Q: How far do you think Boston College will make it in the NCAA tournament? I know BC has been great all year, but something is telling me they won't make it past the Sweet 16. What are your thoughts?
— Bill Atkinson, Vienna, Va.

A: Yes, they will make it past the Sweet 16. Expunge Pitt from your mind. That 15-point loss at home by BC to the Panthers was an aberration. Pitt acted like it had to win to make the NCAA Tournament (it didn’t) and BC was caught off guard.

The Big East Tournament is still a UConn-BC Showdown waiting to happen.

The Eagles have lost their groove, but I think they will get it back at Rutgers on Saturday with a win. Even if they lose in the finals of the Big East Tournament next week, they will end up no worse than a 3 seed.

Then the fun begins. A basketball team with five parts working hard in the NCAA Tournament against teams that look more talented.

That’s when you will see Craig Smith claim every rebound he wants, Jared Dudley keep a ball alive on the glass long enough for the stickback, and 6-11 Nate Doornekamp gobble up assists with passes off the high post over the defense.

You won’t like what you see when the Eagles grind their way to a 60-52 win in the first round of the NCAAs or 59-55 in the second round. But they have a legitimate chance to get into the final eight. National championship? No way, not enough firepower. But BC can win two or three.

Q: Which conference looks better right now: The Big Ten or Conference USA? If you took Illinois out of the Big Ten, wouldn’t C-USA be better?
— Mark Campbell, Cincinnati

A: Ok, take Illinois out of the Big Ten. Now take Louisville out of C-USA.

What do you have left? Charlotte as the No. 2 in C-USA. The 49ers are a good team, but could they beat Michigan State, Wisconsin or Indiana who are 2-4 in the Big Ten?

Nice try, though.

C-USA has eight teams in the top 88 of the RPI, but it ranks 10th in the conference RPI. Big Ten has seven teams in the top 69 and ranks sixth among conferences.

Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan State are 2, 15, 16. Cincinnati is the highest C-USA team at 17.

As far as NCAA contenders, I like Louisville’s chances, but Cincinnati is flaky and, as we know, has point guard issues and problems scoring. We’ll see just how good Charlotte is Thursday night at U of L.

The Big Ten is down, but Conference USA doesn’t measure up now that Indiana is on a roll.

Who could blame the Hoosiers for some I told you so’s? They were being blindfolded and asked for some last words. Davis was going to be fired, yada, yada, yada. Bob Knight Backers thought they were right all along.

Now look. Indiana has grown up and is NCAA Tournament bound, just one possession from third place in the Big Ten.

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