ESPN

Their hopes of dancing in the NCAA tournament dashed, the University of Massachusetts and Northeastern will have to settle for playing in the NIT.

UMass, which made the NIT's final four last season, earned a No. 2 seed in this year's tournament and will open play by hosting No. 7 seed Stony Brook on Wednesday (7:15 p.m., ESPN3).

The Minutemen (21-11) fell to VCU, 71-62, in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. Stony Brook (24-7) ran away with the America East regular-season title, but was upset by Albany, 61-59, in the conference tournament semis.

Northeastern (20-12), the regular-season champs of the CAA but losers to James Madison in the conference tournament final, are a No. 8 seed and will face top seed Alabama on Tuesday (9 p.m., ESPN2).

Alabama (21-12) tied for second in the SEC, which had a rare down year. The Tide have lost four of their last seven games, including a 61-51 defeat to Florida in the SEC semifinals.

CLICK HERE to see the full NIT bracket.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Anticipation can be a strange thing.

Waiting for something to come, good or bad, happy or sad, you can be filled with joy or drowned in dread.

For Harvard on Sunday, there was no question -- something good (a berth in the Big Dance) was coming. But as the names were ticked off and the lines of the bracket filled up, bit by bit, the feeling built.

When will our name be called? Where will we go? Who will we play?

After all those questions finally had been answered (at approximately 6:32 p.m. ET; Salt Lake City; New Mexico Lobos), Harvard coach Tommy Amaker told a story that showed the wait had weighed on them all.

As the coach and four of his players -- cocaptains Christian Webster and Laurent Rivard, and young stars Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers -- climbed the Murr Center stairs on their way to the post-selection show news conference, Amaker had a question for his still-giddy guys.

“Did you guys think they forgot about us?” the coach asked.

The answer?

“They seemed to be very confident that we were going to get our name called,” Amaker said, with a smile.

Confident or not, the wait felt just as long for them as it did for the fans who gathered to cheer them on.

“I mean, it was nerve-wracking to wait that long to hear our names called,” Saunders said. “But after it was called, it was a great relief. It was just a culmination of all the hard work that all of us have put together, and [of] just overcoming all the obstacles that we faced this year. It was a great feeling.”

One worth waiting for.

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

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- It was a day of celebration, of continuing a tradition passed down from one generation to the next.

A day to wear the bright color so closely associated with the group of people being honored.

Oh, and it was also St. Patrick's Day.

In Cambridge on Sunday, the crimson-clad Harvard faithful gathered for what is fast becoming an annual event: A viewing party in the Murr Center's Hall of History for the NCAA tournament selection show.

For the second straight year, Tommy Amaker's team assembled before flat screen TVs, velvet ropes setting them off from the crowd, to see who and where they would play in the postseason.

There were a few anxious moments, the crowd letting out an audible sigh of relief when No. 2 seed Ohio State was matched with No. 15 seed Iona in the Dayton regional, as the names were called and the brackets filled up. And then there was a roar.

After landing a No. 14 seed and a matchup with No. 3 seed New Mexico in Salt Lake City, the Crimson and their fans let loose. It had been a long 30 minutes, but now they knew who their dancing partner would be.

A few minutes later, the Crimson talked about what this accomplishment means to them, considering all they’ve been through this season.

“We’re proud to have an opportunity to represent our conference and our institution,” Amaker said. “I can’t say enough about these guys and what they’ve been able to accomplish this year.”

After going 65 years between its first NCAA appearance and its second, Harvard now has made two in a row -- and if not for a Princeton buzzer-beater in an Ivy League playoff game in 2011, the streak would be at three.

This season's success might be the most surprising. Amaker lost his two would-be senior captains, Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, to an academic cheating scandal prior to the season; both withdrew from school to preserve their eligibility while the process works its way out. Combined with the graduation of four-year vets Oliver McNally and Keith Wright, the mantle was left on the shoulders of youngsters such as Wesley Saunders and Siyani Chambers.

In the preseason, Harvard was picked to finish third in the Ivy League. Then conference play began, and the Crimson proved they were still a force to be reckoned with in the Ancient Eight. Until a late-season hiccup (back-to-back losses at Princeton and Penn) threw a wrench into the machine, it seemed the young Crimson were headed for a wire-to-wire Ivy win. But rather than wallow in self-pity after the bad weekend, the Crimson came home and took care of business against Columbia and Cornell (and got help from Princeton, which lost at Yale and at Brown) to seal the Ivy title and NCAA berth.

“I think it means a lot,” Amaker said of making back-to-back tournaments, despite the change in leadership on the court. “For us to have our name called on Selection Sunday, it’s very meaningful. I think it’s certainly something I’m sure that will sink in with us at some point, but we certainly know it’s taken a lot to get to this point.

