STF Conference Reports: The Association Lives

Hola Amigos. Been a long time since I rapped at ya'. (Sorry Jim.)

I don't even have a cool excuse for my Amelia Earhart like "at the Super Bowl for nine days." But I digress, because it has been an interesting couple of weeks in The Association.

VCU and George Mason have established themselves at the top, followed by a five team quagmire in the middle. This is mostly important because the top four seeds in the regular season receive a bye into the conference tournament semifinals. Conventional wisdom, which is usually neither conventional nor wise, says you can't win four games in four days. My belief is that if you are 6-12 during the regular season, the issue is talent.

But anyway...

TEAM OF THE, OH, WEEK OR SO
Northeastern has won five in a row to jump headlong into the mucky middle. The Huskies have defended like champs, giving up just 49 points per game in the five victories. Nobody has reached the 40% mark from the field. The streak coincides with the addition of Vinny Lima, a 6-10 player who is a prototypical Argentinian. (No, I don't what that is, but I thought it sounded good.)

MAALOX MONTH
I hate to say this, because I really like head coach Dean Keener, but James Madison is heading south. The Dukes have lost 9 of 11 and shows no signs of righting the ship. VCU looked like they were running through lay up drills at times last night.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
UNCW, who is everything James Madison is not. The Seahawks finally decided to start playing defense and the result has been a surge into third place. The Dub was 2-3 after losing to, uh, James Madison. Since then they've ripped off seven of nine and are playing with confidence.

GAMES TO WATCH
Old Dominion at VCU (Saturday): Best rivalry in the conference and VCU has already sold out for the ESPN2 game.

UNCW at George Mason (Saturday)

VCU at Northeastern (Wednesday)

Delaware at George Mason (Wednesday)

STF Conference Reports: Hanging 'Round the Association

Well, it had to happen. Your Delaware Blue Hens became everyone's ink-drier-outer and lost twice this week in key roadies at VCU and at Northeastern. What's more, South Carolina's Dave Odom announced he will retire at season's end. That kicked off the official interrogation period of VCUs Anthony Grant.

This week's hero is George Mason's Dre Smith, who canned a record-setting 10 triples against James Madison. This, of course, means Smith will make three of his next 15 three-point attempts. Don't fight it; it's the way of the world.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
William & Mary: That's right, I said it. Two more victories for Tony Shaver's bunch brings them to 5-2 and right in the thick of things. That's five in a row for the politically incorrect but really intelligent bunch, the first time that's happened since Clinton was in office. The Tribe waltzed, relatively speaking, past Towson Saturday. It was the first time in four games the Tribe didn't overcome a double-digit second half deficit. (editor's note: if they're good enough for the Cub Scouts, they're good enough for us.)



MAALOX WEEK
James Madison. The Dukes fell, badly, to Old Dominion (79-52) and George Mason (96-75) last week and have lost four of their last five.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Will Thomas, Mason's really big man, was 19-23 from the field this week and got nothing but two victories. He's good with that.

UNCW finally played a bit of defense, holding Ga State to 21% shooting in the second half in a comeback victory. That's two in a row for the Seahawks.

When Delaware’s Marc Egerson hit a three in the waning seconds against VCU, it broke a combined zero-for-28 stretch of VCU opponents’ three point field goals.

CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY
Georgia State. The Panthers have dropped five straight games by a total of just 20 points after losing to Drexel (58-51) and UNCW (68-61) last week. Georgia State’s last 14 contests have been decided by an average of 5.1 ppg, with only one game ending with more than an eight-point margin.

GAMES OF THE WEEK
Old Dominion at George Mason (WED): This is a battle of the last two at large bid teams from the CAA, which really means nothing. The wheels are loose in Norfolk and the Monarchs could use a huge road win. Mason needs to keep pace with VCU to set up...well...read on.

William & Mary at Drexel (WED): I know, I know, you're kidding, right? Wrong. A road win against a tough team will further boost the Tribe's confidence. And at this point, 6-2 is far better than 5-3.

