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NEWTON, Mass. -- When Boston College has played Harvard recently, the results have been lopsided, with one team winning five straight meetings between the teams.

But that team is the Crimson, not the Eagles.

Siyani Chambers, Tommy Amaker’s freshman point guard, led the visitors with 21 points in a 79-63 win on Tuesday night.

Afterward, BC coach Steve Donahue was asked if this is a series he’d like to continue.

“I think it’s a game we should play,” he said. “They’re a very good basketball team, a very good program and they’re going to be very good this year and they’re going to be very good next year. I think it’s the right thing for college basketball in the city of Boston. We’ve got to get better no matter who we play.

“I think people in this area are confused,” Donahue continued. “They think it’s the Harvard of your father’s Harvard -- it’s not. They’re an established program and they could beat a lot of basketball teams in this country.”

Don’t expect Donahue to duck Amaker next season.

“So for us to not play them because they might beat us, I would never do that,” he said.

Meanwhile, for Harvard the series has meant a lot.

“It’s been very meaningful for us,” Amaker said when asked if he would also like to continue the matchup. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to play Boston College.

“We’ve been fortunate. But the outcome is not indicative of us wanting to maintain this game. It’s about us having an opportunity to play an ACC team -- it’s always gonna be a road game, they’re not gonna, I’m sure, come over to play us, which certainly I understand that.”

Since the Crimson’s five-game win streak started, back in 2007 when they knocked off the then-No. 17 Eagles, Harvard has been ranked more often than BC has. The Crimson, having never cracked the AP Top 25 prior to 2011-12, were ranked as high as No. 21 last season.

And while the bloom may be temporarily off the rose because the BC program is clearly in a down period, it’s still a worthwhile game -- for both sides.

“I think it’s great for our city, it’s great for our community and we’re hopeful we’ll be able to continue to maintain it,” Amaker said.

The young leading the young

On Monday, Amaker said he was wary of the young Eagles’ experience. Players like Ryan Anderson, Dennis Clifford and Lonnie Jackson had gotten a full season of minutes under their belts in 2011-12, he said, unlike his young players who mostly sat on the bench during a veteran-led run to the NCAA tournament.

Amaker said he thought that experience might pay off for BC.

That’s not exactly how it turned out on the court Tuesday, with the Eagles playing little or no defense and then struggling against the Crimson D.

BC shot 58.1 percent from the floor for the game, but allowed Harvard to shoot 54.9 percent and lost by 16. After the game, Donahue sounded bewildered looking at the numbers.

Part of the problem, he said, isn’t experience per se but the lack of an example.

“Ryan Anderson, Cliff, they don’t understand exactly what my vision is because there’s no one that did it in front of them,” Donahue said. “That’s apparent tonight, [Harvard] did a great job.”

Donahue said guys like Steve Moundou-Missi and Wesley Saunders benefited greatly from watching the veterans in front of them last season.

“I love these guys, as I say all the time,” Donahue said. “I have great confidence that they’ll get it. And we’re gonna work extremely hard to do it. Unfortunately, and I know I sound like a broken record, but we’re gonna have some failures here.”

So far for the Eagles (3-5), those failures have included losses to Bryant and now Harvard.

Bumps and bruises?

Clifford missed the game against Harvard, sitting on the bench in a gray BC track suit with his right leg in a walking boot after spraining his ankle in the win over Penn State.

“The ankle’s pretty swollen and black and blue, I think he’s still a couple weeks away,” Donahue said of Clifford.

When asked if missing the big man from Milton Academy hurt the Eagles on Tuesday, Donahue demurred.

“I don’t know that he would’ve made a difference, I can’t say that,” he said.

Harvard was also without a big man, with Kenyatta Smith sitting out the game after getting banged up in practice this week. Amaker went small as a result, starting Jonah Travis and relying on a frontcourt rotation of Travis, Moundou-Missi, Michael Hall and Agunwa Okolie.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

From an Owl to an Eagle, Steve Addazio is going from one bird of prey to another.

Boston College’s new head coach, Addazio spent the past two seasons as the head coach at Temple, where he compiled a 13-11 record (9-4 in 2011, 4-7 in 2012) and coached the Owls to their first bowl win in 32 years.

The new head coach will be introduced at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, in a news conference at the Yawkey Center (you can stream it live here).

So what can you expect from Addazio on Wednesday? Here are a few things you should hear about:

• Passion.

This was one of the words that came up again and again immediately after the hire was announced.

“He is one of the most energized, passionate people I’ve ever been around,” BC athletic director Brad Bates said of Addazio on Tuesday night. “His enthusiasm is contagious. Just sitting around him, you’re going to feel more inspired. So imagine that playing out in a coaching methodology.”

Bates said he gave a lot of weight to the input of the current Eagles, who he said told him they wanted someone who could bring some energy to the program. By all accounts, Addazio should do that.

When he was an assistant at Florida, his players reportedly called his pregame pep talks “Vitamin Addazio.”

• Knowledge of the area.

A native of Farmington, Conn., Addazio has had success recruiting in the Northeast corridor. In his second class as Temple head coach, he secured commitments from 21 three-star recruits, according to ESPN Recruiting Nation.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel, who broke the news of Addazio’s hiring on Tuesday, the coach was a candidate for the Eagles’ head-coaching position the last time around but couldn’t interview because of emergency knee surgery.