“We’re proud of it, we were proud last year. And if you can continually become a contender in your conference -- and certainly we’ve been fortunate to win it now for three years and two years to be involved in the NCAA tournament -- I just think it’s an incredibly impressive few years for Harvard basketball.”

For Christian Webster, a co-captain and Harvard’s lone senior, this berth meant even more than last season’s did.

“I’d say so,” Webster said. “Just overcoming all the adversity we had to go through this season -- that’s one of the greatest feelings you can ever have, is overcoming adversity. And us being able to get to this point, with no one thinking we can get here -- it’s just an awesome feeling.”

For the second straight season, the Crimson are headed west for the Big Dance. Last season the Crimson, a No. 12 seed, flew to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on No. 5 seed Vanderbilt.

In the immediate aftermath of the selection show, the Crimson said they didn’t know much about the Lobos (29-5, Mountain West champions). Most of the players at the post-show news conference have never been to Utah (Laurent Rivard said he had, but not since the sixth grade).

They’re not sure when they’ll be leaving for Salt Lake City; plans might be complicated by an approaching winter storm.

But as Amaker said, these are the problems they were hoping to have. And on Sunday night, they were just happy to be back in this position for another year, with another group.

“With the youth of our team, the way these guys have responded -- accepting different roles, stepping forward, young guys stepping in,” Amaker said. “You can’t say enough about what this team has done for this season.”

This Harvard team has done enough to ensure that its season isn’t done quite yet.

There’s still dancing to do.

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

BOSTON -- On Friday, the Hockey East championships move to TD Garden with a pair of semifinals that couldn't be more different in terms of familiarity.

The first pits league regular-season champion UMass-Lowell against fourth-seeded Providence in a rematch of last year's quarterfinal matchup, won by the Friars. But this marks the first time in 12 years that both the River Hawks and Friars are in the Hockey East semifinals.

The second match is a classic confrontation, with second-seeded Boston College, currently ranked fifth in the country, taking on third-seeded Boston University in what could be coach Jack Parker's final game after 40 years at the helm of the Terriers program.

"The only team that wins the last game of the year is the national champion," Parker said. "Everybody else loses their last game of the year. And when it happens, it's like somebody shot you in the head because you're going so hard. It's 24/7 from September to that last game. And when that last game is over, there's no practice tomorrow."

Providence punched its ticket to the Garden with a hard-fought 3-2 win over fifth-seeded New Hampshire on Sunday, taking the quarterfinal series two games to one. The result forces the Wildcats to wait and hope that an NCAA invite comes their way after they dropped to a tie for seventh in the national PairWise rankings.

The game turned on two Providence power-play goals, scored by Tim Schaller and Nick Saracino, over a 44-second span in the second period, enabling the Friars to reverse a one-goal deficit and take a 3-2 lead. The freshman Saracino, who notched the game-winner, has proven to be a Wildcat killer this season, scoring seven of his 11 goals against UNH. Friars freshman goaltender John Gillies (30 saves) made the lead stand, knocking out 11 shots in the final frame.

UNH, the nation's leading penalty-killing unit (91 percent), couldn't solve the Providence power play. In six games against UNH, the Friars' power-play unit scored six of the 13 power-play goals that the Wildcats surrendered over the season.

Meanwhile, UMass-Lowell, currently ranked No. 6 in the country, dispatched Maine in a two-game quarterfinal sweep. The River Hawks took the regular-season series against the Friars, 2-1, highlighted by a 4-1 win in the season finale.

In Friday's nightcap, BC will take on the Terriers for the 262nd time in their storied rivalry. The teams first met in the 1917-18 season, and since that game, BU has forged a slight edge, going 128-116-17. However, in the games that Jerry York has been behind the Eagles bench since 1994, the squads are absolutely deadlocked, 37-37-7. While BC is assured a spot in the NCAA field of 16, the Terriers need to win the Hockey East championship to guarantee their spot.

"I think it's nice that we get to play them, " Parker said after his squad swept Merrimack on Saturday. "BC has always brought out the best in us, and vice versa. So it should be a real great college hockey game. We can't end their season, but I'd like to extend ours by getting to the final, that's for sure."

The Eagles, the defending national champions, are looking for their fourth straight Hockey East tournament crown. York's participation in Friday's semifinal, however, depends on the outcome of his eye surgery on Monday, and how quick his recovery is. York suffered a second detached retina of his right eye since January. Still, he left little doubt about the respect he has for his longtime adversary and friend.

"Jack and I have enjoyed a relationship that has stood the test of time," York said upon hearing of Parker's retirement announcement. "It goes back to our high school days and dates back 50 years. We've competed against one another and we've coached against one another for a long, long time. There have been so many unbelievable games that have provided countless memories for the both of us."

Expect another memorable match on Friday.

The brackets are out and Ivy League champ Harvard, a No. 14 seed in the West, will open play against No. 3 New Mexico on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

We'll have more on the Crimson's dance card later, but for now you can check out the full bracket HERE.

