Meet the members of Boston College's championship team (By Globe Staff):

No. 1 John Muse, goalie, freshman

Muse started all 44 games and was the only goalie used by BC all season . . . Was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament team . . . Falmouth native set a school record with 1,171 saves

No. 2 Anthony Aiello, defenseman, junior

Aiello collected three goals and 13 points this season . . . Braintree native earned All-Tournament honors at the Dodge Holiday Classic.

No. 4 Mike Brennan, defenseman, senior

The captain scored three goals and 8 points on the season . . . Smithtown, N.Y., native earned Hockey East All-Tournament Team honors.

No. 5 Tim Filangieri, defenseman, junior

Filangieri scored a goal and 6 points on the season . . . Islip Terrace, N.Y., native had an assist in both games of the IceBreaker tournament in October.

No. 6 Tim Kunes, defenseman, junior

Kunes has was a plus-22 in the regular season, tops among Eagle blue liners . . . Huntington, N.Y., native scored his only goal of the season in a 4-0 victory over Vermont in the Hockey East title game.

No. 7 Carl Sneep, defenseman, sophomore

Sneep earned Hockey East All-Tournament honors after he tallied two assists and was a plus-4 in four victories . . . Nisswa, Minn., product ranks first among BC defensemen with three goals and 12 assists.

No. 9 Nathan Gerbe, forward, junior

Hobey Baker Award runner-up scored five goals and 8 points in Frozen Four . . . Oxford, Mich., native was the Hockey East Tournament MVP and led the country with 35 goals and 68 points this season . . . Drafted by Buffalo in 2005 (fifth round).

No. 11 Joe Adams, forward, senior

Adams's first career goal was a game-winner against Bowling Green in the 2005-06 season opener . . . Native of Wayzata, Minn., his older brother, John, was a standout defenseman for the Eagles from 2002-05.

No. 12 Ben Smith, forward, sophomore

Smith scored a pair of goals and added three assists in Frozen Four . . . Avon, Conn., native finished the season with 25 goals and 50 points.

No. 13 Pat Gannon, forward, senior

Gannon collected a career-high 23 points this season after scoring a combined 17 in his first three years . . . Arlington native added an assist in the Frozen Four.

No. 14 Matt Greene, forward, senior

Alternate captain was named Best Defensive Forward in Hockey East . . . Plymouth native had two game-winning goals among his eight this season.

No. 15 Joe Whitney, forward, freshman

Whitney was named Most Outstanding Player at NCAA Northeast Regional and added a goal in the Frozen Four . . . Reading native recorded 40 assists, second best for a freshman in school history (Ken Hodge Jr., 44, 1984-85).

No. 17 Brian Gibbons, forward, freshman

Was named Beanpot MVP after recording two goals and two assists in victories over Boston University and Harvard . . . Braintree native had four assists in Frozen Four.

No. 18 Kyle Kucharski, forward, junior

Kucharski set a career-high with 9 points (three goals) . . . Saugus native added an assist in Frozen Four.

No. 19 Brock Bradford, forward, junior

Missed 17 games after suffering a broken left humerus in the first game of the season. He played in four games before breaking the same bone against BU Jan. 19 . . . Burnaby, British Columbia, native, had 5 points in five games.

No. 21 Benn Ferriero, forward, junior

Ferriero finished the season with 17 goals and 42 points, including one assist in the Frozen Four . . . Essex native was a Hockey East All-Tournament Team selection.

No. 22 Dan Bertram, forward, senior

Alternate captain had 10 goals and 37 points, including a goal and two assists in the Frozen Four . . . Calgary native finished with 105 points in 160 career games.

No. 24 Matt Lombardi, forward, sophomore

Lombardi registered 4 points (one goal) this season . . . Milton native picked up key assist on Andrew Orpik's third-period goal in Beanpot championship game.

No. 25 Matt Price, forward, sophomore

Price registered first multiple-point game of his career with one goal and assist in a 3-3 tie with Maine Jan. 25 . . . Milton, Ontario, native finished with three goals and 11 points.

No. 26 Nick Petrecki, defenseman, freshman

Petrecki scored the overtime goal to beat Harvard in the Beanpot final and was named to the NCAA Northeast Regional team . . . Clifton Park, N.Y., native had five goals, 12 points, and a team-high 47 penalties for 102 minutes.

No. 27 Andrew Orpik, forward, junior

Orpik scored the first of BC's four first-period goals vs. North Dakota in Frozen Four semifinal . . . East Amherst, N.Y., native (and younger brother of former BC star Brooks) collected seven goals and 13 points.