Old Dominion at William & Mary (SAT): Yeah, I know again. But think about this one; possibly a 6-2 team hosting a 5-3 team. I'm just saying...

Longwood at Hofstra (MON): Just kidding.

VCU at George Mason (TUE): If I have to preview this game and its importance, you need to stop reading.

CAA Week in Review

I don't have a catchy or thought-provoking introduction for you this week. "The 5-0 Delaware Blue Hens are at 4-1 VCU tonight" should be enough of a shock to your sensibilities to carry us through the week that was in The Association.

Team of the Week: Well, this is no surprise considering everybody is writing everything about Your Delaware Blue Hens. But it is well deserved. The MonteMen trailed George Mason by 19 in the second half before winning in overtime. Then they followed that doozie up with a comeback win in two overtimes against Old Dominion.

Maalox Week: The Drexel Dragons, who won't have to worry about being snubbed for the NCAA tourney this year. Bruiser Flint's bunch pulled a no-show at Northeastern and were drubbed 79-45 in a game that wasn't even that close. The Dragons next faced 1-3 Towson, who beat Drexel into submission.

Special Recognition: VCUs team defense (led by the Electric Blanket, Jamal Shuler), which held Hofstra without a three point field goal. It broke a 334-game streak in which the Pride had made at least one three pointer. VCU leads the nation in three point field goal defense.

Player of the Week: The conference office chose Herb Courtney of Delaware. They are right, as Courtney averaged 23 and 8 in the two wins. But we're tired of Delaware winning everything this week, so we're giving the award to Towson's Jonathan Pease. The 24th-year senior set a career high with 25 points (and 11 boards) in Towson's win over Drexel. CAA fans are wondering when the oft-injured Pease uses up his eligibility. Some swear he guarded George Evans.

Calgon, Take Me Away!: Georgia State, who has played four consecutive games decided on the final possession. Rod Barnes' Panthers have lost the past three after defeating George Mason.

Games to Watch

Tonight (WED)
Delaware (5-0) at VCU (4-1): It's Whelliston's G!O!T!N!. Nuf ced.
James Madison (3-2) at ODU (3-2): Chance for Dukes to pick up a defining road win.

Saturday
VCU at ODU: This is the conference's hottest, most intense rivalry, and the games are always well-played.
George Mason at James Madison: This ranks second on the list, and now JMU is good.

Checking Out the Delaware Blue Hens

At a time like this, it's hard to know exactly what to say. They were due? The sun even shines on a dog's ass? I don't know. My tongue is tied in the face of the sudden surgence of the Delaware Blue Hens. (Yeah, I said surgence. You can't resurge if you never surged).

This it not even a case of "This year, they're suddenly good", it's like "This past five minutes, they've been really good". The Blue Hens started the season with four straight losses to less-than-stellar competition and entered conference play at 4-7. They looked poised to be the same old toothless birds that have built a nest in the CAA basement.

Then they won two straight on the road to begin their Colonial season. At William & Mary and at Drexel isn't likely to impress anyone this year, but it was still a nice start. Then it was a couple of home dates, in which the Hens used a lotta overtime to beat both George Mason and Old Dominion, picked to lead the league in preseason polls. The ODU win pushed them over .500 for the first time this season.

In searching for a catalyst for this recent improvement, the first thing that jumps out to a reader unfamiliar with the Blue Hens (and isn't that all of us?) is the fact that 6'6" Junior Guard Marc Egerson missed the first seven games of the season since transferring from Georgetown. Since he came back to his home state, the Hens are 6-2 overall. Egerson is playing 35 minutes per game and quickly became the second leading scorer for Delaware, with 14 per contest. In rebounding, he's tops, with a rugged 7 per game average.

Herb Courtney is throwing in almost identical numbers, with more than a block per game for good measure, and Sophomore Guard Brian Johnson is the rock, averaging over 37 minutes of floor time, distributing the ball with alacrity and scoring when necessary. Freshman G Alphonso Dawson has taken to the third scorer's spot with ease (just don't ask him to hit a three - ugh).

