CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Boston College basketball enjoyed a golden era during the first decade of the 2000s. The departure from the Big East to the ACC maintained a level of national dominance that included seven national tournament berths in nine seasons. The Eagles won the 2001 Big East championship and began the 2004-05 season with a 20-0 record. The 2005-06 team advanced to the ACC Tournament finals in the Eagles' first year in their new conference, and the 2006-07 team brought BC to its first Sweet Sixteen berth in 12 years.
What that run - and the subsequent decade-plus to follow - showed was that postseason basketball is not a given.