BOSTON -- When BU coach Jack Parker announced his retirement Monday, he got a laugh from the assembled crowd with his characterization of the Terriers' hockey program.

"I always talk about BU being a family," said Parker. "I've got two daughters, and 226 sons. The team I have right now are my youngest sons. And I'm not having any more children."

Those "youngest sons" made sure their coach would have another game at the helm, and another trip to the TD Garden, by knocking the Merrimack Warriors out of the Hockey East playoffs with a scintillating 5-3 victory before 3,043 at Agganis Arena on Saturday. But the Terriers (20-15-2) did it the hard way, three times fighting back from one-goal deficits to finally take the lead for good in the third period.

"I thought everybody played hard," said Parker. "I thought both teams played really smart hockey, real intense hockey. You could tell that Merrimack knew this was it for them. They had to get going. They put 42 shots on net, 20 in the second period. They kept coming at us all night long."

For Merrimack (15-17-6), the loss was the fifth straight to BU, and a bitter pill for coach Mark Dennehy despite the improved play of his squad.

"I thought we played much better than we did last night [a 3-0 loss]," said Dennehy. "We gave ourselves a chance to win. Some great efforts by a lot of people. Sam [Marotta, Merrimack's goaltender] made some really big saves when he needed to. It just wasn't enough."

The win -- Parker's last on the rink that bears his name -- gave the third-seeded Terriers a sweep of their quarterfinal series against the Warriors, and a date with archrival Boston College in the league semifinals on Friday. Parker is seeking his eighth league championship, and 25th invitation to the NCAA tournament, during his swan song. And although Parker holds a 48-38-7 record all-time over his longtime rival, BC coach Jerry York, the two giants of college hockey are dead even, 37-37-7, since York returned to The Heights.

"It was kind of weird tonight," said Parker. "This is my last game in a BU rink. It hasn't dawned on me. It didn't dawn on me in the press conference [Monday], because I knew I had to go to practice the next day. It was weird. But it was nice to win."

The Warriors came out intent on spoiling the Terriers' party, blitzing the BU end in the opening minutes. An ill-advised elbowing penalty to Warrior Connor Toomey gave BU the game's first power play, but Merrimack's Marotta (29) came up big, blocking Sahir Gill's one-timer off a cross-crease feed at the bottom of the right faceoff circle.

At 9:28, Marotta came up big again, first stopping Wade Megan point-blank after a nifty toe-drag move by the BU captain, and then employing an unorthodox snow-angel technique to deny Gill on the rebound.

The Warriors broke on top with a minute left in the opening period, with BU's Evan Rodriguez in the box for interference. Junior Shawn Bates, carrying the puck into the Terriers' end with speed, split a pair of BU defenders before deking out goalie Sean Maguire (39 saves). The big freshman netminder managed to get an arm on Bates' shot, but a second effort by the forward from Saskatchewan, Alberta, got the puck across the line for the power-play strike and a 1-0 Merrimack lead. It was the first time that Merrimack took the lead in five games against the Terriers this year, and ended Maguire's shutout streak at 1:51:22 over three games, the fifth-longest in BU history.

Marotta again stymied the BU power play to open the second period, as the Terriers attacked the Merrimack net with Brendan Ellis serving two minutes for tripping. But just after Ellis got back on the ice, BU junior Matt Nieto tied the game, 1-1, with his 100th career point. Driving down the slot, Nieto snuck behind Merrimack defender Justin Mansfield, took a perfect pass from freshman Danny O'Regan, and tapped it behind Marotta.

Undaunted, the Warriors regained the lead just three minutes later. With Terrier Patrick MacGregor cooling his heels on a high-sticking call, and Merrimack's Josh Myers creating havoc in front of the BU net, Mike Collins collected the puck on his off wing and flicked a shot through a maze of bodies that beat Maguire over his blocker at 4:32.

Maguire prevented the Warriors from doubling the lead moments later, stuffing Merrimack's Brian Christie on a clean breakaway. Just before the midway point, Marotta denied Megan with a sparkling stop of his own, reaching behind to grab Megan's backhand bid.

Marotta had another big stop at 15:51, sliding across his crease to deny Cason Hohmann in the low slot as BU had the extra attacker on a delayed penalty call. During the ensuing penalty, though, Hohmann got the equalizer. Walking in off the left half-wall, the sophomore from Texas snapped a shot that Mansfield blocked. But in the blink of an eye, Hohmann collected his own rebound and roofed a shot over Marotta's right shoulder to square the game, 2-2, at 16:12.

Again, Merrimack responded. Collecting the puck after a mixup between two BU defenders, Warrior John Gustafsson spun at the right faceoff dot and ripped a wrister that beat Maguire short side for a 3-2 margin at 18:40. It wasn't enough.

With eight seconds remaining in the middle stanza and the Terriers on their third power play of the period, BU freshman Sam Kurker jammed at a puck as Marotta tried to cover it, and the biscuit slipped through the netminder's legs to tie the match, 3-3.