Boston College junior left wing Nathan Gerbe continued his Frozen Four heroics against Notre Dame in the NCAA championship game, scoring two goals and adding an assist as the Eagles took a 3-1 lead over the Fighting Irish in the second period.

After a scoreless first period, which was a defensive tug-of-war, Gerbe scored his goals just over three minutes apart, at 2:23 and 5:37, and freshman Joe Whitney added a third at 8:11.

Center Kevin Deeth pulled the Irish back to within two at 9:07.

Here are Notre Dame's lines for tonight's NCAA Frozen Four Championship game

LW Ryan Thang, C Ben Ryan, RW Evan Rankin
LW Dan Kissel, C Kevin Deeth, RW Mark Van Guilder
LW Garrett Regan, C Christian Hanson, RW Christiaan Minella
LW Calle Ridderwall, C Justin White, RW Ryan Guentzel

LD Ian Cole, RD Kyle Lawson
LD Brock Sheahan, RD Teddy Ruth
LD Brett Blatchford, RD Dan VeNard

Goaltender - Jordan Pearce

Boston College's lines for tonight's NCAA Frozen Four Championship game at the Pepsi Center:

LW Nathan Gerbe, C Brian Gibbons, RW Ben Smith
LW Matt Price, C Dan Bertram, RW Pat Gannon
LW Joe Whitney, C Matt Greene, RW Benn Ferriero
LW Kyle Kucharski, C Matt Lombardi, RW Andrew Orpik

LD Anthony Aiello, RD Mike Brennan
LD Tim Filangieri, RD Tim Kunes
LD Nick Petrecki, RD Carl Sneep

Goaltender - John Muse

It's a final....Boston College beats North Dakota by a 6-1 score and will take on the winner of Michigan and Notre Dame. Freshman goaltender John Muse lost his bid for a shutout with 1:16 left in the third period when defenseman Jake Marto beat him from the left circle with a shot over the glove.

It is the third time in as many years that the Eagles move on to the NCAA championship and three times in a row that they have beaten the Fighting Sioux to get there.

Nathan Gerbe picked up his fourth point of the night, setting up Ben Smith during a two-on-one break midway through the second period to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead.

Nathan Gerbe completed his hat trick, scoring on the power play at 6:37 of the second period, to give Boston College a monumental 5-0 lead. The Fighting Sioux do not look as if they will come back in this one.

Boston College caught fire in the first period, taking a 4-0 lead over shellshocked North Dakota in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals at the Pepsi Center.

Andrew Orpik started the rally at 7:08 and Nathan Gerbe potted his first of two in the opening 20 minutes, scoring shorthanded at 13:14. At 15:13, it was Gerbe again and Dan Bertram scored from the slot with 14.8 seconds remaining, putting the Fighting Sioux into a very deep hole.

Here are North Dakota's pairings:

LW Ryan Duncan-C T.J. Oshie-RW Andrew Kozek
LW Matt Watkins-C Rylan Kaip-RW Matt Frattin
LW Brad Miller-C Chris VandeVelde-RW Ryan Martens
LW Kyle Radke-C Darcy Zajac-RW Brad Malone

LD Taylor Chorney-RD Robbie Bina
LD Joe Finley-RD Chay Genoway
LD Zach Jones-RD Jake Marto

Goaltender - J.P. Lamoureux

BC's lines for this afternoon's game against North Dakota

LW Nathan Gerbe-C Brian Gibbons-RW Ben Smith
LW Matt Price-C Dan Bertram-RW Pat Gannon
LW Joe Whitney-C Matt Greene-RW Benn Ferriero
LW Kyle Kucharski-C Matt Lombardi-RW Andrew Orpik

LD Anthony Aiello-RD Mike Brennan
LD Tim Filangieri-RD Tim Kunes
LD Nick Petrecki-RD Carl Sneep

Goaltender - John Muse

Some Final Two thoughts:

It was early in January when I finally changed my mind. I had been attached to Georgetown as the team I thought would win the national championship. In the Jan. 7 version of this blog, I switched to Memphis. Nothing has happened since to change my mind. In fact, I can't get that first half against Michigan State out of my mind. Memphis is the best team. Coach Cal's team has great guards with Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts and rugged inside play from Joey Dorsey. As Bob Ryan told everyone in the Globe today, a defensive stopper too in Antonio Anderson.

