Towson St

CAA First Round Preview

CHN — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:46:47 -0800

By Robert Canady: robert_canady@msn.com

The Colonial Athletic Conference tournament begins Friday in Richmond, VA. The conference’s top four teams, Drexel (regular season champions) George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth and Old Dominion all have byes into the tournaments quarterfinals on Saturday. We will take a closer look at them later in the week. Here is a look at the first round matchups.

Game 1: #8 James Madison 12-19 (5-13) vs. #9 UNCW 9-20 (5-13) 12:00 pm

The two teams only met once in the conference season and that was a 69-61 JMU victory in Wilmington, NC on January 18^th. Senior guard Humpty Hitchens who had a career high 27 points in the win led the Dukes in scoring. Redshirt junior guard A.J. Davis also contributed 18 points and a career high eight rebounds. Kieth Rendleman the CAA’s fifth leading scorer (15.6) had 12 points to go along with 18 rebounds for the Seahawks.

While the teams may have finished in the lower half of the conference, the game could offer some good individual offensive performances. Four of the top league’s top 10 scorers will be in the matchup: JMU’s Davis 4^th and Hitchens 7^th along with UNCW’s Rendleman 5^th and Adam Smith 10^th.

Both teams finished season with an equal record in conference play. A key to the matchup may be determined from behind the 3-pt arc. JMU is second in the conference in three-point percentage. They are making a conference leading average of 7.8 per game and shooting .362 percent from 3-point range. UNCW on the other hand trails only Drexel and VCU in three-point defense, allowing only .314 percent.

Coaches: James Madison is coached by Matt Brady who is in his fourth year at the helm. Buzz Peterson, a member of North Carolina’s 1982 national championship team, is completing his second year as the Seahawks head coach. Pick: JMU 58 UNCW 52

Game 2: #5 Delaware 17-12 (12-6) vs. #12 Towson 1-30 (1-17) 2:30 pm

These two teams will be meeting for the third time this year and second time in the past nine days. Delaware won the first meeting of the year 62-43 in Newark. The Tigers played the Blue Hens much closer on February 22^nd in Towson before falling 76-69, a game that wasn’t decided until the last minute. In that game, Delaware freshman Jarvis Threatt scored a season high 29 points including 16 of 19 from the free throw line. Towson kept the result in doubt until the end, in part due to seven combined three-pointers from sophomore Marcus Damas (21 points) and freshman Kris Walden (18 points.)

There is a stat that no team that has played on Friday has made it to the final game of the tournament. Delaware is a team that is fully capable of pulling off that task. The Blue Hens enter the game on an eight game winning streak that started with a 65-60 victory over George Mason. They and Drexel are the only two CAA teams not to have lost during the month of February.

Delaware under head coach Monte’ Ross is loaded with offensive firepower. Threatt has been named CAA Rookie of the Week four times since January 23^rd. Sophomore Devon Saddler is second in the conference in scoring at 18.7 points per game. Junior Jamelle Hagins adds 12.7 points a game and guard Kyle Anderson leads the team and all freshman in the conference with 64 three pointers.

Coaches: Towson has begun rebuilding under first year head coach Pat Skerry. Despite the inexperienced roster that has only one scholarship letter winner, the Tigers have played very hard and taken a few of the league’s top teams down to the wire. Better days are ahead for the Tigers in the tournament, but this year most likely will not be one of them. Pick: Delaware 71 Towson 55

Game 3: #7 Northeastern 13-16 (9-9) vs. #10 William & Mary 6-25 (4-14) 6:00 pm

This may be the least intriguing game of the first day matchups. The two teams split the season series each winning at home, Northeastern prevailing 64-50 in January and William & Mary winning big 79-54 on February 11^th. Northeastern started the conference season with a promising 5-2 mark before losing six of their next eight games. They also had non-conference wins against, St. Johns, Boston University and Southern Illinois. In addition, Northeastern knocked George Mason out of a first place tie with Drexel in the second to last game of the season with an 85-82 Overtime victory at home.