"It's bizarre that they score so late in the second period, and we come right back and score again," said Parker. "That was big. If they could have gotten out of the period up, we would have been down a little bit. We lost the first period, and came back and won the second period, which was big when we got that goal."

The Terriers took their first lead at 5:11. Sam Rosen flicked a shot that Marotta blocked, but Rosen followed his initial shot, and shoveled the rebound over the fallen netminder to give BU a 4-3 lead.

Marotta kept the Warriors within 1 with a super blocker stop on Lane, who had a clean breakaway at the 10:10 mark. Lane had another spectacular bid to put the game out of reach at 12:44, when he chipped the puck past Ellis and then slashed across the crease, beating Marotta before his shot clanked off the left post and out.

BU captain Megan put the icing on Parker's final home win, diving at the puck on the right boards and sending it just inside the left post on the empty Merrimack net, where Gill tapped it in for the insurance marker at 19:55.

"I'd just like to start by saying what an honor it was to coach against Jack Parker. He's one of the reasons I wanted to come back to Hockey East, to coach against the likes of Coach Parker and Coach York and Coach [Dick] Umile," said Dennehy. "The game will take an absolute hit with his departure. Pretty big shoes to fill."

Parker departs Agganis with a record of 95-50-18 in the program's sparkling building on Commonwealth Avenue, and 896-471-116 overall. The Terriers now move on to the home of the Boston Bruins, where Parker has won 21 Beanpots and seven Hockey East tournaments. An eighth would ensure Parker's 25th trip to the NCAAs, the most of any coach, and a chance for the legendary coach to reach 900 wins.

"All good things must come to an end," said Parker with his trademark grin. "Oscar Wilde once said that some people cause joy wherever they go. Others whenever they go. So, some of my guys might be cheering when I finish up here. You never know."

Other Hockey East quarterfinals:

No. 2 Boston College 4, No. 7 Vermont 1
The Boston College Eagles suffered a setback before the puck even dropped on Saturday, as head coach Jerry York was sidelined after suffering a second detached retina in his right eye. However, the second-seed Eagles rallied, overwhelming the seventh-seed Vermont Catamounts by a 4-1 margin at Conte Forum to take the quarterfinal series, two games to none. BC scored the game's first goals, with the team's leading scorers Johnny Gaudreau, Steve Whitney and captain Pat Mullane all lighting the lamp to lead the Eagles. The win sends BC, the defending Hockey East and NCAA champs, on to the league semifinals, where they will face Boston University for the 262nd time.

No. 5 New Hampshire 4, No. 4 Providence 1
UMass Lowell will have to wait another day to see who their semifinal opponent will be next Friday, as New Hampshire forced a third and deciding game with a series-tying 4-1 victory over the Friars in Providence. Dick Umile's squad scored in each period, but didn't guarantee itself a game on Sunday until Jeff Silengo put UNH up 3-1 at the 17:33 mark of the third. UNH's Matt Willows put a bow on the win with an empty-netter at 18:23. Wildcats goalie Casey DeSmith (38 saves) got the best of his former USHL teammate, Providence goalie John Gillies (20 saves), to register the win.

No. 1 seed UMass Lowell became the first team to advance to the Hockey East semifinals, beating No. 8 seed Maine 2-1 in overtime Friday night in Lowell, Mass., to sweep the best-of-three series in two games after Thursday's 4-2 win.

In other quarterfinal action Friday night, No. 2 seed Boston College defeated No. 7 seed Vermont 4-2 at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill. The teams will play again Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Boston University also held serve at home, blanking No. 6 seed Merrimack 3-0 in the opening game of their quarterfinal at Agganis Arena. The Terriers and Warriors face off again Saturday at 7 p.m.

Finally, No. 4 seed Providence made it a perfect 4-0 night for Hockey East's home teams, edging No. 5 seed New Hampshire 3-2. The Friars and Wildcats resume their battle in Providence, R.I., at 4 p.m. Saturday.

No. 1 seed UMass Lowell beat No. 8 seed Maine 4-2 on Thursday night in the first game of the Hockey East tournament.

River Hawks sophomore forward Scott Wilson netted two goals and junior defenseman Chad Ruhwedel added two assists to pace Lowell on home ice.

The teams' quarterfinal matchup continues at the Tsongas Center on Friday night at 7 p.m., when Lowell will look to finish off the Black Bears and advance to the semifinals. Maine will try to stave off elimination and force a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday.

Though they finished tied for second in the conference, the Boston University Terriers (17-12, 11-5 America East) found themselves on the sidelines for Championship Week in 2013.

Because of BU's impending move to the Patriot League for 2013-14, the America East Conference ruled the Terriers ineligible for the postseason tournament prior to the season.