Kansas looked awesome at times in beating North Carolina but it also had that down period when it was outscored by 24 points. The Jayhawks can't have any letdowns like that tonight. The Kansas guards are the best defenders in college basketball. It will be interesting to see how they do against Rose and Douglas-Roberts. What they did against North Carolina, they would have to do against Memphis. If they can contain Memphis' big two, they have a chance. I don't think it will happen.

Another great college basketball story by Pete Thamel of the New York Times about an anonymous person who influenced where players go to college. Yes, he's a good friend of John Calipari.

On the other hand, John Feinstein of the Washington Post defends Memphis and Calipari. Love the joke about the 2008 Final Four T shirts, UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas, Vacated.

John Canzano of the Oregonian, one of the best columnists in the nation gives a good rundown of the botched search for a new coach at Oregon State.

A look at the national semifinals:

UCLA vs. Memphis: Memphis is playing the best of any team. The Tigers' victory over Michigan State in the regional final was the best performance of the tournament and they look tremendous in eliminating an excellent Texas team in the South final. UCLA has looked vulnerable at times. The Bruins' guards are talented but are not playing their best right now. Memphis has enough big bodies to give UCLA center Kevin Love some competition in the low post. Memphis coach John Calipari has plenty of fouls to give so Love doesn't take over the game. I don't think UCLA has anyone to defend Memphis forward Chris Roberts-Douglas (then again, who does?). When UCLA beat Memphis in the 1973 national championship game, Bruins center Bill Walton converted 21 of 22 shots. I think it would take a similar effort from Love for UCLA to win this game. Winner: Memphis.

North Carolina vs. Kansas: A classic matchup between two teams that play uptempo, smart offense and tough defense. There is a difference, Kansas is the best defensive team in the country. The Jayhawks, however, don't have an individual player as good as Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, who should be able to dominate inside and maybe even get Kansas in foul trouble. The Kansas guards, notably Mario Chalmers, have the potential to harass the Carolina guards into a bad game. That's how the Jayhawks could win. What strikes me, however, is the Kansas guards could not dictate the game to Davidson's guards in the Midwest regional final. Winner: North Carolina.

Extra Final Four thoughts:

John Calipari is always interesting. For example, he suspended reserve guard Andre Allen for the Final Four for violating team rules. My imagination runs wild, what could have done that Coach Cal would suspend him?

He had Rev. Jesse Jackson speak to the team. Jackson is in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King. After meeting with team, Jackson said, "I think Dr. King would find this a source of joy. After all, this couldn't have happened 40 years ago in Memphis. Now we see the flowering and the blossoming of Dr. King coming here 40 years ago."
Not sure I get that. Memphis has had integrated teams since the 60s.

Non-Final Four thoughts:

I have no doubt Tom Crean will be successful at Indiana. It might take a few years because so few players are returning.

Here's the list I would give to Marquette: Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant, Siena's Fran McCaffery, Wright State's Brad Brownell.

How much has the world of college basketball changed that George Mason can keep its coach from jumping to Providence? That would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.

Kent State coach Jim Christian left for TCU. No one has ever really been successful at TCU including Billy Tubbs, who was able to make Oklahoma a national championship contender. I'm not sure he took a better job. At least he'll make more money.

I think Travis Ford has done a great job at UMass and fans should hope he stays. His drive and style of play will produce winning teams in Amherst.

Final thoughts on the Elite Eight

-- Memphis is obviously playing the best of any team. If you saw the Tigers' regional semifinal win against Michigan State you saw a national championship effort. The best performance I've seen this season.

-- Since Memphis converted 30 of 36 free throws in beating Texas Sunday, I'm guessing John Calipari thinks free throw shooting is important again.

-- The Tigers briefly had trouble with a box-and-one defense that Texas put on Chris Roberts-Douglas. Maybe UCLA coach Ben Howland will take note.

-- It's difficult to criticize Davidson coach Bob McKillop, but I didn't like the final play he ran against Kansas. What made Stephen Curry so great in the tournament -- and all season long for that matter -- was that his shots came out of team-oriented play. For the final shot Sunday, Curry had the ball instead of point guard Jason Richards. It didn't work. I'm just surprised they didn't run their usual offense with Richards as the trigger man.

-- Mario Chalmers is my favorite Kansas player. He did a great job slowing Curry down when he was guarding him and for a while, he was the Jayhawks' best offensive player.

-- UCLA looked spotty. I know that's a difficult thing to say about a Final Four team, but is there any doubt that if the Bruins play like they did against Western Kentucky, Memphis will kill them?