“He knew us incredibly well,” Bates said. “He had done his homework. He studied us. It was obvious he was incredibly interested in this job.”

• Stability.

The Eagles haven’t really had much stability in recent years, because while the top job didn’t change hands for the four years Frank Spaziani was in charge there was a revolving door in the assistant coaching ranks.

Bates said that while you can never be totally sure, he hopes that this hire will give BC some much-needed continuity in the coaching staff.

“This is a guy who grew up in the Northeast and has dreamed of being at Boston College,” Bates said. “He is thrilled to be here and he’s already hitting the ground running. We bounced over a lot of things today in terms of what needs to be prepared and what he’s already getting into.

“The second part of the answer is, who can predict the future? Is any place a destination anymore? The landscape of college athletics is evolving so quickly, and there’s so many different variables that are involved in how people choose jobs and their longevity. I can’t predict the future completely. But back to the original answer, here’s a guy who’s incredibly enthusiastic to be at Boston College.”

• Accountability.

After the season ended, some of the Eagles talked about there being a lack of accountability among the players. Bates said he thinks that will change now that Addazio is in charge.

“He’ll be a disciplinarian,” Bates said. “He will be incredibly demanding on and off the field, but at the end of the day, the students are going to know he genuinely and sincerely cares about them.”

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

NEWTON, Mass. -- When the buzzer sounded to end the first half of Tuesday night's game against Boston College, the Harvard bench emptied and the Crimson jogged across the court and into the tunnel that leads to the visitors locker room.

While his teammates hustled, Siyani Chambers walked slowly off the court. In that moment, with everyone around him moving quickly, the fleet freshman point guard suddenly looked slow.

As the last of his teammates left the floor, Crimson coach Tommy Amaker paused as he led the coaches off. He motioned to Chambers to catch up, and Chambers went from a slow walk to a ginger jog.

You could say Chambers, who leads the Crimson in minutes this season with a shade under 37 per game, looked world weary in that moment.

You could say that, but the more likely explanation is this: Chambers was probably just preserving as much energy as possible.

And Amaker is glad he did, as the 6-foot, 170-pounder turned the second half into his personal showcase.

“I thought Siyani Chambers was magnificent, with his ballhandling, scoring, quarterbacking our team,” Amaker said. “He certainly didn’t look like or play like a freshman. I’m very pleased with his progress, his performance, and I thought he was the difference for us without a doubt.”

The point guard, for his part, said the difference in the second half of the Crimson’s 79-63 win -- their fifth straight against the Eagles -- was defense.

“Coach came back and at halftime he really stressed defense and trying to get some stops and no second shots,” Chambers said. “Just keep trying to get stops and have good possessions on the other end.”

Early in the second half Chambers came up with a steal, stepping into a passing lane and racing the other way, where he took the contact on the drive, made the layup, then let out a yell as he flexed his arms. The freshman then calmly stepped to the free throw line and swished the free throw to complete the three-point play.

That gave Harvard a 10-point lead at 39-29.

Later in the half, Harvard got the ball of a BC turnover. Chambers passed to Christian Webster for a 3, and when the ball ripped through the twine to push the Crimson lead to 14 Chambers pumped his fist before running back on D.

Then after another BC turnover, Chambers hit his own 3, off a kick-out pass from the paint, to make it a 17-point lead.

“He’s a little dynamo, in terms of handling the ball and pushing it,” Amaker said. “You can see his quickness and his ballhandling skills. He got to the rim, he finished on the inside, he finished at the foul line. I was very pleased with his floor game. He doesn’t have to score 21 points for me to be very pleased with him, but it doesn’t hurt that he did.”

Chambers finished with a career-high 21 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in 37 minutes. His point guard counterpart Olivier Hanlan finished with just four points on 1-for-8 shooting in 33 minutes.

“I was just taking what the defense gave me,” Chambers said. “I was just trying to make plays for my teammates and somehow the plays opened up for me. My teammates gave me a lot of great passes and a lot of great screens and a lot of great openings to make those plays. I just tried to finish what they started.”

The dynamic newcomer finished things in fine fashion for Harvard on Tuesday.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Steve Addazio, who was 13-11 in two years as Temple head coach, will be the new football coach at Boston College, athletic director Brad Bates announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

"Coach Addazio genuinely cares about his students and will facilitate their development in meaningful ways to create a family culture. He has a passion that is contagious and an energy that will motivate those fortunate to meet him," Bates said via Twitter. He is a proven winner with an extensive history of success as an assistant and head coach that includes two national championships. We are very excited to have Steve Addazio leading BC football and look forward to an extraordinary future."

Addazio oversaw the Owls' move from the MAC to the Big East and went 13-11 in his two seasons there. He had previously been offensive coordinator at Florida, winning two titles in a number of different roles with the Gators.

Addazio replaces Frank Spaziani, who went 21-29 in four seasons.

NEW YORK -- Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, Ball State coach Pete Lembo and New Orleans Saints offensive line coach Aaron Kromer are finalists for the Boston College job, sources said Tuesday.

Diaco, named a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, which recognizes the nation's top assistant coach, has been at Notre Dame for three seasons. Under Diaco, No. 1-ranked Notre Dame (12-0) ranks first nationally in scoring defense, fourth nationally in rush defense and sixth in total defense.