But coach Joe Jones & Co. won't be sitting out the postseason entirely, as the school announced Thursday it has accepted an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

"We are very excited to accept an opportunity to continue our season in the College Insider Tournament," Jones said in a statement. "My staff and I are very excited to work with our guys and continue to build the foundation for our program.

“We look forward to represent our great university in the postseason."

Led by junior D.J. Irving, at 14.3 points per game the sixth most prolific scorer in America East, the Terriers placed four players on all-conference teams in 2012-13. Irving was a unanimous All-AE first team selection, junior Dom Morris and freshman Maurice Watson Jr. were named to the All-AE third team, and Watson and John Papale were also named to the AE All-Rookie team.

This is the third time in the past four seasons that BU will play in a postseason tournament, with a CBI berth in 2010 and an NCAA berth in 2011.

Coincidentally, the Terriers will face another future Patriot League member, Loyola Maryland (21-11, 12-6 MAAC), in the first round of the CIT on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET).

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

In previewing the Atlantic 10 tournament, which begins Thursday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, ESPN.com college basketball writer Eamonn Brennan lists UMass point guard Chaz Williams as one of his five players to watch and lists the Minutemen, who open play Thursday night at 9 against George Washington, as his sleeper pick:

Sleeper pick: This is kind of a funny question, because as I mentioned in the intro, at the start of the season it felt as though this league had about 10 sleepers. Those ranks have dwindled, of course, but there are still plenty of threats that didn't get a first-round bye. Xavier has improved steadily over the course of the season (and the first rule of Xavier is never bet against Xavier); Richmond is a threat to get hot and rattle off a handful of wins with Derrick Williams back from injury; anything can happen with Charlotte, but it's a tough out; and Saint Joe's … well, OK, let's not go too far. If I had to settle on one, I'd probably go with UMass. The Minutemen are the team with the most on the line, and they certainly have the talent to go deep.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Brennan's A-10 tourney preview.

College hockey's "second season" -- highlighted by the Hockey East quarterfinals -- resumes Thursday in Lowell, with the River Hawks hosting Maine. The remaining three quarterfinal matchups start Friday.

The Hockey East championship has been won by a local Boston squad -- Boston College six times, and Boston University twice -- each of the past eight years. Still, given the tight race for Hockey East's regular-season crown, with two points separating the top five teams, the postseason promises no easy passage to the NCAAs. Only top-ranked Lowell and second-seeded Boston College appear to be locks for at-large bids to the national tournament, though New Hampshire (ranked seventh nationally) should be safe as well. The remaining five teams must capture the Hockey East crown to prolong their season.

"This is anybody's tournament," said BU coach Jack Parker on Tuesday. "There's a lot of [teams] that have had really solid years. It's unbelievable that Northeastern and UMass are not in this tournament; they are such good college teams. Anybody you get is going to be a tough draw."

Here's the breakdown of the matchups, and the eight teams gunning to play in the league semifinals at TD Garden in Boston on March 22:

Hockey East
No. 1 Lowell vs. No. 8 Maine
The student faces the teacher. River Hawks coach Norm Bazin, in just his second year at Lowell, guided his squad to the top of the Hockey East with a remarkable second-half surge, going 18-3-1 since Dec. 8, and finishing 22-10-2 (16-9-2 in Hockey East). Now he'll face a Maine squad (11-17-8; 7-12-8 HE) led by Tim Whitehead, the man who hired Bazin when he was running the Lowell program.

"Obviously we're good friends," said Bazin. "He gave me my first opportunity in coaching and you never forget that. We really respect their staff and their team and the way they compete.

"It's one of those things you're certainly going to have a candid conversation before the game, but come game time, I think we'll have our game faces on."

Whitehead, who coached Bazin before adding him to the Lowell staff, echoed the comments of his former assistant, saying: "It is bittersweet to have to go against him in this playoff series. When the puck is dropped, it will be a great competition."

He's right. Maine, despite sneaking into the playoffs last weekend, took the season series from the River Hawks, including a 4-3 win at the Tsongas Center. Plus, the Black Bears are a road-worthy team, coming off a huge three-point weekend at rival New Hampshire.

"We were gripping our sticks a little tightly at home," said Whitehead, adding that the seniors had never suffered a losing record in Orono. "When we started going on the road, we were able to play with a lot more composure and intensity."

In Lowell, the Black Bears face a team with incredible balance. "Up front, I think we have four second lines," said Bazin of a squad that boasts eight players with 18 points or more. "I can't tell you who's going to be our best line every night, and I can't tell you who will be our weakest."

Bazin, however, did say his team won't make the same mistake as last year, when the River Hawks, then seeded No. 2, were upset at home by Providence. "Some of the best lessons you learn are from your failures," he said. "We probably didn't bring our A-game to the table every night. I think we have better depth this year."

Depth is something the Black Bears lack. What they do have, at the moment, is great goaltending from junior Martin Ouellette, fiery leadership from captain Joey Diamond and house money.