Junior guard Jonathan Lee leads the Huskies. Lee provides constant on court leadership, as he was second in the CAA this year with 35.7 minutes played per game. He is also the team’s leading scorer contributing 14.6 points per game. Junior Joel Smith, who is the Huskies second leading scorer with 12.9 points per game, compliments Lee in the backcourt. Both players are capable of taking over a game and putting up big numbers. Smith ended the regular season averaging 20.7 points a game over his last four games and had a season high 29 points in the victory over St. Johns. Lee was very consistent all season, scoring in double figures in all but three games and two of those he had nine points. Lee had a season high 27 points in the win over George Mason.

The Tribe has a combination of experience and youth. Senior Quinn McDowell leads the way with 12.7 points per game and freshman Marcus Thornton is close behind with 11.1 per game. Thornton seems to thrive on tough completion as he had a team season high 28 points against VCU on February 1^st and scored 23 on the road against George Mason in January. McDowell for his part had 27 points against UNCW and 26 on the road at Towson.

Coaches: Bill Coen is completing his sixth season as head coach at Northeastern. Tony Shaver is in his 9^th year at William & Mary. He took his team to the 2010 NIT and is a two time (2008, 2010) CAA Coach of the Year. Pick: Northeastern 64 William & Mary 50

Game 4: #6 Georgia St. 20-10 (11-7) vs. #11 Hofstra 10-21 (3-15) 8:30 pm

Because of the CAA’s unbalanced schedule, these teams only met once and that was not until the 13^th conference game of the season in which Georgia St. won easily on the road in Hempstead, NY. Georgia State has had a roller coaster season if ever a team has had one. After losing all three games in the season opening World Vision Classic in Seattle Washington, they won 11 games in a row. That included a 5 -1 mark to start the conference part of the season. They played a killer stretch of three games in five days against Drexel at home, then VCU and George Mason on the road. The Panthers hit a bit of a mid season swoon as they dropped four out of five games in late January, including a double overtime loss at Delaware. Speaking of overtime, Georgia St. might be the only team in the country that has lost three conference overtime games in the same season. The first two of those came against the Blue Hens of Delaware.

Hofstra finished 3-15 in the conference but had their most impressive outing of the year in the season finale, a 93-64 win at home over UNCW. Hofstra boasts the CAA’s leading scorer, senior guard Mike Moore. Moore averaged a league best 20.7 points per game and had three outings of over 30 points, including the win over UNCW. Moore finished third in the conference with 79 three-pointers on the season including six in the season finale.

Coaches: Ron Hunter is in his first year as head coach at Georgia St. and has garnered some talk as a Coach of the Year candidate in leading the Panthers to 20 wins after taking over a team that had an 11-18 campaign last year. Mo Cassara completes his second season as Hofstra’s coach. He had a very successful first season leading the Pride to a 21-12 record. Pick: Georgia St. 78-69

Quarterfinals Saturday March 3^rd

#1 Drexel vs. JMU/UNCW winner 12:00 pm

#4 ODU vs. Delaware/Towson winner 2:30 pm

#2 VCU vs. Northeastern/William & Mary winner 6:00 pm

#3 George Mason vs. Georgia St/Hofstra winner 8:30 pm

Semifinals Sunday March 4^th

Drexel/JMU/UNCW vs. ODU/Towson/Delaware winner 2:00 pm

VCU/Northeastern/William & Mary vs. George Mason/Georgia St/Hofstra winner 4:30 pm

Championship Game Monday March 5^th at 7:00 pm

"Coaching Greats" Series: Pat Kennedy (Iona, FSU, DePaul, Montana, Towson)

Jon Teitel — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:23:31 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Pat Kennedy, who spent more than thirty years as a Division I head coach. During his time at Iona, Kennedy led the Gaels to three MAAC titles and two NCAA appearance, taking over for the late Jim Valvano after he moved on to NC State. After his time in New Rochelle, Kennedy went on to coach at Florida State, DePaul and Towson.

Jon Teitel: After three years as an assistant at Iona you replaced your mentor Jim Valvano as head coach at age 28. What made Valvano such a great coach, and what made him such a great mentor?