The Hens will be tested in their roadie vs. VCU tonight, but with the balanced attack they have going right now, they might be up to the task. I'm just not sure I'm ready to live in a world where we have to talk about the bubble prospects of cerulean barnyard fowl. I guess I'll just have to deal.

STF Conference Reports: The CAA 1/9/2008

It appears to be shaping up as "that year" for the CAA. You know, the one without the crooked number in parentheses when there is a conference run-down of the number of NCAA tournament bids. And while it may be blind love for All Things Colonial, I'm not giving in. Both VCU and George Mason harbor the "resumes" needed for inclusion. (Side note--who first used resume when talking about how a team performs for NCAA selection purposes? That used to be really good. Now it's really bad.)

But here's a dose of reality: Either team will have to run through the conference season at 15-3 or 16-2, and right now the CAA is the only conference in the nation--heck, in the world--in which every single team has at least one victory. Seven teams are 1-2. Look no farther than the top of the standings, where two teams (Delaware and JMU) who combined to go 7-29 last season are 5-1. It's any given night time in the CAA.

Just a little something to chew on, as you read:

BEST WEEK: Those aforementioned Fightin' Blue Hens of Monte Ross and the State of Delaware. Or is it Commonwealth? Only one team won both its games last week, and both Delaware victories were roadies. Impressive.

WORST WEEK: UNCW lost both its games, at Drexel and home to VCU. They didn't look good in either game. Head coach Benny Moss picked up two technical fouls and got the heave-ho from the officials for his heated review of their performance only six minutes into the VCU game. The wheels are a little wobbly right now and the Seahawks need its four seniors to be leaders.

MEDIOCRE WEEK: Each of the other 10 teams in the league went 1-1. Neither of us has the patience to run through the ups and downs. Next.

HOT STUFF: VCU regularly has nine players on the floor for at least 10 minutes per game. That gives the Rams seven options each night for the answer to the question: "Maynor, Shuler, and then who?" Also, JMU is for real. Above any on-court performance or statistic, Abdullai Jalloh gives the Dukes what they desperately missed: a leader with a swagger. Finally, Antoine Agudio has returned for Hofstra.

YOU MISSED A DOOZIE (IN THE ODD AND FUNNY MEANING): After slipping past VCU 62-61 on a Juwan James buzzer-beater, enthusiastic JMU coach Dean Keener picked up the Convocation Center PA microphone and issued a challenge to the Madison faithful about continuing to support the team the way they had that night. There was a scream, a screech, and then a slamming of the mic reminiscent of Arsenio Hall as the front man for Sexual Choclate in "Coming to America."

PLAYERS WE LOVE, NON-PRESEASON FIRST TEAM ALL CAA CLASS (THIS WEEK ONLY): Manny Adako, Northeastern; Leonard Mendez, Georgia State; Alphonso Dawson, Delaware; Junior Hairston, Towson; Dre Smith, George Mason.

GAMES TO WATCH
Never Thunk For First Place Bowl: George Mason at Delaware (Wednesday)
I've Been to the Crossroads: Hofstra at UNCW (Thursday)
Much Better Than You Think: Northeastern at George Mason (Saturday)
Standings Clogger Special: Old Dominion at Delaware (Saturday)

STF Conference Reports: The CAA

To say it has been an "uneven" nonconference season for the CAA is like saying you love rainy days. There are high points to both (VCU over Maryland, George Mason over Kansas State) but in the end there are significant downsides (VMI over JMU, Winston Salem State over Georgia State, East Carolina over Mason). But what are you going to do?

