arditti led the team with an .823 free throw percentage and a .456 three-point field goal percentage.2017-2018 Boston College Men's Basketball Record Book
In 1994, the Eagles were defeated by Georgetown 81–58 in the first round of the Big East tournament. But, following its invitation to the NCAA, the men's basketball team went on one of its most historic runs. Boston College defeated Washington State in the opening round of the tournament. In the second round, BC produced an upset of defending national champion North Carolina, 75–72, pushing them to the Sweet Sixteen. After a victory over Bobby Knight and Indiana, the Eagles advanced back to the Elite Eight where they fell to Florida, 74–66.
In 1996, the Eagles returned to the tournament. BC finished the year at 19–11 and bowed out in the second round after losing to Georgia Tech by a score of 103–89.
Led by All-Big East forward Danya Abrams and sophomore point guard James "Scoonie" Penn, Boston College won the 1997 Big East tournament for the first time with victories over Pitt, Georgetown and Villanova. For its Big East tournament championship, BC received an automatic bid to the tournament and met Valparaiso. The Eagles knocked off its first-round opponent 73–66, but fell in the second round to St. Joseph's as the Hawks eked out an 81–77 win.
After the 1997 season, controversy erupted as Jim O'Brien and the Boston College administration sparred over academic standards in recruiting athletes. O'Brien filed a lawsuit against BC on the grounds of breach of contract and slander. The case was settled out of court. Following a bitter end to his tenure, the BC alumnus moved to Ohio State and brought his star play-maker Scoonie Penn with him. At Ohio State, O'Brien took the Buckeyes to the Final Four in 1999. O'Brien's tenure at Ohio State also ended on bitter terms with litigation by O'Brien against his former employer.
1997–2010: The Skinner era
Early growth and success Following the departure of Jim O'Brien in 1997, former Rhode Island head coach and ABA star Al Skinner arrived in Chestnut Hill as BC's first new head coach in over a decade. Following three sub-.500 seasons, Skinner led the Eagles to a Big East-best 27–5 mark in 2000–01 (setting a then-school record for wins in a season), the school's second Big East tournament title and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. BC defeated Southern Utah in the opening round but was upset by USC 74–71 in the second round. Skinner received Big East Coach of the Year honors and star sophomore Troy Bell was named Big East Co-Player of the Year.
With Skinner building on these early achievements, Boston College saw increased success on the basketball court and garnered growing national media attention in the decade that followed. The team received seven bids to the NCAA tournament in a ten-year span from 2000 to 2010. The Eagles made inroads in the newly joined ACC as well, advancing to the finals of the league tournament in the school's first year of membership in 2005–06 before falling to Duke by two points. The team returned to the ACC semifinal round in 2007.
The Eagles defeated the defending national champions in three consecutive seasons from the 2003–04 through the 2005–06 season: Syracuse 57–54 (on 2004-03-11), UConn 75–70 (on 2005-01-05) and UNC 81–74 (on 2006-01-25 and 2006-03-11).
Skinner's success has been attributed to his ability to develop student-athletes not recruited by other major programs. Troy Bell, who won two Big East Player of the Year awards under Skinner, is seen as example, in addition to Jared Dudley, Sean Williams, Sean Marshall and All-American forward Craig Smith, a Los Angeles native who was overlooked by most Pac-10 schools.
Twenty straight to start: 2004–05 Season Beginning the season unranked and with no votes in the coaches' poll, the 2004-05 Boston College Eagles accomplished something no Big East team had done before by starting a season 20–0. In the 20 straight victories, the Eagles beat two ranked opponents and, at the time of the 20–0 mark, were one of only two teams without a loss (Illinois was the other).
The team finally lost occurred against Notre Dame on February 8, 2005. Following the defeat, BC beat unranked Rutgers and then No. 9 Syracuse on February 19, vaulting them to No. 3 in both the AP and coaches' polls—the highest ranking for any Boston College basketball team. After finishing the regular season at 24–3, BC was knocked out of the Big East tournament in the second round by West Virginia, 78–72, after drawing a bye in the first round with the league's best record (13–3). Boston College received a No. 4 seed in the 2005 NCAA tournament and defeated the Penn Quakers in the opening round, 85–65. In the following matchup against Milwaukee, who had already upset Alabama, UWM pulled another upset with an 83–75, ending the Eagles' season.
Back to the Sweet Sixteen: 2005–06 Season
In its debut ACC season, the Eagles recorded a school-record 28 wins, including 11 in conference. After reaching to the league tournament title game with victories over Maryland and North Carolina, the Eagles advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 12 years and No. 7 in the final AP poll.
In May before the season began, a drug use incident involving center and BC single-season blocks leader Sean Williams led to his suspension for the first semester from the campus and the team. His playing status was in doubt until December. Although not allowed back to Chestnut Hill until the end of the first semester and contingent upon a court hearing, Williams took courses and worked out at the University of Houston in the fall. He was allowed to return after a Boston judge concluded he had fulfilled his commitment and the school gave its approval because Williams met his academic requirements. Sophomore forward Akida McLain was also suspended from the team for the first seven games of the season for an off-court incident.
Also prior to the season, senior forward Craig Smith was voted a first-team All-American, the first BC player to be so honored, and named to the All-ACC preseason team—before playing a game in the league. Boston College entered its first season in the ACC ranked No. 11 in both major polls and started 6–0, reaching as high as No. 6 on December 5. On December 11, McLain was reinstated and on December 22 Williams returned to the team against Harvard.