Pat Kennedy: Jim was a renaissance man. He was very much out of the mold of an Al McGuire. When you work with a guy in athletics you work together 24/7. What made him such a great coach is that he really studied game situations rather than X's and O's, and had the guts to put it into the framework of a game plan.

JT: USA Today cited your program at Iona as having one of the most outstanding graduation rates in college athletics, and at DePaul you suspended three of your top four scorers for academic reasons (even though they were eligible by NCAA standards). What importance do you place on academics, and how do you balance it with athletics?

PK: Anybody that is a coach at this level who does not understand the importance of players getting an education has something wrong with them. If you are sincere when you are recruiting guys then it is easy to back it up once they get to campus. If you are phony up front then you will be seen as a phony at the back end. If you sell it to a kid and his family and then the kid misses class or study hall, then he is missing out on a big part of the program.

JT: What are your memories of the 1984 NCAA Tournament (Othell Wilson made a jumper in the lane with six seconds left for a one-point Virginia win)?

PK: That Virginia team was very good, as they went on to the Final Four. We played our brains out on St. Patty's Day and executed our game plan very well. I was extremely proud of that team: that is the kind of game that coaches remember the most.

JT: What are your memories of the 1985 NCAA Tournament (senior co-captain Tony Hargraves missed a potential game-tying free throw with three seconds left in a one-point loss to Loyola-Illinois)?

PK: Loyola had a kid named Alfredrick Hughes, who was an All-American that year. That one really hurt because I felt that we were unlucky. The one good thing about that night is that I ended up meeting Doug Bruno (long-time women's coach at DePaul), who has become a great friend.

JT: In 1991 your team won Florida State's first-ever conference tournament title when Charlie Ward made a game-winning shot in a comeback win over Louisville. Where does Ward's shot rank among the most clutch you have ever seen, and how big a deal was it to win the conference tournament?

PK: We had to make a huge comeback just to put ourselves in that position. Charlie's shot was probably the biggest of his career. The FSU baseball team was playing Miami down the street at the same time, and I heard that their game was interrupted by the screams coming from our gym!

1992 NCAA Tournament

JT: You had a costly ten-point win over Montana in Boise when Ward dislocated his left shoulder. Did you fear that your chances of making a deep run in the tournament had fallen apart?

PK: Yes, but it just showed me how great Sam Cassell was going to be. I think Sam was the best player I ever had, with Quentin Richardson a close 2nd.

JT: Doug Edwards had 15 points and 16 rebounds in a ten-point win over Georgetown. How on earth were you able to keep Alonzo Mourning from making a field goal in the first half?

PK: I gave Sam the ball and ran a box offense, but I think the key is that we had less than ten turnovers that night. I pulled a page out of the Valvano playbook and told Bob Sura to play right in Mourning's chest. Mourning got frustrated because Sura would just wait for him to bring the ball down and then tie him up or poke it away.

JT: Edwards had 20 points in a loss to Indiana (who was led by Eric Anderson with 24 points off the bench). What was it like to coach a tournament game against Bob Knight, and do you think the bench scoring was the key to the game?

PK: We were concentrating on Calbert Cheaney but Anderson stepped up and played extremely well. That was the tournament when Knight brought out the whip! I was secretly offered the UNLV job the night before that game. Andrea Joyce from CBS came up to me and said that it was reported I was offered the job, and after the cat was out of the bag I decided to stay at FSU. I actually kept the contract from UNLV, as people forget how hot we were at FSU.

1993 NCAA Tournament

JT: Sam Cassell scored 18 points and your team had an 18-0 run during the first half of your win over Evansville in Orlando. Did you feel like you had a home-court advantage, and was the game over after that run?

PK: We became a very confident tournament team and we had a group of guys who felt they could win under any circumstances. What hurt us was that we had some injuries each year that we got to the tournament.

JT: Cassell scored 31 points and set a tournament record by making all seven of his three-pointers in a win over Tulane. Where does Cassell's shooting display rank among the best you have ever seen?

