BC Declines WNIT Bid

Little did the seniors of the Boston College women's basketball team know that they had played their last game in their semifinal loss to NC State in the ACC tournament.

The Eagles were on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament once again. As the team waited to hear where it would be headed in the Women's NIT, though, disappointment began to fill the room. After the results were announced and the Eagles were not included, head coach Sylvia Crawley informed the team that it would not accept a bid to the NIT and notified the players that their season had come to an end.

 "I really wanted our team to make it to the NCAA tournament," Crawley said. "Now they've got motivation for the offseason."

For the seniors, this announcement came as a shock. Ayla Brown, visibly displeased when asked about the decision not to accept the NIT bid, refused to comment. "I don't think you really want to ask me questions about this," she said.

For the second straight year in Crawley's tenure, the team anxiously sat in the locker room watching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, hoping it would hear its name called to compete in the Big Dance. Once again, though, the selection committee denied the Eagles.

"I was surprised," Crawley said. "I was really hoping it would be enough."

The "it" she referred to includes an impressive resume. Crawley's team defeated eight top-50 teams, four of which are ranked in the top 25. The Eagles also reached the semifinals of the ACC championship for the first time in program history.

The team's 17-15 record, however, may have cost it that bid, as the Eagles dropped four of their last five regular season games against last-place teams Virginia Tech and Miami. Only once in the past decade has a team with only two more wins than losses made the tournament.

Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo and Crawley talked the morning after the loss about the prospect of rejecting a WNIT invitation. "We talked and determined that it was best for our program," DeFilippo said. "We didn't want to send a team to the tournament if they all didn't want to be there."

Crawley affirmed this claim. "Obviously the seniors wanted another game, but others were torn on their desire to play," she said.

DeFilippo also denied that the refusal of the NIT bid had anything to do with finances. "Finances did not motivate this decision at all," DeFilippo said. "Not at all."

Although the decision was made before the team made it home from the ACC championship, Crawley did not inform the players until Monday night. The team will now disperse for a few weeks, and Crawley is looking toward the future.

"We'll lose leadership from our seniors, but we're very excited about this incoming class," Crawley said. ESPN ranks BC's incoming class as 11th best in the country.
"This year taught me to seize the moment," Crawley said. "Live each day and play each day as your last."

BC's last day came just a few weeks before most expected.