2010-2011 BC basketball schedule released

Now we know how the schedule for Steve Donahue's first year at BC will look: after weeks of trying to piece things together, we finally have the whole thing.  You can view it at BCEagles.com here.

November could be a very interesting month for the Eagles, and potentially very telling.  In 2009, that first shocking loss to St. Joe's was an unfortunate harbinger of things to come.  Now, in 2010, BC might face mid-majors that could upset them, but otherwise the latter half of the month looks like it could be quite challenging.  They'll open the season at home on November 12 against St. Francis (NY), followed by two more at home against regional products Yale and Holy Cross.  On Thanksgiving weekend, the Eagles will head down to Florida for the Old Spice Classic, where they will draw Texas A&M, with the potential of adding on non-conference games against schools such as Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Temple, or California.  Early on, we'll learn how the Eagles stack up against tournament-caliber teams.

December is mostly non-conference games, with the exception of the ACC opener at Maryland on the 12th.  As we already knew, Indiana will be BC's draw in the ACC-Big Ten challenge.  They'll also get cracks at UMass, Providence, Bryant, Bucknell, and Rhode Island.  Last year, that schedule would not have meant a lot of wins.  Hopefully this year, the OOC portion will be more forgiving.

The Eagles begin 2011 on the road in South Carolina, followed by Harvard at home (hey, maybe we'll beat them this time; Jeremy Lin is gone), and then the ACC schedule picks up.  Georgia Tech, NC State, at Miami, Virginia, at FSU and at Duke is the rest of January.

February gets no easier.  North Carolina and Virginia Tech come to the Heights, then BC goes to Clemson (where they traditionally get blown out).  Maryland visits BC in mid-February, followed by a BC trip to the Dean Dome, home against Miami, and away at Virginia.

In March, BC starts on the road in Blacksburg and ends at home against Wake Forest before the ACC Tournament in -- where else -- Greensboro, NC on March 10.

I like that the out-of-conference schedule, particularly the one coming from the Old Spice Classic, looks challenging.  Unlike last year, where BC couldn't even get to face teams like Purdue or Tennessee thanks to the egg they laid against St. Joe's, the Eagles will start off against a solid Aggies team.  A few good games in Orlando, and the Eagles could start themselves off with a nice RPI and SOS.

December and January will be very telling, I think.  Whereas the first signs of trouble manifested themselves in November last year, December (spilling over into January) was where the shit really hit the fan.  December 2009 saw a second-consecutive home loss to Harvard, followed by an embarrassing effort against Rhode Island.  Then, of course, BC started the new decade with one of their worst losses in the recent era against Maine (who aren't coming around this year).  The stretch from the Old Spice Classic to the start of ACC play won't tell you all you need to know about the 2010-2011 BC season (in 2007-2008, BC raked in OOC play, only to go 4-12 in the ACC), but it should give you a pretty good idea.  If BC starts beating the teams they should beat and putting up representative efforts against the top opponents, we may be in for a good rebound season.  If not, well, I don't think I can take another season like last year right now.  There's always hockey I suppose.