Loads of freshmen. A long midseason losing streak. A season that required an extended conference tournament run to have any chance at postseason play.
Sound familiar?
It's a profile that fits the 2007-08 Boston College men's basketball team. But that's not who it belongs to. Want to know who owns that resume?
The 2006-07 Connecticut Huskies, that's who. The same Huskies who, in 2008, are 21-5, have won 10 in a row, and are No. 13 in the nation.
BC's former Big East rival had eight freshmen on its roster last season to replace the eight players who left the Elite Eight team. Also, A.J. Price finally made his debut in his third year in the program, after brain hemorrhaging and stolen laptops cost him his first two years.
Those players, including Price, made up four of Jim Calhoun's top five scorers, but the team's inexperience was too much to overcome. UConn lost five straight in January to knock them out of at-large consideration, and then ended the season with four straight losses.
The Huskies' streak of five straight NCAA tournaments was snapped.
Those memories are long gone now. Price has become one of the best point guards in the nation, while 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet is turning into a constant triple-double threat (that's blocks, not assists).
Although it may pain some BC fans to look to a Calhoun-coached team for inspiration, it is to Storrs, Conn. that Superfans should gaze for hopes of next season.
BC is going through many of the same growing pains that Connecticut went through last year. Al Skinner's team has been to the last four NCAA tournaments, but lost four players off last year's roster, including two first-round draft picks.
This year's edition features five freshmen, four of whom are in the regular rotation. The young Eagles have dropped seven out of eight, bookmarked by losses to last-place Virginia.
BC has been plagued by inconsistent play. The Eagles lost back-to-back games by 22 points, to North Carolina and Clemson, then one week later led Duke with under 10 minutes to go.
In back-to-back home games, the Eagles held N.C. State to 65 points in a win, but on Sunday the defensive problems that have lasted all season resurfaced. Virginia shot 57 percent in the first half and scored 79 points in a five-point win.
Skinner admitted last week that this season has forced him to do things differently than in the past, when he had veteran leaders like Jared Dudley, Craig Smith, and Troy Bell.
He's called more timeouts and has changed his starting lineup several times. And while Tyrese Rice has done everything in his power in the last couple of weeks (averaging over 29 points in his last three games), more often than not, it hasn't been enough.
The heart of the question is, are these freshmen, along with transfer Joe Trapani, going to be able to do next year what UConn's former freshmen are doing this year?
Rakim Sanders is certainly the most talented of the group. He shoots over 40 percent from three and had 12 rebounds against N.C. State, but his foul shooting is maddening - 50 percent is bad for anyone, but it's really awful for a guard.
Biko Paris and Corey Raji both look to be scrappy players, guys who understand their roles and understand the team concept. Raji has shot the ball well when given the chance and is a tough defender.
Paris is best when he stays under control and did a solid job Sunday on UVA's Sean Singletary after hitting Singletary's elbow with his mouth in the first minute of the game.
Big man Josh Southern is the most intriguing of the four freshmen who play (Cortney Dunn has played in only three games all year). Southern had nearly as many DNPs as total points when the Eagles traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C. on Jan. 31. He has played in all six games since.
At times he looks like a force, but he often appears lost on defense. He had four fouls in just seven minutes on Sunday. The Saginaw, Mich. native is of particular importance to BC's fortunes next year when senior big men John Oates and Tyrelle Blair aren't around.
If the sophomores-to-be are able to raise their games over the summer, this season may become what last season was at UConn - a stepping-stone to better days.
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