Lembo is 23-12 in three seasons at Ball State. This year he led the Cardinals (9-3) to a berth in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl vs. UCF (Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Lembo previously was the head coach at Lehigh and Elon.

Kromer also coaches the Saints' running game. He has been with New Orleans the past five seasons and an NFL assistant since 2000. Kromer also was a college assistant at Miami (Ohio) and Northwestern.

In the battle of experienced youth versus inexperienced youth, it’s the fifth-year senior who will have been on both sides who must have the best perspective.

Andrew Van Nest was part of Tommy Amaker’s initial recruiting class at Harvard, and is now a graduate student at Boston College. So when the Crimson (aka the inexperienced youth) travel to Chestnut Hill for Tuesday night’s game (7 ET, ESPN3) against the Eagles (experienced youth), Van Nest will playing against the team he spent four years with (redshirting one becaue of a shoulder injury).

“We’re proud of Andrew. We’re happy for him,” Amaker said of facing his former player. “It’s a neat thing -- being a graduate student, getting it paid for and in the world we live in that’s a huge thing. So it’s good for Andrew.

“He seems to be healthy and obviously he’s getting some minutes playing for their team. Being an older player, I’m sure he’s providing a lot of benefits for their program.”

Van Nest has averaged 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.1 minutes a game through the Eagles’ first seven games.

In his senior season in Cambridge, as the Crimson were winning their first outright Ivy title and securing their first NCAA berth in 65 years, Van Nest played a total of two minutes -- coincidentally, against the Eagles.

Chances are the way things have shaken out across the river, if Van Nest were still at Harvard he would be getting an opportunity to play for the Crimson in 2012-13. That’s because Oliver McNally and Keith Wright graduated and Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry left school to protect their eligibility after being implicated in the cheating scandal that’s roiled the Ancient Eight campus.

Combined, the personnel losses have left Amaker with a young, inexperienced roster. Sure, guys like Kenyatta Smith and Jonah Travis are talented, and have shown flashes in practices and games, but they’re still getting their feet wet at the Division I level.

“I think one of the things that [the Eagles] do have over even a young team like ours is they still have experience,” Amaker said before practice Monday. “We’re very young, as well, but we don’t have the experience that they have. Even though their young players are sophomores, they played all of last season as freshmen.”

Steve Donahue didn’t have much of a choice in 2011-12, often starting four freshmen and leaning heavily on the likes of Jordan Daniels (who has since left the program), Lonnie Jackson, Patrick Heckmann, Dennis Clifford and Ryan Anderson. And while BC piled up the most losses in school history in a 9-22 season, the young players it relied on gained valuable experience.

Experience Harvard’s young players didn’t get, as a senior-laden lineup led the Crimson on their remarkable run.

“They’ve started a lot of games, they’ve been in situations,” Amaker said of BC’s youngsters. “That’s what we’re concerned with. They’re young in their years but I think they have experience which is something that we’re lacking with our freshmen, obviously, but even with our sophomore class. Even Wes Saunders, for instance, their sophomores have way more experience than our Wes Saunders does.”

Saunders, named Ivy Player of the Week on Monday, has been asked to carry a heavy load this season. After playing just 13.9 minutes a game as a freshman, averaging 3.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists, he’s been bumped up almost by default to 34.0 minutes a game as a sophomore.

So far, Saunders has responded well. He’s leading the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game, and is second in rebounding (5.2) and assists (3.5).

“I think he’s done very well,” Amaker said. “Wesley is a terrific all-around player. We’re gonna look to him, especially in our league as we get toward obviously conference play, to be one of the better, if not the best, all-around [players on our team]. He’s a guy that we need to do everything.

“We need him to handle the ball, we need him to score, we need him to rebound, he’s our best perimeter defender. We need everything out of Wesley Saunders. And I think that’s what he wants.”

For his part, Saunders thinks he’s ready.

“Obviously it’s been a lot different than last season,” he said. “I’ve been asked to do a lot more. … [Coach Amaker has] put a lot of pressure on me to come out every day in practice and be our best player in practice and try to take on more of a leadership role this year.”

While the 2012-13 season is still very young, it has been filled with ups and downs for both the Crimson (3-3) and the Eagles (3-4) to date.

Harvard won rather handily in its three victories, but lost on a buzzer-beater to UMass and then got trounced by Saint Joseph’s and Vermont. BC managed to beat Penn State on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge but lost at home to Bryant.

On Tuesday, the Crimson will focus on defending the 3-point line (the Eagles are shooting 33 percent as a team from behind the arc) and being disciplined in their assignments as they try to change their season’s trajectory.

“It’s gonna be a battle,” Saunders said. “We haven’t lost there in a while and we don’t want to start now. So I think we’re gonna go out there and play our hardest and compete and see what happens.”

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Things have been far from perfect in the early going for Harvard (3-3), but Tommy Amaker’s team got at least a little good news: The Crimson swept the weekly Ivy League awards, the league announced on Monday.

Wesley Saunders, who leads the team in scoring (15.8 points per game) and is second in minutes (34.0), was named player of the week. Siyani Chambers, who leads the team in minutes (36.5) and assists (5.0 -- tied for the conference lead) and is third in scoring (11.3 ppg), was named rookie of the week.

Chambers, who has started all six games this season, had a career-high 16 points and 8 assists in a loss to Vermont on Nov. 27. He had 13 points in the Crimson’s win over Fordham on Dec. 1.

