Eagle-eye view: Conte: Be there, be loud, and do it 'For Boston'

There's a new league in town. That's something that for months now we've been hearing echo out of Conte Forum and Alumni Stadium. And it is finally time to join. As the football team was baptized into the conference with its game against Florida State in September, so too will the men's basketball team join the fraternity with its home game against Duke on Wednesday.

Wednesday's game is the one home game that everyone looked to with the announcement of joining the ACC. Sure, the top to bottom makeup of the conference is full of strong teams creating a test each and every night; yet perennial national champion contender Duke is coming to town, and as a peer. Perhaps never before has a game had such significance to Boston College men's basketball than Wednesday's match-up. The University of Connecticut has come to town with a high ranking before, and it's hard to imagine an atmosphere more electric at BC than what was present at the Syracuse game last year, but this is a chance to show the country that we can run with the big boys, that we belong, and that we are here to compete.

With Wednesday's game comes an entirely new mindset that needs to be brought by all to Conte, not just by the players. Gone are the days when the State University of New Jersey had one of the toughest home court advantages in the league; instead the venues have been replaced by some of the most difficult places to play in the country, where some of the greatest to ever take part in the sport made their homes.

If we want to compete at this level, we need to bring a new attitude to Conte, one that eclipses what occurred at the Syracuse game last year. It's time for all the fans to step up, but especially the students. If we want to compete with the daily tests that the ACC brings with it, we must have a strong student section that is willing to change the environment. For far too long, Conte has been known as a meaningless home court, a site built for hockey, where hockey is all that matters.

Last year that mentality began to change, but it took a 20-0 start and all collapsed with the disappearance of the Superfan during the Pittsburgh game. As this year began, there was initial support, yet with a string of conference losses all that changed.

Countless media outlets have spoken of Conte as one of the worst home courts in the country. Yet Wednesday is our chance to change that perception with a nationally televised night game. There's a new league in town, it's up to us to show that we belong.

Michael Aube is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.