State of '08: Virginia

Wow - is this a joke?

I understand that Virginia Tech has historically been a poor performing team. However, this is a team which has finished in the top four in the ACC (highest rated RPI conference) 3 of the 4 years they have been in the league. They have beaten UNC and Duke multiple times in this stretch. They have beaten double digit ranked teams. They are building bigtime with great recruits and construction for top level ACC basketball facilities. They have the support, the league, the coach, the money, and now the following to become a true national power. They return all but 1 player this year and figure to continue their rise to the top teir of ACC basketball.

So the fact that VCU, George Mason, UVA, and especially ODU are ahead of them in this ranking is a total farce. You have lost me as a reader!

First off great job overall in your analysis of each state. It has been fun seeing and reading CHN's view of how each program ranks in the state. I bet each State analysis has sparked some debate amongst in state rivals. Regarding your analysis, you may have forgotten ODU's post season NIT appearances including a NIT Final 4. Plus over the last 5 years ODU is either #1 or #2 in total wins for any team in the state even with last years slight drop. I could see UVA and GMU slipping a spot and ODU moving up a spot or two but for the most part it was a very fair analysis.

As for the Hokie High Nation out there.....ODU, VCU, and GMU will play you anytime. Put pressure on your AD and Coaches to step up to the court and play some of your in state competition again. ODU beat Hokie High in 01, 03, 05,and 07 with the Turkey's only win being 06. I don't think you want any more of ODU just ask your Coach on why he doesn't want to play us anymore. Coach Greenberg will say ..."he wants to upgrade his schedule"...Bull#$#@...he wants to play patsies for his OOC schedule. If your scared say your scared. Typical overhyped Hokie High fan.
Shawn....GREAT JOB !!!!!!

The guy screaming about VT is clueless... good riddance if he holds true to the threat of not reading your columns anymore (note the anonymous tag). Before I even read your reply, I knew off the top of my head that ODU has owned them the last several years... so much that Greenberg has publically said he doesn't want to play ODU (he chalked up to RPI ratings). I think it just burns some people to think that a "mid-major" program can actually be better than their BCS school. Keep up the good work, and I'll be waiting for the Temple write up for the TOP 144 (which has become an annual rite for me). GO OWLS!!!

Thanks for the kind words guys (& Guy literally..), I appreciate it

Considering your time frame of the last five years I could see UVA even moving below ODU too. Honestly, VCU, ODU & GMU are all about even, but I think you ranked them accordingly due to their most recent success on the big stage. VCU, GMU & ODU have all won NCAA games with VCU most recently, and ODU a decade ago. ODU has been to the post season 4 years in a row now, including an NIT Final Four. However that doesn't surpass a win over Duke on the big stage (VCU) or an NCAA final four several years ago, so I understand your reasoning. Anyone can see ODU owns Va. Tech as stated, with the Monarchs winning 4 out of the last 5. That one was a no brainer. If ODU didn't give away the game in the last 30 seconds of the CBI last year, the CAA would undoubtedly hold the top 3 spots in your poll. Good job and a good analysis.

WHY ISN'T JMU NUMBER ONE OR AT LEAST TOP 5?!?!

oh yeah, we aren't very good!

I think this is a pretty good list. I do think JMU may be better than at least Liberty, I understand that this is a 5 year glimpse and our play can't really back up anything positive I can say!

I'm a huge JMU fan and I am excited to see what Matt Brady can do. Hopefully he can bring us back to the success we enjoyed with Lefty! Look at our football team, our academics, and our campus/student life...no reason why we can't bring in the recruits VCU/ODU/GMU bring in each year...we just need to earn some success over the next few years.

I'm an ODU grad which lives in Roanoke. I put up with this VT 'holier than thou' crap all the time. It's really bad here, but it is somewhat expected because of where I live. VT fans couldn't be contained, with all the BS, when they moved to the ACC. They have only gotten worse. I attended all the ODU stompings we put on them. Greenberg cried and wined every time they got beat by a little CAA team. He definitely won't be scheduling us anymore, which is a shame for State of Virginia basketball. Of course, UVA won't schedule us either. I'm proud of ODU and CAA basketball. We prove ourselves year in and year out with the best brand of basketball. GO MONARCHS!!!

Good article, and while I'm a Harrisonburg native and JMU fan, someone just said "I do think JMU may be better than at least Liberty" .. I must say Liberty is clearly a program on the rise, one of the few non-BCS programs with a top 50 recruiting class; including Seth Curry (brother of Davidson's Stephen Curry) among others .. in fact it was the highest rated recruiting class in the State by most accounts.

Shawn-

You clearly did not get the memo co-signed by Billy Packer, Jay Bilas, and Gary Williams that just being in a BCS conference should automatically vault you ahead of those pesky little mid-majors that screw everything up in the NCAAs. If only the selection committee could pair more of the too few mid autos and at-larges in the first rounds, then they could more quickly avoid the embarrassment of their success in March.

And I'll bet the mortage (yes, I still have one and pay mine on time) that there is no better college atmosphere in the great Commonwealth of Virginia than an ODU-VCU game, regardless of the arena in which it is played (and both the Ted and Stu are very nice).

The coaches and ADs of Va Tech and UVa are pansies for not scheduling tough home and home series with GMU/VCU/ODU. We would improve your RPI and your atmosphere in those morgues you call home courts.

Simple....play the over rated CAA teams and prove VT should be #1. Seriously, the two BCS schools should play high mid majors. They know they are going to get two home games for one away. How bout reincarnating the Richmond T-D Tournament??? CAA is good b-ball. UVA and VT should be on another level with the $$$ they have. The BCS schools no longer have to worry about losing to these teams as the CAA teams will probably have a higher RPI and if they were to win, it would improve their RPI.

ODU's ranking, ahead of VT, is a tenuous one. (I'm an ODU grad.) It's based on the head-to-head match-ups of recent years. If the Hokies have had difficulty beating ODU, don't schedule GMU or VCU anytime soon.