When news broke that the Crimson would be without would-be captain and point guard Brandyn Curry because of the academic scandal that has gnashed gears at Harvard, Amaker said Chambers’ acclimation process might have to be sped up.

The freshman has handled the situation with aplomb so far.

“I’ve been very pleased,” Amaker said before practice at Lavietes Pavilion on Monday afternoon. “I think he had six turnovers, maybe, in the last game, which we need to not have as many for any point guard, whether it’s a freshman or a senior.

“But I think he’s done a magnificent job of running our ball club and orchestrating our transition game. I think he has a presence on our team and on the court. I think our players, they listen to him, they look to him. That’s just a part of how he’s wired, part of his DNA of being a point guard that comes very naturally to him. So we’re very pleased.”

Saunders is the only other player to start all six games for the Crimson, and also had a career high in scoring against Vermont, with 21 points, and added four assists and four steals in the game. He chipped in 17 points against Fordham, with 13 of them coming from the foul line (where he shot 13-for-18).

And without the other would-be captain snared in the cheating scandal, Kyle Casey, the Crimson will need Saunders to continue to perform at a player-of-the-week level.

“We need those kind of numbers and performances out of Wesley,” Amaker said. “Can he play better? Yeah. He can play a lot better. He missed five free throws in the last game [against Fordham]. Although he got there a ton of times, I was shocked that he missed that many. And he can finish better around the rim. There are a lot of things I think that he can improve on.

“But he had a really good summer, played really well for us in Italy and I think now you see it translating over into how the season has transpired so far.”

Saunders spoke glowingly Monday about his fellow Ivy award-winner, singling out his will to win as perhaps the most important thing he brings to the Crimson.

And asked what it felt like to win the Ivy rookie of the week honors, that’s what stood out in Chambers’ response.

“Actually I didn’t even know that,” he said. “To me, it’s a great accomplishment, but right now I’m not even worried about any awards that I get or anything. I’m just trying to go out every day and get better and do whatever the coaches ask me to help the team win games.”

The next chance for the Crimson comes Tuesday night in Chestnut Hill, where Chambers & Co. will take on Steve Donahue’s Boston College Eagles (7 ET, ESPN3).

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

UMass starting center Cady Lalanne has been suspended from the team by coach Derek Kellogg after being arrested on campus on Saturday night, the team announced in a statement Monday.



Lalanne will not travel to Boston with the Minutemen on Monday and will not play in the game against Northeastern on Tuesday night.

Lalanne was arrested at the UMass student union and charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting a police officer making a lawful arrest, according to the university's arrest log.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound sophomore was averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 20.5 minutes a game in 2012-13. The Orlando, Fla., native had started all six of the Minutemen's games to date, leading the team in blocks (1.8 per game) and ranking fifth in rebounding.

Lalanne was limited to 14 games last season with a foot injury and did not play after Dec. 30.

BOSTON -- Not in our house.

The No. 9 Boston University Terriers made sure that Boston College hockey coach Jerry York's date with the record book would have to wait another day, protecting their home ice Friday by outgunning the No. 1 Eagles, 4-2, before 6,150 at Agganis Arena. The Terriers' victory ensured that York will not break Ron Mason's record of 924 wins this weekend, though he could tie it Saturday at home, against BU on the back end of this home-and-home series.

"I thought BU was better than we were tonight," said York. "We had some excellent flurries, and (BU goaltender Matt) O'Connor made some very good saves. But for the most part, I thought BU had the territorial edge. Their transition game was very good tonight. They had a lot of odd-man rushes off turnovers. So hats off to them. They played better and deserved to win the game."

It was the first time that BU (8-4-0; 6-3-0 Hockey East) had beat the No. 1 team in the nation since Jan. 27, 2006, a 4-3 win over -- you guessed it -- Boston College. The BU victory also snapped BC's 10-game win streak.

"All in all, it was a good effort by us," said BU coach Jack Parker. "It wasn't like we dominated that game. You've got to come up with a top game to beat Boston College the way they're playing right now.

"They've just come off a streak where they've won 29 of their last 30 games" dating back to last season, said the BU coach. "That's a pretty good club. I thought we were fortunate. I thought we deserved to win tonight. I thought we played hard tonight. And we feel glad that we could raise our game up to beat a club that's as good as they are."

Both teams came out flying in this 260th meeting of the storied rivalry, and the action flowed from goal line to goal line for the full 20 minutes. O'Connor, BU's freshman netminder (35 saves), stood tall over the first 10 minutes, constantly thwarting the BC attack. BC's Parker Milner (30 saves) was forced into duty at the 10:30 mark, blunting a clean breakaway bid by BU's Sahir Gill. Two minutes later, the senior netminder from Pittsburgh smothered a snap shot by BU's Matt Nieto off the left wing.

The theme continued for the rest of the opening stanza, with both squads getting quality chances but unable to find the back of the net. BU's Alexx Privitera came close, ringing a shot off the left post, and Kevin Hayes forced O'Connor into a terrific left pad stop on his cross-slot bid.

"It was an unbelievable job of goaltending by both goalies," said Parker. "In a game that was 0-0 for as long as it was, there was a lot of things happening out there. There were a lot of opportunities for both teams."

BU kept the accelerator pegged to the floor to start the second, and Milner was called to make several big stops, none better than back-to-back saves on Nieto as he slashed across the crease. Not to be outdone, O'Connor kept the game scoreless with dandy stops on BC's Patrick Brown and Quinn Smith before swallowing up Steve Whitney's off-wing wrister with his glove.

