BC set to apply finishing touch

Things looked pretty rocky when the Boston College men's basketball team stumbled to an 0-3 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play. But with two games remaining, things couldn't look much rosier for the 12th-ranked Eagles (22-6, 9-5), who have rebounded from that sluggish start by winning nine of 11 ACC contests and have pulled within one victory of clinching a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament next week in Greensboro, N.C.

BC was picked to finish second in the ACC preseason media poll, and is now on track to meet that prediction.

Wake Forest, meanwhile, never met its lofty expectations. The Demon Deacons were predicted to finish third but have plummeted to the league's cellar (14-14, 2-12).

After a rousing 74-72 double-overtime triumph Saturday at North Carolina State, the Eagles return home to Conte Forum to close out the campaign with a two-game homestand, beginning tonight against Wake Forest. The finale is against Virginia Tech Saturday.

''The thing about Wake Forest is that they're still a pretty talented team," said BC coach Al Skinner, who got a team-high 23 points from freshman guard Tyrese Rice in a 72-66 victory at Wake Forest Feb. 8. ''I'm not sure what the reason is for their record, but all I know is that they're a much better team than what their record shows and we've got to be ready to play."

BC can clinch the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament if it wins out and winds up in a three-way tie at 11-5 with North Carolina (19-6, 10-4) and N.C. State (21-7, 10-5). (The Tar Heels are at No. 1 Duke Saturday night.) In that scenario, N.C. State would end up the No. 4 seed and BC would beat the Tar Heels in the tie-breaker for the No. 2 seed based upon its head-to-head triumph.

''I'm sure Wake Forest is going to want to come in and get a win against us because a win, for them, would be a big statement headed into the ACC Tournament," Skinner said. ''The ACC Tournament can clearly make up for a lot of ills."

Said Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, ''You want to go in there with a positive feeling about yourself. Every game we've played, we've been in every game, but we haven't been able to play 40 consistent minutes. There's no air of resignation on our team. We just have to play hard against Boston College."

After surviving the double-OT affair at N.C. State, Skinner fully expects his team to have enough left in the tank for the final stretch.

''We appreciated that we got the win, but the season is far from over just yet," Skinner said. ''We've got a lot of things we want to accomplish and a lot of things we're still striving for. So we know there's a lot at stake for us. We just have to be thankful that we're playing these last two games at home."