Egg nog.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

VCU: The "honor" goes to the Rams if only because they were the only team in the conference to (1) win all the games they played; AND (2) look consistently good in doing so. Eric Maynor (see below) is cranking up the engine, and the VCU freshmen seem to be settling into their roles. The result was two fairly easy victories, 71-57 over William & Mary in their conference opener and 65-45 over Richmond. UNCW gets the silver medal. The Seahawks played well but lost at Missouri State and then overwhelmed Coastal Carolina 80-66. ODU is listed as "others receiving votes" for its expected annihilation of UMES.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Eric Maynor, VCU - You know, I keep talking about Junior Hairston at Towson. The College of Cremins transfer pulled down 21 rebounds...again. Only David Robinson has two same-season 20+ rebound games in the history of the CAA. I'm also a big fan of UNCWs freshman point guard Chad Tomko, who finished the 1-1 week with 11 assists and two turnovers. Then there's Antoine Agudio of Hofstra, who is leading the country in scoring. But Maynor has to get the nod here. Maynor was outstnading against William & Mary, with 15 points, nine assists, and one turnover. And then against Richmond Maynor scored 25 points, including a personal 14-1 run to stake VCU to a big lead.

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK

If you judge based on practice and take a player's perspective, George Mason is the choice. A bad loss to East Carolina, a lackluster victory over Hampton, and getting drilled by Kent State (when you play very little defense) has a way of angering a coach. I've seen some drills at practices that are brutal. I'm sure Jim Larranaga had the Patriots doing the difficult version of those drills. However Georgia State had the worst week in terms of game performance. The Panthers played inspired in a close loss to Georgia Tech, and followed that step forward with a lackluster effort in a loss to 1-5 Winston Salem State. You read that right...Winston Salem State.

GAMES TO WATCH

12/15: Drexel vs. Temple (A Big Five..er...Big Six Matchup)

12/15: Charlotte at Hofstra (Though there are no "must-win" games until March, this qualifies as a "boy-wouldn't-it-be-nice-to-win" game.)

12/16: Virginia Tech at Old Dominion (The only team Blaine Taylor missed scheduling this year was the 1972 UCLA Bruins.)

STF Conference Reports: The CAA

Si...no mas...uno, dos, tres. (I'm a follower, you know?)

CAAHoops checking in with your weekly Big 12 report. Right. We'll actually cover the CAA because that's what we do. And by "we" I mean "me." I'd like to say I'll also provide updates on Tuesday or early Wednesday--conference games are WED/SAT so that's how I define my week--but it's really up to Marco and Extra P.

Enough of the lame stuff, at least for a moment:

TEAM OF THE WEEK

James Madison: It sounds funny just typing those words, but the Dukes won as many road games this week (2) as they won all of last season. Dean Keener has the weapons everyone knew were coming playing well early (Abdullai Jalloh, Terence Carter, Pierre Curtis, Juwan James) but it was the contributions of a young man named Heiden Ratner that carried James Madison. Ratner was named CAA Rookie of the Week but was on nobody's radar as anything but water-hander at the beginning of the season. James Madison is 5-1. That's almost as many TOTAL victories as last season. Plus, their football coach made two horrific decisions that cost them a 1-AA playoff game. They need the love.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jamal Shuler, VCU - Yeah, I know. Homer pick, right? Junior Hairston is a double-double machine at Towson and TJ Carter was phenomenal at Hofstra (eight assists, zero turnovers). But here's the deciding vote: Shuler scored 19 points in the first half while Eric Maynor was stuck in DC traffic to keep VCU with Maryland. Coming off a loss to Hampton, VCU could've tucked tail. But Shuler rallied the team in its most important half of the season.

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK

Uh, Drexel.

George Mason 85, Drexel 38.

Creighton 72, Drexel 48.

Nuf Ced.

GAMES TO WATCH

12/5: UNCW at Missouri State (Unofficial CAA/Valley Challenge Game)

12/6: Northeastern at Connecticut (We Pretend to Love Calhoun Game)

12/8: George Mason at Kent State (Somebody is Angry, and His Name is Larranaga)

STF Conference Preview: the CAA

This conference preview was written by STF CAA correspondent Michael Litos. Visit his blog The CAA: Life as a Mid-Major, where humor and basketball collide, but no whistle is ever blown. By all means, you should also read his book Cinderella: Inside the Rise of Mid Major College Basketball. But do that later. Right now, read this:

CONFERENCE: The Colonial Athletic Association

LAST SEASON RECAP
Utilizing first year head coach Anthony Grant's "94
feet both ways" style of running and pressing for the
full 40 minutes, VCU won a conference record 16
regular season games and then swept through the CAA
tournament to garner the league's automatic bid. The
Rams then upset Duke on Eric Maynor's memorable dagger
shot. Old Dominion gained the conference's at large
bid, losing to Butler in the first round. Drexel and
Hofstra were NIT teams.