-- Did you catch the video CBS had of Kevin Love hitting shots from halfcourt, three-quarter court, and full court in practice? Just amazing. It looked like the Lebron James Nike commercial but it was real.

-- Tyler Hansbrough may not look pretty but what a player he is. He practically dragged North Carolina into the Final Four by himself. What impressed me was not his rebound dunk but his two 15-foot jumpers off the dribble in crucial situations.

Their only two losses in the last two years have come on the court at the MassMutual Center, in the birthplace of basketball, to a juggernaut Winona State program that will be appearing in its third straight national championship game on Saturday afternoon (CBS-TV, 2:30 p.m.)

The Bentley men's basketball team is a magnificent 66-2 the last two seasons. But on Thursday night, the Falcons were derailed for the second straight season, falling 86-75, to Winona in the NCAA Division 2 semifinals before a entertaining crowd of 4,019 in Springfield.

Winona took the lead for good, 56-54, on a three-pointer from the left corner by senior guard Quincy Henderson with 9:23 left on the way to its NCAA Division 2 record 37th win of the season.

The Warriors (37-1) charged back from a six-point halftime deficit (36-30), outscoring Bentley 56-39 in the final 20 minutes. Winona shot 61.5 percent from the floor, converted 18 of its 23 free-throw attempts and rode the talents of its three senior leaders: All-American forwards John Smith (8 of 12, 22 points) and Jonte Flowers (20 points, 8 rebounds), along Henderson (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists).

The Warriors will play Augusta State (27-6) in Saturday's final.

Senior forward Nate Fritsch closed out his sensational career at Bentley (34-1) with an 18-point performance, junior Lew Finnegan collected 17, freshman Tommy Dowling delivered 15 and senior point Yusuf Abdul-Ali had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds, along with four assists.

Bentley coach Jay Lawson on the loss:
Offensively, they outplayed us in the second half. We shot 54 percent (from the floor) in the second half after shooting 52 percent in the first half. Opponents are averaging just 39 percent against all year and (Winona) shot 61.5 percent in the second half. We make a big deal in our program about free throws and their impact on the game. They ended with 28 free throws, 25 in the second half. It's tough to manage the game when they are shooting that well from the field and at the free-throw line.

On Winona's second-half comeback:
" ... They made the critical shots. Every moment that they needed a bucket, they made that shot. They deserve a lot of credit.

"We have a very good team. We have a team good enough to win the national championship. And we've only lost to one team in the last 68 games. They deserve a tremendous amount of credit because they didn't beat slouches today.

On his team's two-year run:
"Right at this moment, it's tough. I've been with this program for 23 years (17 years as head coach). For a long time, I was not so sure that a team from a (private) school like ours could win a national championship. But the last three years, I've felt that we could compete for one. Last year, was very magical. Who would have ever thought that we could do it again. We broke all kinds of records last year, and then did it again this year. .... This has been very, very special for all of us. I've been around the game a long time, and I know a lot of old people, my age, older, younger and all they do is complain about their college experience. These (players) won't have those kinds of memories. They'll appreciate it very, very much."

Bentley senior Nate Fritsch:
“Speaking on behalf of Yusuf (Abdul-Ali) and myself, we were incredibly lucky to be at Bentley. We were both recruited late, and to end up at a place like Bentley where the players care as much and the coaches kill themselves, I feel very lucky.”

Bentley senior Yusuf Abdul-Ali:
"The last two years have been great, we've won so many games. We lost to Winona the last two years. I'm not going to put my head down."

Winona coach Mike Leaf:
In the first half, Bentley did a great job. I thought we had a great defense. But they were really taking the ball to the basket. ... They were breaking us down. In the second half, we hit some really key shots, and were able to get that one- or two-point lead, and built it to five. It was back and forth. We hit a big 3 (Quincy Henderson).

"We really wanted to focus on getting the ball inside. We have one of the best players in the country (John Smith). And that opened it up for us outside. We were fortunate enough to win against a team that I really admire. It's a heck of streak that they've had. They are well-coached and disciplined, and nice gentlemen."

One of the most remarkable seasons in New England college basketball history came to an end tonight at the MassMutual Center, with Winona State derailing Bentley's hopes for the second straight season in the Elite 8.

The Warriors erased a six-point halftime deficit and pulled away down the stretch for an 86-75 win in an NCAA Division 2 semifinal before a charged up crowd of 4,019.

Bentley, ranked No. 1 in the country since late November, finishes at 34-1, suffering their first setback since last year's 64-51 quarterfinal loss to Winona.