"I thought we picked it up a little bit" in the second period, said Parker. "Obviously, we outshot them a bit more in the second. That had something to do with it. But I didn't notice any momentum swings, one way or the other."

The Terriers broke the drought at 9:04. BU's Evan Rodrigues made a great shift across the high slot, but fired his shot over the crossbar. Nieto pounced on the rebound, and snapped a shot off the right post. BU defenseman Garrett Noonan, cruising into the low slot, tipped the fluttering puck out of midair and past Milner for a 1-0 BU lead.

Unfazed, Milner made a dazzling left pad stop of Danny O'Regan's tip at the doorstep, but BU kept pressing. Fifteen seconds later, Rodrigues took an O'Regan feed and blistered a shot over Milner's glove for a 2-0 BU margin at 16:04.

BC answered immediately, with captain Pat Mullane stepping up for the Eagles (10-2-0; 8-2-0 HE). Stationed in the low slot, Mullane took a pass from Johnny Gaudreau and snapped a quick shot underneath O'Connor's blocker to halve BU's advantage at 16:42. With 10 seconds left in the period, BU captain Wade Megan steamed a short-hand bid that beat Milner over the left shoulder, but clanked off the crossbar.

The Terriers stretched their lead to 3-1 at 1:46 of the final period on a nifty individual effort by defender Matt Grzelcyk. The freshman from Charlestown, Mass., drove down the left wing, looped behind the BC net, and before Milner could recover, banked a shot off the stick of Eagles defender Teddy Doherty.

"That was the biggest goal of the game, I thought," said Parker. "They make it 2-1, and they can come out and start grinding away at us. And we immediately get the two-goal lead right back. I thought that was huge."

Milner kept the Eagles close with a nice glove stop on a Cason Hohmann bid, and O'Connor twice stuffed Steve Whitney in tight. Nieto was denied by the right post (the third time the Terriers hit iron), and Milner twice stuffed Megan after the BU captain stripped BC defender Patch Alber at the side of the net.

A late BC flurry with just over two minutes left in the game kept the Terriers pinned in their own end, but O'Connor continued his stellar play, making several top-notch stops while scrambling from post to post.

"We did have four or five really Grade A chances to score, we didn't capitalize on those," said York. "But for the most part, BU had more chances than us during the game."

Megan sealed the win with an empty-net shorthanded tally at 18:21. With 25 ticks left on the clock, and BU down two men, Gaudreau brought the Eagles back to within two, but BC wouldn't get any closer. Combined with BC's 4-2 win over BU on Nov. 11, the Terriers' victory on Friday sets up the rubber match for the season series on Saturday at BC's Conte Forum.

"I think (the win) was real big," said Parker. "It's real important for us to beat some teams that are ahead of us. We've got four losses, and three of those four losses are against the No. 1 and 2 teams in the nation (BC and New Hampshire). And the other one is against North Dakota at North Dakota. We feel pretty good that we're a good team, but we still have to beat those guys. It'll be interesting to see how things unfold tomorrow night, on another sheet of ice."

York, meanwhile, said he was looking forward to the opportunity to get right back to work on Saturday, and getting the Eagles back on track.

"It should be another outstanding game tomorrow night," said the coach, who remains just a single win shy of the career record. "Just switch venues."

Mackay Lowrie said he had already run the scenario through his mind, so he had little to think about when Boston College fired football coach Frank Spaziani on Sunday.

Lowrie, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback from Roxbury Latin School, said Monday night that he still plans to play college football at BC. He is currently the only Massachusetts player from the Class of 2014 who has committed to the Eagles.

“My first reaction was it's unfortunate, but I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think it might happen,” Lowrie said. “I chose BC last spring knowing something like this might happen. That's college football.

“I'm staying with BC. I really can't wait to get there. I'm excited to see who will be the next head coach.”

BC assistant coach Sean Devine had dinner at Lowrie's house in Foxborough on Monday night.

“It was a planned home visit,” Lowrie said. “He's still a Boston College employee, and he told me he'll keep working until they tell him not to. It would be tough to see him go.”

Lowrie, a two-star recruit, originally intended to play baseball in college, but focused on football after he had a strong junior season. He was a three-year starter at quarterback for Roxbury Latin after playing defensive back as a freshman.

Rutgers also offered Lowrie a scholarship. Duke and Virginia are the other schools that showed significant interest.

“Basically it came down to BC, UVA and Rutgers,” he said. “Ultimately BC was the best fit. The location is huge -– it's less than 30 miles from my house. Academically you can't get a much better place in Division 1 football than BC. The fact that it's a Jesuit school was another huge factor.”

Another QB Option: Tim Boyle, a senior quarterback who plays for Xavier High School in Middletown, Conn., also said he will remain committed to BC, despite the coaching change.

“I am strongly committed,” Boyle said via text message Monday night. “I have no different opinion on BC. I still can't wait!”

Like Lowrie, Boyle is a pro-style quarterback who has already taken his official visit to BC. He also had offers from Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

Boyle, a three-star recruit, missed seven games with a separated shoulder last season, but has completed 93 of 163 passes for 1,612 yards and 15 touchdowns (six interceptions) this season.