"We just want to keep playing," said Whitehead. "It is a very tight-knit group. They have stuck together through a lot. Our seniors have been excellent. ... They have all fought through adversity, but have stuck together and really helped our team move forward and improve. It is a great opportunity to get into the playoffs. We just want to play."

No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 7 Vermont
The BC Eagles (20-10-4; 15-9-3 HE) are in the rare position of looking up at someone above them in the Hockey East playoff seedings. But Friday's 4-4 tie with Vermont (11-17-6; 8-13-6 HE), coupled with Lowell's victory over Providence, cost the Eagles a shot at the regular-season crown.

"We're disappointed in the fact that we couldn't win a championship, but you've got to reset and all of a sudden it's the playoff championship we're going to go after," said BC coach Jerry York. "Our goal is to try and win it. We understand just because of our seeding doesn't put us in the Garden. We have to get by Kevin Sneddon's team, who has played very well at times over the course of the year, and I thought played us toe-to-toe on Friday night up in Burlington."

For the second year in a row, the league's No. 2 vs. 7 matchup pits two teams that met the week before, in the regular season's final games. Last year, it was Lowell against Providence, and the No. 7 Friars bounced the host River Hawks from the playoffs. York will likely remind his squad of that result. He said he doesn't expect any surprises, and he doesn't expect his Eagles to look past the seventh-seeded Catamounts.

"It's not like, hey, we played them six weeks ago, what are they like now?" said York. "We know exactly what Vermont is and what their strengths are, and we're going to have to really be conscious of that, because they're a dangerous team."

York's senior class is looking for its fourth straight championship, but the current edition of the Eagles isn't the same as last year's model, which finished the season winning 19 straight to capture the NCAA title.

"We're completely different teams from last year," said York. "We lost a lot of seniors, we lost [Chris] Kreider, we lost [Brian] Dumoulin. Coming into this year is a whole new group of players to work with, with different strengths and different weaknesses. We've tried to address the weaknesses during the course of the year and build on our strengths. I think we've got a pretty good club."

Vermont, meanwhile, is returning the playoffs after a brief absence. Sneddon said his players have already put last weekend, and especially Saturday's 7-2 loss, behind them.

"There was a little bit of an emotional letdown from just kind of knowing we're in the playoffs, we're the seventh seed," said Sneddon. "It was a good learning lesson for us, to just remind our guys that if we're going to play soft against a team like Boston College, that's what they can do to you. In some respects, it may have been a perfect reminder as we head into the new season here."

Vermont's success in the postseason will hinge on the Catamounts' ability to shackle the league's most potent offense (88 goals), led by the likes of Johnny Gaudreau (18 goals, 28 assists, 46 points), Steve Whitney (24-17-41), captain Pat Mullane (15-23-38) and Bill Arnold (16-17-33). It will also be an interesting matchup in goal between UVM freshman Brody Hoffman and BC senior Parker Milner, the MVP of last year's NCAA title run.

"The biggest thing we have to do is make sure we're well aware of when Mr. Gaudreau, Mr. Whitney and Mr. Arnold are on the ice," said Sneddon. "They're excellent players, they're going to get chances. We just have to make sure that we make them earn those chances and minimize to the best of our ability their time of possession with the puck.

"I think right now our depth has helped us," he said. "Knock on wood, we're healthy and ready to go, and I think it's going to be a pretty big battle so we're going to rely on that depth."

No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Merrimack
There's no shortage of one-liners when BU coach Jack Parker and Merrimack bench boss Mark Dennehy discuss hockey.

"I think I just heard [Parker] say that even though they finished third [in Hockey East], and they beat us three times, that Merrimack may be favored," said Warriors head coach Mark Dennehy on Tuesday. "He is amazing. Again, I just tip my cap, because he is always coaching."

But Parker's run is about to come to an end, and Dennehy knows full well that his 5th-seeded Warriors (15-15-6; 13-11-3 HE) are facing a Terriers team (18-15-2; 15-10-2 HE) eager to deliver Parker his eighth Hockey East championship, and its automatic bid to the NCAAs.

"My players have to be motivated too, because I'm coming back next year," Dennehy said. "So whoever is coming back with me better be motivated as well. This time of the year, I don't think it comes down to motivation. I believe it comes down to execution."

Execution has been a concern for the Terriers, who have played uneven throughout the year. The Terriers have again been a force up front, with 82 league goals (second in Hockey East), but the goaltending of freshmen Matt O'Connor and Sean Maguire, while good, hasn't been championship caliber. With O'Connor injured, Maguire will carry the load in the playoffs.

"We had a very solid and consistent first half. When we came back after break, we were very inconsistent," said Parker. "Mostly our inconsistency was in regard to playing without the puck -- how well we defended, how well we defended the initial rush, how well we played in our own zone. That lack of consistency of effort and focus is something that caused us some heartache, as far as wins and losses are considered. We seem to be out of that now."