PK: Sam had so many of those kinds of efforts for us. The only other thing that could compare was a five or six-overtime game that we won at Fairfield back in the day.

JT: Cassell missed two shots in the final ten seconds of regulation, but Cypheus Bunton's potential game-tying three-point shot hit the rim twice before falling out and giving you a three-point overtime win over Western Kentucky. Did you feel that you might have blown it after Cassell missed the free throw, and did you think that Bunton's shot was going in?

PK: That was a very good WKU team who was well-coached by Ralph Willard. It did not surprise me that Bunton's shot missed because we had a bit of destiny going our way.

JT: Jared Prickett had 22 points (9-12 FG) and 11 rebounds in a 106-81 Kentucky victory. What was it like to coach a tournament game against Rick Pitino, and where does that rank among the best offensive displays you have ever seen?

PK: We actually cut their lead to one with nine minutes left before Prickett took over due to his height advantage over Sura. They just had more horses and wore us down.

1997 Postseason NIT

JT: You beat Syracuse (the first Big East team to ever win 18+ regular season games and not make the NCAA Tournament). Did it seem to you like their players were not focused because they felt that they belonged in the tournament instead?

PK: I think all Syracuse teams that do not get to the tournament are unhappy.

JT: James Collins scored a career-high 29 points as you turned a five-point deficit with less than a minute left in regulation into a six-point overtime win over Connecticut (Richard Hamilton had 26 for UConn). How were you able to even get the game into overtime, and could you tell at the time that Hamilton was going to become a star?

PK: Hamilton was a great player. Our most important guy was PG Kerry Thompson, as he controlled the tempo of the game (only two turnovers in 39 minutes).

JT: Robert "Tractor" Traylor had 26 points and 13 rebounds and was named NIT MVP in a nine-point Michigan win in the title game. How unstoppable was Traylor, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards?

PK: Michigan had a great talented team. I thought Traylor could have been even better if he had some good conditioning.

JT: What are your memories of the 1999 NIT (Quentin Richardson had 23 points and ten rebounds in a five-point win over Northwestern, and then Willie Coleman missed a shot at the buzzer in a one-point loss to Cal)?

PK: I did not think we were ready to make a big run.

JT: What are your memories of the 2000 NCAA Tournament (Kenny Gregory scored 22 points [11-12 FG] in Kansas' five-point overtime win)?

PK: We had the game won but could not inbound the ball at the end. Kansas made some plays down the stretch that we did not make. Rick Reilly said that if all our talented players stuck around long enough even the school janitor could have led us to the title as a point guard!

JT: In 2004 you served as the president of the NABC. Why did you take the job, and how did you like it?

PK: The NABC helps shape NCAA legislation and I really enjoyed the exchange of ideas and getting to be around great colleagues. When you have one occupation your entire life it is great to be able to give something back.

JT: Before resigning last year you were one of a very few active coaches who spent at least 30 straight years as a Division I coach (along with legends such as Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim). What is the key to sticking around so long, and what do you hope to do in the future?

PK: The other three guys are already in the Hall of Fame. I might be the only one who does not end up there! I was always the youngest of my group but we all have an incredible passion for basketball and are pretty good guys, which helps make the difference. We are honest with our administration, develop a good power base, etc. Norm Stewart at Missouri might have been the greatest of all. I feel pretty good and think I could coach for another ten years or so.

JT: You were previously recognized by the Special Olympics as its Volunteer Man of the Year. When did you 1st start working with the Special Olympics, and what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

PK: I met my wife of 32 years (Jean) through the Special Olympics; it was her passion. We are involved and our team was as well.

JT: You were one of the owners of one of Ireland's first professional basketball teams (the Burger Land Team of Cork). How did you get involved in Irish pro basketball, and how has the sport progressed in the Emerald Isle during your lifetime?

PK: I just got involved with too many Irishmen from NYC! Walter Kennedy was the NBA commissioner at the time and a lot of guys were pulled together to help start a team over there. They were actually known as the Blue Demons so I was able to send them some stuff once I got to DePaul! Connecticut assistant coach George Blaney was extremely instrumental in building gyms and sending equipment.