Third-seeded Xavier (8-1) is scheduled to play sixth-seeded Greenwich (8-1) in the Class LL quarterfinals tonight. Xavier is seeking its third consecutive Class LL championship.

More Local Flavor: Marquis Little, a linebacker from Manchester (Conn.) High School, is the only other senior from New England currently committed to BC.

Tight end Andrew Isaacs, Little's high school teammate, is one of three other New England players who decommitted from BC before Spaziani was fired. The others are Cheshire Academy linebacker Cory Jasudowich, and Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) wide receiver David Coggins.

Isaacs committed to Maryland, Jasudowich committed to Connecticut and Coggins is undecided. All three are three-star recruits

Recruiting information regarding high school or prep school players in New England can be sent to Roger Brown at rbrown@nhfootballreport.com.

Brad Bates is wasting no time.

A day after relieving Frank Spaziani of his duties as Boston College head coach, Bates took his message first to the Internet and then to the airwaves.

The new athletic director, hired away from Miami (Ohio) in October to replace the retired Gene DeFilippo, reassured his followers on Twitter on Monday afternoon that the coaching search is underway.

“I'm already fully immersed in the search for your next football coach,” he tweeted. “I appreciate all the positive input. I'll keep you posted throughout.”

Monday night, Bates called in to the “D.A. Show” on 98.5 The Sports Hub to discuss the coaching search with host Damon Amendolara.

When asked during the 10-minute spot if he would be OK with a hiring a coach who might be a short-term solution, Bates said: “If all else was equal, you would clearly want continuity in your program. At the same time, I can’t predict the future.”

Then Bates said he believes BC can be a destination for the right coach.

“We’re gonna create a situation here that’s gonna be, in our opinion, a destination-type situation,” he said. “A place that gives a coach every opportunity to have a high level of success and achieve that vision of excellence that we strive for in our football program.”

After that comment Bates was asked if he really believes that a top-flight coach could view BC as a destination, and the athletic director said he did.

“Coaches that are gonna be excited about BC, that can sell the product of Boston College, are people who are gonna be aligned with the values of the institution,” he said. “So when you have a situation professionally where you can strive toward your vision of the program, where you can work with highly intelligent and talented students in a community that really is a family, then yes, I think if you can find that person then the tenure is going to be longer than one might expect.”

During the interview Bates reiterated that the final decision on Spaziani’s status wasn’t made until this past weekend, and that wins and losses clearly play a role in any coach’s evaluation.

“If you believe that winning contributes to student development -- and I clearly do -- then [you believe] competitive success helps students really acquire a winning attitude,” he said. “They gain a wealth of knowledge and experiences and skills that will serve them the rest of their lives.”

The new AD said he doesn’t think Boston College’s academic standards, which are higher than those of some of its competitors, should be viewed as a negative in this process.

“In fact I think it’s an asset to us,” Bates said. “Clearly in our past we have a history and tradition of great success even when we had high academic traditions. I personally believe that the academics and the prestige of the degree clearly distinguishes us in ways that will appeal to students who really care about their education.”

On Sunday, Bates told reporters that he would not be considering any of the current Eagles assistants for the head-coaching position. On Monday, he said that past BC ties would just be a bonus in a candidate.

“I think the quick answer is of course, but it’s not a prerequisite to the ultimate decision,” he said.

“I think past experience and knowledge of BC is advantageous, but ultimately we need someone who is going to come in here, sustain the high retention and graduation rates of this institution, represent us as an ambassador to the entire community and to our alumni base and fans, and win. And do it with an energy and enthusiasm that makes all of our alumni proud.”

As of Monday, the Eagles have 16 verbal commitments in the Class of 2013. Bates was asked whether those agreements would be honored by the new staff.

“BC is about ethics,” he said, “and when those commitments were offered, when those scholarships were offered and those students shook hands and called those other schools and told them, ‘I’m going to BC’ and closed those doors -- Yes we’re gonna honor those scholarships. That’s just the ethical thing to do and that’s the way BC works.”

While Bates wasn’t asked about potential candidates on Monday night, several names already have been connected to the vacancy by various reports. The possible candidates reportedly include Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple, Harvard coach Tim Murphy, Kent State coach Darrell Hazell, Miami coach Al Golden and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.

Asked for a timeline, Bates said he wanted to move quickly -- but that he would not be hasty.

“We’re gonna move as quickly as we possibly can, but this is a very, very important hire,” he said. “This is a key leadership role in our department, and one of the most recognized names at the entire university. And so we’re going to be very deliberate in making sure we get the exact right person for what this program needs right now.”

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Two days after the season ended and a day after coach Frank Spaziani was let go by new athletic director Brad Bates, the Eagles got a bit of good news: linebacker Nick Clancy and wide receiver Alex Amidon were voted onto the 2012 All-ACC first team.

Left tackle Emmett Cleary was voted onto the second team, while punter Gerald Levano and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis received honorable mentions.

The teams are selected by a vote of 46 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Though the team as a whole had a forgettable season, finishing with the second worst record in school history at 2-10 (1-7 in the ACC) and beating only one FBS opponent all season (Maryland), Amidon and Clancy were two of the bright spots for BC.

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Amidon came into the season with 36 career catches for 558 yards and three touchdowns. He more than doubled those numbers as a junior, finishing with BC single-season highs in catches (78, two more than Andre Callendar’s previous record of 76) and receiving yards (1,210, 61 more than Brian Brennan’s previous record of 1,149) and seven TDs (most on the team in 2012).