TEAM TO BEAT
George Mason. Everybody remembers the Final Four run,
but they forget that two sophomores--Folarin Cambell
and Will Thomas--starred on that team. Those two are
still there, now seniors, and leading a talented and
experienced team. The Patriots return all five
starters from last year's CAA tournament fianlist. If
they can get consistent shooting they are very, very
dangerous.

SECOND TIER
Any team led by Eric Maynor has a chance to be very
good, so VCU will remain at the top of the conference.
The Rams return four of their top six players and
boast one of the top recruiting classes. Old Dominion
may have lost three starters, but head coach Blaine
Taylor has a roster loaded with athletes and the
Monarchs always play hard. Brandon Johnson is a fiery
player who can change a game with his defense.

SLEEPER
If everyone picks the same team as a sleeper, can they
be a sleeper? Prior to last season, UNCW won four
championships in seven years. Last season, the
Seahawks won seven games. Total. But senior gunner TJ
Carter is back. Going a different direction, look at
the James Madison Dukes. Head coach Dean Keener
returns four players who averaged double figures in
scoring and adds transfer Abdulai Jalloh--a second
team All A10 selection at Saint Joe's two seasons ago.
Finally, don't sleep on Northeastern. The Huskies have
nobody you've ever heard of--or will hear of--but all
they do is win games.

OVERRATED
Drexel. Brusier Flint always has talent, and the
Dragons may be trading on the reputation. Indeed, they
have talent. But the loss of point guard Bashir Mason
(who was a four-time All CAA defensive team honoree)
and not-in-my-kitchen defender Chaz Crawford (named
mid major defensive player of the year) may be too
much to overcome. Second choice would be UNCW, who is
getting WAY too much press for a seven-win team.

WORST TEAM
Georgia State. The Panthers are big and slow and not
particularly deep. That's a killer combination in the
CAA, and really any conference. New head coach Rod
Barnes will get the ship righted--he's already signed
four heralded tranfers--but this isn't the year.

STF PREDICTION
1. George Mason
2. VCU
3. Old Dominion
4. Drexel
5. Hofstra
6. UNCW
7. Northeastern
8. James Madison
9. William & Mary
10. Towson
11. Delaware
12. Georgia State

STF Super Awesome Top 30 Team Preview: #25 Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Team: Virginia Commonwealth Rams

Conference: Colonial

2006 Record and Ending: 28-7 (16-2) knocked off Duke in the NCAA tournament and lost to Pitt in the second round.

Key Players Returning: First and foremost, coach Anthony Grant, who almost became the domino that fell into the Florida job before Billy Donovan waffled on going pro. Eric Maynor is back, as are Wil Fameni, Jamal Shuler, and Michael Anderson, all of whom saw significant minutes in the tournament last year.

What's to Love: Maynor, obviously. His breakout performance against the Blue Devils made him a star. He scores, he dishes, and he's an emotional leader. And he's still a Junior. His front line returns to help him out.

What's not to Love: The Rams were highly successful with what amounted to a three-guard lineup last season. Two of those guards (B.A. Walker and Jesse Pellot-Rosa) have graduated. Shuler can step into one spot, but if 3G continues to be the template, a Freshman is going to have to step up.

Key Player: Maynor is a given, but he can't carry the team alone, so let's pick someone else. Shuler was a streaky scorer last season, so if he's going to help anchor the backcourt, he'll need to become more reliable.

Best Case: The expectations are clear - dominate the CAA and return to the dance. Heady stuff for a second-year coach, but Anthony Grant is up to the challenge. With Maynor as the superstar, that's exactly what should happen. The Rams go back to the tournament, and their notoriety will gain them a slightly higher seed.

