Boston College (21-12) coasted past McNeese State in the opening round of the 2011 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday and will face Northwestern in the second round at Conte Forum on Saturday at 11 a.m. (ESPN).
However, the Eagles may be able to go much further than just the second round in the 2011 NIT, according to our friends at BC Interruption. In fact, Jeff @ BCI believes that Boston College is capable of winning the entire tournament.
Just sixteen teams remain in the NIT and the Eagles can advance to the NIT Quarterfinals with a win Saturday against Northwestern. Break down BC's path to the Garden. How far do you see the Eagles going in this year's NIT?
Jeff: Our bracket is one of two to not have a first round upset. With Oklahoma State traveling to Washington State in the other Second Round game, for now I'd say let's plan on having to play the Cougars in Chestnut Hill for the right to go to the Garden for the Semifinals. That would be a nice matchup that should draw a crowd but Oklahoma State would do the same for us. BC should be favored in both of its next two games so it is not a question of if BC is capable of winning, but rather just whether or not they show up and play to their full potential. We get ESPN coverage for the early tip Saturday and hopefully will be on ESPN again for our quarterfinal game. It's certainly not NCAA Tournament type coverage, but being on ESPN is a good thing for BC and this program.
Should the Eagles defeat the Wildcats on Saturday, they would advance to the 2011 NIT's "Elite Eight" to take on the winner of No. 3 seed Oklahoma State and No. 2 seed Washington State in the quarterfinals on either March 22nd or March 23rd. That shouldn't be a problem, according to Jeff @ BCI, who predicts that BC will defeat Northwestern.
Brian: Last one. Prediction time. Boston College vs. Northwestern. Who ya got? What's the final score?
Jeff: Boston College 71, Northwestern 63
To read more about Boston College's chance of winning the 2011 NIT, head on over to BC Interruption.