The Terriers enter the playoffs having won five of their past six, a streak that started with a 5-2 series-sweeping victory over Merrimack. "It wasn't as if we dominated any one of those games" against Merrimack, said Parker. "They always saw our best game and hopefully we can do that again. I'm not sure if we saw Merrimack's best game, so I would say the advantage falls with them right now as far as that's concerned."

Dennehy agreed, to a point. "We do think we can play better against the Terriers than we have played, but you have to give them a lot of credit," he said. "Jack has said that they have played their best hockey against us; it's good to hear that we bring out the best in them. But it would be nice to see our team play a little bit better as well. They are very hard to play against. They defend incredibly well and all of their goaltenders have played well against us. They have got some timely goal-scoring and some really good play out of their better players."

"The biggest thing that we have recognized in the three games that we have played them -- two out of the three we outshot them by a pretty good margin -- was our turnovers and
giveaways," Dennehy said. "You can't turn the puck over against a team whose defensemen move the puck way too well. They can transition. Their forwards are fast, and if they get up the side on you, they make really good plays on the rush and they go to the net very hard."

No. 4 Providence vs. No. 5 New Hampshire
Last year, Nate Leaman got the Friars back into the Hockey East playoffs. This year, his second on the job, Leaman got them home ice. Now Providence (15-12-7; 13-8-6 HE) has got a date with New Hampshire, one of the league's perennial powers.

"Our games against UNH this year were all extremely tight games, and obviously we tied with them in the standings," said Leaman. "It's Hockey East, there's obviously a lot of really good teams. We are really excited about hosting and again, expecting really tight games.

"They bring statistically the best goaltender in the league. That's always concerning," said Leaman of UNH's Casey DeSmith. "They have a very good power play. They have a lot of pluses, they have a lot of weapons. Overall they were a very good offensive team. They have a very good power play and don't take a lot of penalties."

With the league's best defense, and third most potent offense, it's alarming that the Wildcats (18-9-7; 13-8-6 HE) slipped to fifth in the league, despite a lofty national ranking (No. 7). But if the lack of killer instinct (four one-goal losses and five ties in the past 14 games) was a concern for UNH coach Dick Umile, he didn't let on this week.

"Nate has done a tremendous job at Providence," said Umile. "The team is playing well and they have great goaltending [with freshman John Gillies], but I don't think enough is said about their great balance and speed. It's going to be a challenge, but as the team knows, it's a whole new season since only four teams go on to the Boston Garden.

"We have good leadership on the team and I think the team is ready to get on the bus, head down to Providence and play down there."

A day after the Ancient Eight season ended officially, Siyani Chambers was unanimously voted the 2012-13 Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

But that's not all.

Chambers also found his name on the list for All-Ivy League first team, along with teammate Wesley Saunders (a unanimous selection). Junior co-captain Laurent Rivard and sophomore Steve Moundou-Missi were honorable mentions.

A 6-foot, 170-pound point guard from Golden Valley, Minn., Chambers finished first in the Ivy League in assists per game (5.7, 1.6 more than Princeton's Ian Hummer in second) and in minutes played (37.8 per game), fourth in free throw percentage (81.9), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (44.0) and sixth in scoring (12.9 points per game).

Chambers is the seventh Crimson player to be named Ivy Rookie of the Year, and the first since Kyle Casey won the award in 2009-10.

He was second on the Harvard roster in scoring, behind only Saunders. The sophomore from Los Angeles led the Ivy League in scoring with 16.5 points per game, ranked seventh in assists per game (1.9) and third in minutes played per game (37.3).

Saunders scored in double digits in all 28 of Harvard's games, helping the Crimson to a 19-9 overall record, including an 11-3 Ivy record, the team's second straight outright Ivy title and NCAA berth.

Rivard, a sharpshooter from Saint-Bruno, Quebec, tied a single-season team record with 74 3-pointers in 2012-13. The junior averaged 10.4 points this season, and has made the second-most 3s in Harvard history through three seasons in Cambridge.

Moundou-Missi, a sophomore from Yaounde, Cameroon, led the Crimson in rebounding, with 5.1 boards a game (10th in the Ivy League).

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

A day after he was the only unanimous selection for the All-ACC freshman team and earned his fourth ACC Rookie of the Week honor, Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan has been named ACC Rookie of the Year.

Hanlan, a native of Aylmer, Quebec, received 43 of the 77 votes cast by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. The next highest vote-getter was Duke’s Rasheed Sulaimon, with 15.

“It is a great honor for him and well deserved,” BC coach Steve Donahue said in a statement, “mostly because he is someone who is putting a great amount of work in to improve both on and off the basketball court.

"It is also a credit to his teammates for trusting him with the ball quite a bit. Their unselfishness has made him better as well."

Hanlan becomes the fifth BC player to win a conference rookie of the year honor, and the first since Troy Bell won Big East Rookie of the Year in 1999-2000.