Clancy, a fifth-year senior, finished first in the ACC and third in the country in tackles with 145 (81 solo, 64 assisted), according to cfbstats.com. The 6-3, 232-pounder had a single-season high of 19 tackles prior to assuming the starting middle linebacker role vacated by Luke Kuechly this season.

Cleary, a captain, moved from right tackle to left this season and generally acquitted himself well. Levano took over in 2012 for record-setting punter Ryan Quigley, and averaged 42 yards on 57 punts -- good for third in the ACC.

Pierre-Louis, a junior, tied for 12th in the ACC in tackles with 85 despite missing three games with injuries.

So while Bates attends to the business of searching for a successor to Spaziani, Eagles fans can at least be thankful for the years Amidon and Clancy had and hopeful that Amidon and Pierre-Louis can build on their performances as seniors in 2013.

Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.

Frank Spaziani will not return as Boston College head coach, the school announced Sunday.

The Eagles finished 2-10 in 2012, the season concluding with a 27-10 loss to NC State on Saturday, and won just six games the past two seasons.

“A personnel decision of this magnitude affects many people and is never taken lightly, but I felt a change was necessary," BC athletic director Brad Bates said in a statement.

“It is with gratitude that we recognize the many contributions Coach Spaziani has made to Boston College during his 16 years in Chestnut Hill,” Bates said in the statement. “He displayed unwavering dedication and loyalty to our institution and our football studentathletes, while consistently representing Boston College with class and dignity. He and his staff have devoted countless hours to our studentathletes and the BC community. We thank them and wish them well.”

Spaziani, who had just completed his 16th season with the Eagles -- the first two as running backs coach, 10 as defensive coordinator and four as head coach -- compiled a 22-29 record in his time in the top job.

“Obviously this is a sad day for my family and me,” Spaziani said in a statement. “Boston College has been my home for more than 16 years, and I have been fortunate to work with some amazing student-athletes. I will always treasure my relationships with them and the BC staff. Boston College is a tremendous place, and I am extremely thankful for my time there. I wish the current and future Eagles nothing but the best.”

In the statement, Bates said the search for a new coach will begin immediately.

“We will be seeking a leader whose vision of our football program mirrors the mission of our University,
who values the development of our studentathletes and whose goal is to return our program to national prominence,” he said in the statement. “Our fans and the entire University community value the rich tradition of Boston College football, and we are committed to making it a successful program.”

Taking over the team in 2009, once former athletic director Gene DeFilippo fired then-coach Jeff Jagodzinski after the coach interviewed for a job in the NFL, Spaziani faced immediate issues. Many of the players Jagodzinski had recruited to the Heights, where the Eagles were coming off back-to-back appearances in the ACC championship game, would decide to leave after the coaching change.

Entering the ’09 season, Spaziani didn’t have a single quarterback on his roster with Division I starting experience. That meant Dave Shinskie, a 25-year-old former minor league baseball player, got the chance to start under center.

The switch also hurt in recruiting, which is crucial for a school like BC. Spaziani was fond of saying that the Eagles had to develop players, they hardly ever got the kind of players who arrived on campus fully formed and ready to play from day one.

And though he had some success as head coach initially, going 8-5 in 2009 and 7-6 in 2010 and extending the school’s streak of consecutive bowl appearances to 12 years in a row, things began to go downhill in 2011.

Offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill retired after the 2010 season, and Spaziani hired Kevin Rogers to replace him. But Rogers coached only two games before taking a medical leave of absence for the remainder of the season, forcing Spaziani to elevate then-tight ends coach Dave Brock to the OC job.

The offense scuffled the rest of the way and Spaziani made another move in the offseason, bringing in Doug Martin to be the fourth offensive coordinator in three seasons.

Just as the offense began to show signs of improvement, though, the defense fell apart. Martin’s system has helped several players set school records in 2012, but the defense hasn’t been able to hold leads late and the team straggled to a 2-10 record.

It was only the second season in school history the team had double-digit losses.

Though it’s certainly not the only factor, the defections after Jagodzinski’s firing may have been a crippling blow for Spaziani. The losses created holes that the Eagles were unable to fill, either because of Spaziani’s own failures as a recruiter (he’s had just five four-star recruits and 34 three-star recruits in the three classes since 2010) or because of injuries to key holdovers from the previous regime.

For example, the Eagles entered the season hopeful that senior defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey would stay healthy and play a big role on the defense, but Ramsey got hurt in the second game and missed the rest of the season.

Spaziani also dismissed the school’s all-time leading rusher, Montel Harris, before the 2012 season for a violation of team rules. Harris missed most of the 2011 season with injuries and received a medical redshirt for a fifth year of eligibility.

Harris transferred to Temple and has rushed for 948 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Owls in 2012.

There were also some questionable on-field decisions, such as opting to play for overtime against Virginia Tech at home on Senior Day instead of attempting to get into field goal range with the ball at the BC 17-yard line and just less than a minute to play.

Virginia Tech scored a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, Boston College’s offense got stuffed and Spaziani’s critics had another painful loss to point to.

While the on-field results were sorely lacking -- things got so bad this season, a handful of fans took to wearing brown paper bags over their heads at BC home games -- Spaziani was fond of saying that the players never stopped working hard. They always believed in the process, even though the payoff wasn’t there.