Winona (37-1), which outscored Bentley 56-39 in the final 20 minutes, will play Augusta State (27-6) in Saturday's national championship game (CBS-TV, 2:30).

Senior Nate Fritsch led Bentley with 18 points, junior wing Lew Finnegan added 17, freshman Tommy Dowling had 15 and senior point Yusuf Abdul-Ali contributed 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Senior All-American forward John Smith led Winona with 22 points and senior wing Jonte Flowers added 20, along with 8 rebounds. Senior guard Quincy Henderson had 17 points and a team-high 9 boards.

With its two senior All-Americans, John Smith and Jonte Flowers, stepping forward, Winona has taken aa 71-63 lead with 4:01 left.

Flowers followed a Smith miss at the free-throw line with an acrobatic left-handed put-back. At the other end, he ripped down a rebound over Jason Westrol (4th foul) and sank two free throws for a 70-63 lead. Quincy Henderson added a free throw for 71-63.

Westrol picked up his fifth foul with 4:01 left.

Jonte Flowers, Winona's terrific senior wing, gave the Warriors their first lead since 5-2, draining a sweet floater on the right baseline for 48-47 with 13:32 left. Lew Finnegan responded with a steal, and nice coast-to-coast finish for 49-48, but Flowers drove hard to the hole for 50-49 as the two teams traded baskets.

Nate Fritsch buried a 16-footer over John Smith, Finnegan converted anotehr steal and Jason Westrol sank one at the line for a 54-50 lead.

The Bentley men's basketball team is just 20 minutes away from playing for the Division 2 national champship on Saturday afternoon.

The top-ranked Falcons shot 52 percent the floor in opening up a six-point halftime cushion, 36-30, against Winona State at the MassMutual Center.

Senior point guard Yusuf Abdul-Ali, who prepped at the New Leadership School right down the street, paced a balanced attack with eight points and five rebounds. All eight Falcons who played scored in the first 20 minutes, including freshman wing Tommy Dowling, who delivered seven big points, and three rebounds, off the bench.

The 6-3 wing drilled spinning jumper on the left side of lane, a double-pump runner on the right side, and, after ripping a defensive rebound out of a crowd, sank a pair of free throws for a 34-25 cushion.

John Smith (11 first-half points), Winona's 6-9 All-American, answered with a 3 at the other end for 34-28.

Sophomore Jason Westrol just completed a traditional three-point play -- a hard drive through the lane plus the free throw -- capping a 10-2 run as Bentley surged ahead 19-12 with 11:12 remaining in the first half. Junior Lew Finnegan sank a pair of free throws, freshman Mike Quinn drained a 3 off a Finngan rebound and junior Mike Sikonski buried a left hook in the block for a 16-10 lead.

Winona's Curtrel Robinson answered with a wing jumper, but Westrol converted his three-point play at the other end.

Bentley, which erupted for a season-high 102 points in Wednesday night's quarterfinal win over North Alabama, hit 7 of its first 11 shots. Winona was 5 of 14.

Great atmosphere inside the MassMutual Center, with both Winona and Bentley (at least 7 busloads made the trip from Waltham) well represented.

Welcome to the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield, where the top-ranked Bentley men's basketball (34-0) faces third-ranked Winona State (36-1) in an NCAA Division 2 Elite 8 semifinal, with an 8:30 tap.

The game is a rematch of last year's national quarterfinal, in which Winona rode 19 points from senior guard Zach Mavlik to a 64-51 victory, handing Bentley its first loss after 32 straight wins. The Falcons, a remarkable 66-1 the last two years, have not lost since. At stake is a spot in Saturday's Division 2 national championship game (CBS-TV, 2:30 p.m.)

In tonight's first semifinal, senior forward Tyrekus Bowman tossed in 18 points and 6-foot-11, 304-pound Garret Siler added 16 (on 8 of 10 shooting) as Augusta State held off Alaska-Anchorage in the second half for a 52-46 victory.

Tonight's Game 2 starters:

WINONA STATE

F John Smith, 6-9 senior
G Jonte Flowers, 6-5 senior
G Quincy Henderson, 6-5 senior
G David Johnson, 6-2 sophomore
G Travis Whipple, 5-11 junior

BENTLEY

G Yusuf Abdul-Ali, 5-11 senior
G Mike Quinn, 6-1 redshirt freshman
G Jason Westrol, 6-2 sophomore
G Lew Finnegan, 6-4 junior
F Mike Sikonski, 6-7 junior