JT: Your son Joe was a guard for Northwestern and was team captain during his senior year. How proud are you of his success?

PK: I never coached him but got to watch him play all throughout high school. As a junior he was an intern for then-Senator Barack Obama, was later hired to be part of the transition team, and then worked at the White House under Valerie Jarrett. However, he was dying to get back into coaching someday, so he became director of operations at his alma mater.

Kennedy is also on Jon's list of best coaches in MAAC history.

Canisius: John Beilein (1992-1997) 89-62, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Fairfield: George Bisacca (1958-1968) 151-85, 3 NCAA tourneys
Iona: Pat Kennedy (1980-1986) 124-60, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Loyola (MD): Emil "Lefty" Reitz (1937-1944, 1945-1961) 349-227
Manhattan: Ken Norton (1946-1968) 300-205, 2 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles
Marist: Dave Magarity (1986-2004) 253-259, 1 NCAA tourney, 3 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Niagara: John "Taps" Gallagher (1931-1943, 1946-1965) 465-261, 6 conference titles
Rider: Kevin Bannon (1989-1997) 131-103, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
Siena: Fran McCaffery (2005-2010) 112-51, 3 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
St. Peter's: Don Kennedy (1950-1972) 323-195

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Towson's Kurk Lee

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:15:05 -0800

In the most recent installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer spent some time with Towson great Kurk Lee. After transferring in from Western Kentucky, Lee won two conference Player of the Year awards and remains the school's all-time leading free throw shooter.

Jon Teitel: After starting your high school career at Calvert Hall you transferred to Dunbar High in 1984 and were part of the 1985 USA Today national champions (along with McDonald's All-American Terry Dozier). Why did you transfer to Dunbar, and what is your favorite memory from that magical 1985 season?

Kurk Lee: I transferred because we graduated a lot of good guys at Calvert and Dunbar was bringing back a good nucleus. I lived five minutes away from Dunbar and wanted to get some national exposure by playing there. It ended up working out well for me, as the Baltimore Sun named me the city Player of the Year.

JT: You started college at Western Kentucky before transferring to Towson in 1987. Why did you choose to go to WKU, and why did you decide to go to Towson?

KL: I went to WKU because they had a good coach in Clem Haskins and a great recruiter in Dwayne Casey (who won the NCAA title in 1978 with Kentucky) who had been after me from Day One. I got to play a lot even as a freshman but Coach Haskins left after my freshman year to become coach at Minnesota. I tried to transfer to Minnesota but was unable to do so, so I gave it one more year at WKU before transferring to Towson.

JT: In 1989 you scored a career-high 44 points against UMBC. Was it just one of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were "in the zone"?

KL: Coming from Baltimore and playing against a local rival like UMBC, it was easy to get up for games like that. If you lost you would spend all summer hearing about it from everyone back home!

JT: In 1989 you helped lead Towson to its first winning season in school history. How big a deal was it to have a winning record, and what was the reaction like on campus?

KL: We put together a great team: we had great offense which gave a good opportunity for everyone to excel. The campus was unbelievable. The big sport on campus had always been lacrosse but everyone started to focus on us once we started winning.

JT: In 1989 you set a school record by making 37 straight free throws, and you are still the leading free throw shooter in school history (85.1 FT%). How were you able to maintain your focus for such a long stretch, and what is your secret for free throw shooting?

KL: Practice makes perfect. In college you have a lot of time to practice and work out on your own after working on your academics. I think it is important to focus on both your strong and weak areas. I was in the gym all the time and would try to make 10 free throws in a row before starting practice each day.

JT: You were a two-time conference POY (the first person to win the award in school history). What did it mean to you to win such outstanding individual honors?

KL: It meant a lot to me. I was the new guy coming in as a transfer, a 6'1" ordinary guard, but after focusing on my academics I just wanted an opportunity to play. I was very competitive and left it all out on the court. My senior year was the hardest because after winning my first conference POY award every opponent was aiming for me.

