Al Skinner

The roster is replete with newcomers (nine freshmen). Expectations have been scaled down to the lowest level; a double-digit win total and a finish higher than 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be regarded as a surprise. For Boston College and second-year coach Steve Donahue, baby steps are being taken back to respectability, with a core group of freshmen Lonnie Jackson, Ryan Anderson, and Dennis Clifford. But there is a shadow roster as well, made up of the last recruiting class of Al Skinner, who was fired by the Eagles two years ago. Skinner is...

The Celtics are the latest team to take a chance on Sean Williams, hoping that his immense physical skills and basketball intelligence will make for a productive stint and that he can avoid his previous off-the-court pitfalls. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers did their homework on Williams before signing him to a contract Friday, weighing his potential impact on the team chemistry. Williams, the former Boston College center, was a first-round pick of the Nets in 2007 because of his athletic prowess.

The Celtics are the latest team to take a chance on Sean Williams, hoping that his immense physical skills and basketball intelligence will make for a productive stint and that he can avoid his previous off-the-court pitfalls. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers did their homework on Williams before signing him to a contract Friday, weighing his potential impact on the team chemistry. Williams, the former Boston College center, was a first-round pick of the Nets in 2007 because of his athletic prowess.

For every Duke-North Carolina battle for supremacy in the Atlantic Coast Conference, there is the polar opposite. Last night at Conte Forum Boston College and Georgia Tech, who entered the game with identical 3-11 ACC records, faced off on a snowy evening that drew few students from the always choosy BC fan base. The 4,474 who did show up saw a BC team that finally remembered (barely) how to win, as it closed out its home season with a 56-52 victory over the Yellow Jackets.

They are programs in transition. Bryant University, coached by former Boston College player and assistant head coach Tim O'Shea, is in the process of moving from Division 2 to Division 1, and will be a fully eligible member of the Northeast Conference next season. Boston College is moving forward under second-year coach Steve Donahue with nine freshmen on the roster - four of them starting - which isn't a formula for success in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which the Eagles must begin dealing with in a few weeks.

Patrick Heckmann didn't feel insulted when Boston College was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He wasn't surprised, either. "It's kind of understandable. We lost pretty much all of our scoring options from last year," said Heckmann, one of nine freshmen on this year's team. "We should surprise a lot of people how good we can actually play. " After finishing 21-13 (9-7 ACC) in Steve Donahue's first year since coming to BC from Cornell, the Eagles lost all five starters — and 10 lettermen in all. Of the returning...

For every Duke-North Carolina battle for supremacy in the Atlantic Coast Conference, there is the polar opposite. Last night at Conte Forum Boston College and Georgia Tech, who entered the game with identical 3-11 ACC records, faced off on a snowy evening that drew few students from the always choosy BC fan base. The 4,474 who did show up saw a BC team that finally remembered (barely) how to win, as it closed out its home season with a 56-52 victory over the Yellow Jackets.

The NCAA Tournament is in Boston for the fourth time since 1999, and each time it's held here, the participants go away raving about the city and the venue. For three days, at least, Boston is a college basketball town. But nothing happens in a vacuum. College basketball has been happening all around us for months in five conferences - the Ivy League, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the America East, the Northeast Conference, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference - and with that in mind, it occurred to me that it might be a fun idea to get a little taste of...

ALBUQUERQUE - Baylor and Colorado will meet Saturday night in a South Regional game that a year ago would likely not have been possible. Both were part of the Big 12 at the time, and the NCAA Tournament selection committee does it best to keep teams from the same conference away from each other for as long as possible. But Colorado moved to the Pac-12 this season, and 11th-seeded Buffaloes surprised some last week by emerging as the conference tournament champion, and then by knocking off sixth-seeded UNLV on Thursday night.

Surprising scores, amazing results: Fordham 72, Georgia Tech 66: A horrible first year for Tech coach Brian Gregory but despite that, this is a landmark victory for downtrodden Fordham. The Rams won one Atlantic 10 game last season so a victory over an ACC school is terrific. Chris Gaston, one of the most under-the-radar players in the US, is a 6-7 forward for Fordham. He had 23 points and 17 rebounds Thursday night. Harvard 67, BC 46: The Crimson won like a really good team should.

The roster is replete with newcomers (nine freshmen). Expectations have been scaled down to the lowest level; a double-digit win total and a finish higher than 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be regarded as a surprise. For Boston College and second-year coach Steve Donahue, baby steps are being taken back to respectability, with a core group of freshmen Lonnie Jackson, Ryan Anderson, and Dennis Clifford. But there is a shadow roster as well, made up of the last recruiting class of Al Skinner, who was fired by the Eagles two years ago. Skinner is...

They are programs in transition. Bryant University, coached by former Boston College player and assistant head coach Tim O'Shea, is in the process of moving from Division 2 to Division 1, and will be a fully eligible member of the Northeast Conference next season. Boston College is moving forward under second-year coach Steve Donahue with nine freshmen on the roster - four of them starting - which isn't a formula for success in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which the Eagles must begin dealing with in a few weeks.

Patrick Heckmann didn't feel insulted when Boston College was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He wasn't surprised, either. "It's kind of understandable. We lost pretty much all of our scoring options from last year," said Heckmann, one of nine freshmen on this year's team. "We should surprise a lot of people how good we can actually play. " After finishing 21-13 (9-7 ACC) in Steve Donahue's first year since coming to BC from Cornell, the Eagles lost all five starters — and 10 lettermen in all. Of the returning...

ALBUQUERQUE - What's in a building? A lot if you are Wisconsin and beginning your NCAA Tournament run Thursday against Montana at The Pit in an East Regional game. The last time the Badgers played on the University of New Mexico campus was in 2000, when they beat LSU and Purdue in the Rounds of 16 and 8 to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis. "I hope we can definitely carry some of that good karma," said Wisconsin forward Jared Berggren. "Our coaches talked about it a little bit. Last time we played here there were some good memories made here.

With Kentucky fans dogging him after another disappointing finish, Tubby Smith is bolting the bluegrass for Minnesota. Smith will be introduced as the 16th coach of the Golden Gophers at a noon press conference today, ending a 10-year tenure in Lexington that seemed to be nearing an end even before Minnesota contacted him. The Wildcats went 22-12 this season and made it to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to top-seeded Kansas in the...