Worst Case: This is not a league of cupcakes. The college basketball world knows that you never, ever sleep on Jim Larranaga and the George Mason Patriots. Drexel and Old Dominion challenge for the conference lead with experienced coaches every year as well. If any of those teams gets hot, VCU could come in third or fourth in the conference and miss the dance. Oh, and Hofstra's pretty good, too.

STF Prediction: VCU is the team to beat in the CAA, and I don't think anyone's got the horses. Last year's 16-2 in conference is doable, though my gut tells me they'll lose more than two this year. VCU is back in the tournament next year, and will escape the first round.

I see the Rams going 22-5, losing at Maryland and at Bradley. In-conference, the mark will be 15-3, with losses to ODU, Drexel, and GMU. That's still enough for the #1 seed in the conference tourney, which will lead them back to the promised land.

TV Week Interviews CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager

I won't write too much about this, just share some quotes, because this is not a source one would usually check for college basketball news. But TV Week interviewed Tom Yeager, who has been the Commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association for 22 years, and has made incredible strides in building a top Mid Major conference during that time.

The conversation roams into other sports a bit, so here are some highlights that might interest basketball fans:

TVW: Now that you have the markets and television deals in place, what is the next step to increase exposure for the league?

Yeager: It may sound simplistic, but our success is what’s going to help exposure more than anything else. When you can create product that has the public interest, then it’s of greater interest to our broadcast partners and fans. I think at the end of the day, that’s what it runs to. Football gives us a strong presence in the fall, and we’ve had two very successful basketball seasons for both men and women. If we put up a third one, it helps the growth of everything. We just have to not give up the ground that we seem to have gained.

TVW: Of course, success has its downside as well. I continue to see CAA schools such as Hofstra and Drexel mentioned whenever there is discussion of adding schools to the bigger conferences. How do you plan to keep all the schools happy?

Yeager: We are a very homogenous group of schools from the outset, either being predominantly state schools or very large private schools that are located in major metropolitan areas. All of our schools are very attractive institutions beyond athletics and have positive connections between them.

The success we’ve had continues to build equity in the CAA brand. However, the risk is that if a big 1A conference came along, that’s something the schools would look at.

I really do believe we are in the right spot with our programs, and as commissioner I am committed to make the conference grow. Our schools realize that the grass isn’t always greener in the neighbor’s yard.

Of course, everything could change if the Big 10 ever went from 11 teams to 12. That would start some dominoes moving, but short of that everything is stable.

and, later:

TVW: Every year there are sportscasters who seem to go out of their way to denounce the CAA’s inclusion as a contender for at-large teams in the tournament. I’m sure you were happy to quiet the naysayers when George Mason made its run last year and VCU took down Duke last March.

Yeager: Absolutely. That’s one of those things where people form opinions about your teams without ever seeing them play. When the Valley was criticized for having four teams and we took heat for getting Mason in, those guys cranked out propaganda without ever seeing those teams play.

The big thing about basketball is that the decks are so stacked toward the home team, but there are a lot of good teams out there, and a lot of these upsets that you see are because the margin between teams is now more narrow than some people think.

I think sometimes the media gets swept up with the brand names that they don’t look to some of the other stories out there that can be compelling. That comes at the expense of other teams. But it’s a great feeling to see those teams finally get a chance to step up and show the world what they can do.

Yeager seems to be a rather visionary cat. To stay 22 years in what could easily have been a bush-league job, and then to build it into something great by making sensible expansion decisions, is a real template for conferences intent on smart growth.

The Big 10 expansion question is interesting - they would probably grab an MVC school with a Division 1 football program and a solid basketball program, which would result in... what, exactly? I could see a CAA team moving up (slightly) into the Atlantic 10, but everything else is kind of out of their neighborhood.

Which is fine. I'd rather see the current group stick together and see if they can continue to barge their way into the national picture year after year, until they become a fixture.

The proof, as they say, will be in the pudding.