JT: What are your memories of the 1990 NCAA Tournament, the first in school history and your final game in college (you scored 30 points in a nine-point loss to top-ranked Oklahoma)?

KL: Since we were playing against the #1 team in the country it meant that we had nothing to lose. We felt we really had a chance to beat them even though they were taller and played against competition from a better conference. Believe it or not, we were tied up with two minutes left! We had a bunch of fighters on that team so we would not give up, but we just could not score any points in the final two minutes.

JT: You still have the highest career scoring average in school history (25.7 PPG). Did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

KL: I did not think about it until my college career was over. I just wanted to win and was willing to do whatever it took. Everyone was looking to me to be a leader during my senior year so I just tried to go out there and play my best.

JT: In 1990 you played one year for the Nets, followed one year in the CBA and then several years in Finland. What did you learn from these experiences, and how did the NBA compare to the other leagues?

KL: In the NBA the level of competition is unlike anywhere else in the world. The season is also much longer. The CBA only had about 40-50 regular season games. Another big difference is travel. In the CBA we would get a bus or (if lucky) a small charter plane, but everything in the NBA was first class.

JT: After retiring you opened a residential care facility for youth in foster care. Why did you choose to do that, and what sort of impact has it made on the local kids so far?

KL: I just wanted to give something back because a lot of people helped me along the way. Some kids need love from people outside their household. I try to show them that they can accomplish whatever they want and give them guidance. Sometimes kids do not look up to their parents because they see them every day. I tell the kids that they should go to school because I went to school every day: coaches do not want dummies and it is important to be able to fall back on your education.

Lee is also on Jon's list of best pro players in CAA history.

Delaware: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Drexel: Malik Rose (1997) 813 G, 6.2 PPG
George Mason: Ric Wilson (1988) 24 G, 5.2 PPG, 1 SPG
Georgia State: Lanard Copeland (1990) 33 G, 2.7 PPG, 81.3 FT%
Hofstra: Speedy Claxton (2002) 334 G, 9.3 PPG, 4.3 APG, 1.5 SPG
James Madison: Linton Townes (1983) 60 G, 4.3 PPG
UNC Wilmington: Brian Rowsom (1988) 82 G, 5.6 PPG, 81.8 FT%
Northeastern: Reggie Lewis (1988) 450 G, 17.6 PPG, 1.3 SPG, 82.4 FT%, 1-time All-Star
Old Dominion: Chris Gatling (1992) 700 G, 10.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 51.3 FG%, 1-time All-Star
Towson: Kurk Lee (1991) 48 G, 1.4 PPG, 89.3 FT%
VCU: Gerald Henderson (1980) 871 G, 8.9 PPG, 3.6 APG, 1.1 SPG
William & Mary: Andy Duncan (1949) 136 G, 5.5 PPG (BAA/NBA)

Friday Afternoon Conference Tournament Happenings

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:37:11 -0800

You know it's March where there's midday college basketball to be discussed. Friday afternoon delivered just six games (one in progress) but there hasn't been a lack of drama. The Colonial, Missouri Valley and Southern conferences all had afternoon doubleheaders in their tournaments, with the MVC in the quarterfinals while the other two leagues are playing first round games today.

Colonial

(8) Georgia State 58, (9) UNC Wilmington 52

The collegiate career of UNC Wilmington guard Chad Tomko came to a tough end in the first game of the day in Richmond. Tomko led the Seahawks with 19 points but he shot 7-for-21 from the field and finished with four turnovers, the last of which came with just over a minute remaining and UNCW trailing by five (54-49). As a team UNCW shot a season-worst 29.5% from the field, and they could never get into a groove offensively. It also didn't help that the Seahawks made just 10 of 20 from the foul line. Josh Micheaux led the Panthers, who earn the honor of facing regular season champion George Mason at noon tomorrow, with 14 points while Eric Buckner added 12 and Jihad Ali grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with his nine points. And the play of Marques Johnson shouldn't be overlooked either as he dished out seven assists to just one turnover on the day. George Mason beat Georgia State 66-51 in their lone meeting on January 15th.

