NCAA Notebook: BU's season in the balance as Beanpot approaches

Beanpot season is always big on Comm. Ave., but this year, there's a whole new valence because Boston University came into the year with so much expectation.

And they just haven't lived up to it at all.

Everyone agreed in the preseason: A team that went to three straight Frozen Fours, including last year's national title game, brought back most of its best players, and added even more top talent via the transfer portal and the recruiting trail felt like a shoo-in for a top-5 NPI finish and another deep NCAA tournament run.

But to date, this BU team — currently a respectable but not good enough 22nd in the NPI — just hasn't looked the part for longer than a week or two, at most, with multiple top players underperforming expectations. They've also been beset with injury (and, recently) suspensi