Conte Forum can seat 8,606 for a Boston College basketball game. And most nights, if you drop in to watch the Eagles women’s team, you can be assured of getting a very good seat.
Last year, BC averaged just 1,029 spectators per game. They were outdrawn by the likes of Fairfield — whose total enrollment of about 6,800 students would fit comfortably inside BC’s arena — and Vermont — whose total capacity for basketball is a mere 3,266.
Why? The BC women’s basketball program has spent more than two decades fading into irrelevance.
Since the Eagles joined the ACC in 2005, they've managed a winning conference record twice in 21 seasons. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2005-06. They're 98-237 in the conference, a 29.3 percent win rate. Since 2010-11, they've won 41 percent of their total games and 25.5 percent of their ACC matchups.