(5) Drexel 75, (12) Towson 69

Considering the fact that Towson went into today's game winless in CAA contests this season, many expected Bruiser Flint's Dragons to simply run through the Tigers on their way to a matchup with VCU on Saturday. But that wasn't the case as Pat Kennedy's squad remained competitive throughout, but they couldn't take advantage of an opportunity to tie the game late due in part to some bad foul shooting by Drexel. The Dragons survive with Samme Givens leading the way, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Chris Fouch added 15 points of the bench while CAA All-Rookie Team member Frantz Massenat scored 13 and handed out five assists. Dartaye Ruffin, who had a rough time at the charity stripe late, grabbed 12 rebounds while also scoring eight points. Josh Brown led four Tigers in double figures with 18 points but they were whipped on the boards by a 43-26 margin.

Missouri Valley

(1) Missouri State 58, (8) Southern Illinois 56

Southern Illinois got out of the gates quickly, outscoring the regular season champion Bears 11-3 over the first 2:53 of the game and led 32-24 at the half. But despite those facts and a 56-47 lead with 2:49 remaining, the Salukis went out in heartbreaking fashion as a Kyle Weems basket with 1.4 seconds to go capped an 11-0 run to end the game. Adam Leonard led Missouri State with a game-high 20 points while Weems added 14, making up for a 5-for-18 afternoon from the field with the late-game heroics. Mamadou Seck led SIU with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Kendal Brown-Surles and Justin Bocot scored 11 apiece. Rebounding (38-28 edge) and points from the foul line (15-6 advantage) helped out Cuonzo Martin's club, who has to come out with more energy to start in tomorrow's semifinal against Creighton if they're to get to Sunday's final.

(5) Creighton 70, (4) Northern Iowa 67

The Blue Jays survived some suspect play late, most notably a missed layup that would have sealed the game by Jahenns Manigat, to beat the Panthers in the second quarterfinal of the day. Kwadzo Ahelegbe tried to draw a foul on the final shot of the game but Manigat stayed on the ground, not falling for the shot fake and forcing the senior to put up a challenged shot that fell short. Forwards Doug McDermott and Kenny Lawson, Jr. were the difference for the Blue Jays, with McDermott scoring 16 points (including nine of the first 11) to go along with seven rebounds and Lawson dropped in 18 off the bench. UNI took away the inside play that hurt them in the first half, but all that did was allow the preseason MVC Player of the Year to do damage via Creighton's pick-and-pop game. Antoine Young scored 11 points and racked up seven assists, being every bit the problem for the Panthers that he was in the regular season. Ahelegbe finished with 14 points and four assists, and Anthony James added 10 for UNI.

Southern

UNC Greensboro 71, Davidson 64

To say the least it's a bit weird to talk about Davidson in March with the subject being their loss in the first round of the conference tournament. But that's exactly what happened to Bob McKillop's team, as UNCG sent them home in the first game of the day in Chattanooga. It doesn't help matters when you shoot 24% from the field, as the Wildcats made just 18 of 75 shots on the day. Freshman Trevis Simpson led the Spartans with 15 points and 10 rebounds and teammates Brandon Evans (12) and Kyle Randall (11) each reached double figures as they won their seventh game of the season. Brendan McKillop led Davidson with 14 points and J.P. Kuhlman added 11. Next up for UNC Greensboro is a matchup with the top seed in the North Division, Western Carolina.

Appalachian State 65, Georgia Southern 57

Donald Sims led three Mountaineers in double figures with a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists in the win over Georgia Southern. Neither team shot well from beyond the arc (combined 3-for-19) but Appalachian State scored 27 of their 65 points from the foul line in the win. Ben Drayton III led the Eagles with 16 points but it wasn't enough to prevent the end of their season. Next up for Appalachian State is defending tournament champion Wofford in the second quarterfinal tomorrow.