The 6-foot-4, 188-pound point guard finished eighth in the ACC in scoring (14.6 points per game) and led all freshmen with 26 games scoring in double figures.

Hanlan and the Eagles will face Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC tournament on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

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

The regular season is over, and the honors have begun to roll in for Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan.

On Monday, the freshman from Aylmer, Quebec, was named ACC rookie of the week for the fourth time and was the lone unanimous selection for the All-ACC freshman team. Ryan Anderson, BC’s leading scorer, was named to the All-ACC third team.

The four weekly honors is the most in the conference this season, and the latest one comes after Hanlan helped lead the Eagles to a three-game winning streak to end the ACC slate. In the past week, Hanlan averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in BC’s two games (a road win over Clemson and a home win over Georgia Tech).

Hanlan finished the season tied for eighth in the ACC in scoring (14.6) and was among the top six rookies in both rebounds (4.2) and assists (2.3) per game.

Anderson finished his sophomore season averaging 15.1 points (sixth in the ACC) and 8.1 rebounds (fourth) per game. His nine 20-point games was third in the league, his nine 10-rebound games was fifth and his eight double-doubles was sixth.

On his weekly ACC conference call earlier Monday, BC coach Steve Donahue was asked about Hanlan’s season.

“I think it’s been incredible,” he said. “I don’t really get caught up in these things -- I don’t think I’ve ever talked publicly about any of my players and what they deserve [as far as awards] -- but it’s hard to imagine, [he was] sixth in the league in scoring [15.7 PPG in ACC play] and 10th in field goal percentage [as] a freshman guard.

“Obviously he’s been our leader and catalyst in our improvement,” Donahue said. “I can’t imagine anybody having a better year and I think nationally there can’t be too many freshmen that have had the impact that he’s had in this league. And I think he’s one of the better players in the league, as well.

“Honestly he’s achieved way more than I ever could have imagined this early in his career.”

Hanlan was the only freshman named to all 77 ballots for the All-ACC freshman team in the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association voting. He also received honorable mention for the All-ACC team.

With Hanlan in the fold, the Eagles improved modestly from 9-21 overall and 4-12 in the ACC to 15-16 overall and 7-11 in the ACC.

Donahue gives a great deal of credit for the improvement to Hanlan and fellow freshman backcourt member Joe Rahon. The coach also praised Hanlan’s work ethic.

“I say this to recruits, ‘The thing that I don’t know about you guys is are you really going to work hard?’” Donahue said. “Everyone says they work hard. Are they going to come here, in college, and have to be great? And that’s one thing [Hanlan] did since day one.

“The other thing is are you coachable? Are you willing to hear criticism and willing to work on it in a manner that you’re going to get better because you’re coachable? That kid’s a sponge and he wants every information that you can have. And our development is a credit to him because of those two things.”

Siyani Chambers doesn’t play like a freshman, but every once in a while there’s a reminder that he is one.

On Monday, two days after Harvard clinched its second straight outright Ivy League title (third straight if you include a share of the title in 2010-11) and berth in the NCAA tournament, Chambers was named Ivy rookie of the week for the sixth time in 2012-13.

That ties Chambers, a native of Golden Valley, Minn., for fifth most all time.

But that wasn’t what was on Chambers’ mind on Monday, when he took to Twitter with an update that made it clear that though he may be advanced beyond his age on the court, off the court he’s still new to this whole experience:

So I just got hit by a buzz saw in terms of that midterm #countthestuggles

— Siyani Chambers (@SChambers4) March 11, 2013

It’s easy to count the struggles Chambers has had on the court because there haven’t been many. It’s harder to count the successes.

In Harvard’s final two regular-season games, needing to win out to preserve a shot at the title, Chambers was his usual steady, savvy self.

He scored 16 points (on 5-for-6 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 shooting from the line), had three assists and grabbed two steals against Columbia on Friday -- a statline that doesn’t do justice to the impact he had on the game, especially late. Then on Saturday, he had 16 points (on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point land), five assists and four rebounds against Cornell.

Chambers finished first in the Ivy League in assists per game (5.7, 1.6 more than Ian Hummer in second) and in minutes played (37.8 per game), fourth in free throw percentage (81.9), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (44.0) and sixth in scoring (12.9 points per game).

It’s to the point that Tommy Amaker doesn’t know what else he can say about his preternaturally polished point guard.

“You can’t say enough about Chambers,” Amaker said after the rookie led the Crimson back against the Lions. “What else can the kid do for our team this year? His minutes, his efforts, his moxie, his savvy, his daring. All those things we’ve seen a lot this year.”

As of Monday, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Harvard as a No. 13 seed in the South region of the Big Dance, matching up with No. 3 seed Michigan State in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Harvard has been marveling at the Chambers show all season long, and chances are at least one more opponent will see a similar display in the NCAAs.