“I think it’s how we’ve brought ‘em up, what we try to instill here,” the coach, a career assistant before DeFilippo elevated him to head coach in 2009, said before a recent practice. “They believe in it, they trust it and they understand it. You hate to get too philosophical, but there’s life lessons being taught out here.”

Asked what those life lessons were, Spaziani said, “That it’s a jungle out there and you’ve got to work, and you’ve got to keep working, you’ve got to keep focusing, you’ve got to keep trying to excel. And sometimes circumstances get you.”

The circumstances -- and some questionable decisions of his own -- ultimately got Spaziani.

If this was Frank Spaziani's last game as head coach of Boston College -- and it likely was -- it will be a forgettable one.


The Eagles defense had no answer for NC State's passing game, and the Wolfpack won, 27-10, despite a slow start offensively. With the loss, the Eagles dropped to 2-10, the program's worst season since the 1978 team finished 0-11. It's been a steady decline recently under Spaziani, and BC finished the season having lost four straight games. The only FBS win came against Maryland, and it will be the second straight season the Eagles didn't qualify for a bowl game.

Mike Glennon threw three touchdown passes -- including two to Tobais Palmer in a span of 51 seconds late in the third quarter. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. BC ran the ball well, but it had three turnovers and was just 3-of-15 on third-down conversions.

NC State did what it was expected to do -- win. Now the question is if BC's new athletic director will do what many expect him to.

Brad Bates was hired as BC's new athletic director in early October. He's already seen enough BC football to make a decision on the future of the program. BC fans made their decision long ago.

NEWTON, Mass. -- Things haven't been this bad at Boston College in a long, long time.

There was the 0-11 season in 1978 that ended with a loss in Tokyo. There was the 2-9 season in 1989, sandwiched between a 3-8 season and a 4-7 season.

But since Tom O'Brien posted an 8-4 record in 1999, the Eagles hadn't recorded a single losing season and had played in 12 straight bowl games.

Until the past two seasons, that is. The bottom has fallen out on BC under head coach Frank Spaziani, who has seen the record fall from 8-5 in 2009, to 7-6 in 2010, to 4-8 in 2011 to the current 2-9 in 2012.

Yet during Thanksgiving week, a number of Eagles made it clear that there's still plenty they are thankful for.

"We all owe a debt of gratitude, both for the chance and then for his belief in all of us that we can go out and get it done," fifth-year senior and offensive co-captain Emmett Cleary said of the only head coach he's ever played for.

"It's been bad this year, but you have to believe in the process more than you believe in the results you're seeing. I think a lot of this isn't Coach's fault, and I just hope he has his job season opener next year."

They've heard the rumors that Spaziani won't survive the end of the season. How could they not hear them? After all, Cleary said, they're on campus, too.

After a second straight losing season and with a new athletic director (Brad Bates) in charge at Boston College, Spaziani might be coaching his last game at NC State on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN3).

A loss to the Wolfpack would produce just the second season with double-digit losses in school history.

Coming as it has on the heels of a 4-8 season in 2011, the 2012 season seems to show that there just isn't enough progress being made on Spaziani's watch.

But is Spaziani entirely to blame? His players aren't so sure.

"If I'm in position to make a block and I don't make it, I'm not gonna blame somebody for calling the wrong play," Cleary said, pointing out that the players are the ones on the field. "It's toughness, discipline and just kind of approaching the game the right way that he's instilled in this team. We've had a rough season but those lessons work for football and they work for life. Nobody's lost sight of that, I think.

"With all the criticism, frankly, it's been good watching Spaz kind of model what he's been preaching for years now. You just have to worry about the day-to-day things and just keep working and that's ultimately what causes success in this world."

It also would've helped if Cleary's class had stuck around after 2008.

"We've talked about this hundreds of times among the older guys," Cleary said. "I think a lot of these games were lost three or four years ago, when my signing class -- which was, I think, 36 including walk-ons -- [decided to leave BC, and now] there's nine of us left. It's hard to win when you don't have experienced players and experienced depth.

"We've had a lot of young players playing and they've really played their asses off these last couple years, but I think you'd prefer to have those guys redshirt and have experienced backups when injuries and losses happen."

When Jeff Jagodzinski brought in Cleary and the rest of this season's crop of fifth-year seniors, the program was riding high. Cleary's redshirt year, 2008, the team was in the ACC championship game -- just as it had been the year before.

Then Jagodzinski interviewed for a job in the NFL, former athletic director Gene DeFilippo fired him and hired Spaziani, who had been the defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2008.

While hiring Spaziani meant there remained some continuity on the coaching staff, whenever there's a coaching change there will be some impact on recruiting.

"The reality is this, when you chop up recruiting, it doesn't show right away," Spaziani said before practice Tuesday. "It has unintended consequences that happen later on. … At Boston College you have to identify talent, you have to develop it and you have to have some continuity with it. There's other issues besides that. [But] that's a contributing factor."

The Eagles don't like talking about this kind of thing. It's too close to an excuse, and making excuses isn't how they operate in the Heights.

But it's true that it was an issue that they've had to navigate. Last season, the Eagles had 12 seniors. This season, they have 16 -- only eight of them significant contributors.

That makes it hard to win.

It hasn't helped Spaziani that the trend in college football has been toward giving coaches less time to succeed, rather than more, in the age of information.

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