NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos Jan. 26, 2007 Dust off your Cyndi Lauper cassette and solve that Rubik’s cube. The year is 1987 and Bob Knight’s Indiana team has just won the NCAA championship in N’awlins. The General hasn’t won a title since, but if […]

Eagles Survive And Are Alive and Well by Phil Kasiecki CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Don’t schedule the funeral for the 2006-07 Boston College basketball season just yet. There’s no question the Eagles face a major challenge after the well-documented personnel losses that came to pass last week. That was visible […]

Coaching Grows on Former Accountant by Ray Floriani TEANECK, N.J. – At first glance Sal Buscaglia looks the part of an accountant with his long-sleeved white shirt and glasses. He barks out instructions to his players and on occasion will question an official, but overall it appears his March Madness […]

Huskies Need More Time by Zach Smart STORRS, Conn. – It was quite evident even during their first ten games, when the UConn Huskies ate up a weak schedule in shark-size bites. Jim Calhoun’s youth center, which consists of just three sophomores (two of whom played significant roles last season) […]

Rams’ Resurgence Continues Rise by Ray Floriani BRONX, N.Y. – The program and basketball fortunes here are on the rise. Since his arrival several years ago, Dereck Whittenburg has painstakingly built the Rams into a team to be reckoned with. The days are gone when Atlantic 10 opponents can circle […]

Friars Get Back on Track Against Scarlet Knights by Phil Kasiecki PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Early on, Providence’s 78-63 win over Rutgers looked like it could get ugly, but not quite in the way it almost did. Fresh off two road losses, the Friars looked like they could dominate early on, […]

NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos Jan. 19, 2007 Since we last looked into the Crystal Basketball, much has changed. In the past week in the Atlantic Coast Conference alone, the No. 1 team in the country — North Carolina — lost to an unheralded team […]

Plenty of Talent at Hoophall Classic by Phil Kasiecki SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – We checked out games on Sunday at the 2007 Spalding Hoophall Classic, and they didn’t disappoint. In the six games, only one was a blowout, with one going to overtime and another ending on a buzzer-beater that capped […]

Eagles Dealt a Blow by Phil Kasiecki Boston College will have its full team for just one game in the 2006-07 season. That became certain on Wednesday, when juniors Sean Williams and Akida McLain were dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules. It could hardly have come […]