Tonight's Games

Atlantic Sun Semifinals (ESPN3)
(1) Belmont vs. (5) Mercer
(2) East Tennessee State vs. (6) North Florida

CAA First Round (CAASports.com)
(10) Northeastern vs. (7) Delaware (29-27 Northeastern at halftime)
(11) William & Mary vs. (6) James Madison

Horizon Quarterfinals (ESPN3)
(6) Wright State vs. (3) Cleveland State (31-27 Cleveland State at halftime)
(5) Detroit vs. (4) Valparaiso

MAAC First Round (MAACSports.com)
(8) Niagara vs. (9) Marist
(7) Siena vs. (10) Manhattan

Missouri Valley Quarterfinals (FSN Midwest)
(7) Bradley vs. (2) Wichita State
(6) Evansville vs. (3) Indiana State

Ohio Valley Semifinals (ESPNU)
(4) Tennessee Tech vs. (1) Murray State
(3) Austin Peay vs. (2) Morehead State

Southern Conference First Round (SoConSports.com)
(N6) Samford vs. (S3) Furman
(S5) The Citadel vs. (N4) Elon

WCC First Round (ESPN3)
(8) Loyola Marymount vs. (5) Portland
(7) San Diego vs. (6) Pepperdine

Other Games (regular season)
Brown at Cornell
Princeton at Dartmouth
Penn at Harvard
Yale at Columbia
Akron at Kent State
Ohio at Miami (OH)

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Poll: Who Will be the Next Coach Fired?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 08:39:55 -0800

CAA Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:55:50 -0800

With four teams legitimately battling for the CAA title, and top-notch players like Charles Jenkins and Chad Tomko on lesser teams, the CAA season should be one to remember.

Conference Rank: 13th

10 year average: 14th

CAA Conference Page

All-CAA Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Charles Jenkins	Hofstra	Jr
G	Chad Tomko	UNC Wilmington	Sr
G/F	Matt Janning	Northeastern	Sr
F	Gerald Lee	Old Dominion	Sr
F	Larry Sanders	VCU	Jr

Player of the Year - Charles Jenkins Freshman of the Year - Luke Hancock (George Mason)
CHN Award Winners		Leaders
CHN All-Americans Larry Sanders Mid-Major All-Americans Charles Jenkins (2nd Team) Larry Sanders (2nd) Matt Janning Gerald Lee		Best Scorer Charles Jenkins 19.7 Best Rebounder: Larry Sanders Assists: Darius James

CAA Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

48	Old Dominion	Colonial	1	NCAA
66	George Mason	Colonial	2	NIT
83	VCU	Colonial	3	NIT
102	Northeastern	Colonial	4	CBI/CIT
125	James Madison	Colonial	5	CBI/CIT
162	Hofstra	Colonial	6
172	Drexel	Colonial	7
229	Georgia State	Colonial	8
244	William & Mary	Colonial	9
251	Towson	Colonial	10
278	Delaware	Colonial	11
292	UNC Wilmington	Colonial	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the CAA?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will Win the CAA?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:01:36 -0700

CAA Championship: Preview & Prediction

Evan Dorey — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:10:49 -0800

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

Colonial Athletic

The CAA Tournament gives semifinal byes to the top 4 teams, and all games are hosted in Richmond; not in VCU’s home arena, but only a few minutes away. For that reason, I’ve decided to treat the games as semi-home games, giving a partial bonus to VCU’s chances.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Virginia Commonwealth	100.00%	94.56%	83.70%	58.63%
2	George Mason	100.00%	83.28%	52.85%	22.67%
3	Northeastern	100.00%	70.20%	33.03%	11.76%
4	Old Dominion	100.00%	65.32%	10.70%	2.94%
5	Hofstra	89.78%	34.02%	3.86%	0.74%
6	Drexel	86.17%	28.77%	9.19%	2.16%
7	James Madison	76.07%	15.00%	4.62%	0.85%
8	Georgia St.	46.20%	2.32%	0.69%	0.08%
9	Delaware	53.80%	3.12%	1.03%	0.14%
10	William & Mary	23.93%	1.72%	0.22%	0.02%
11	Towson	13.83%	1.03%	0.08%	0.00%
12	NC Wilmington	10.22%	0.66%	0.01%	0.00%

VCU is indeed the favorite, as we’d expect from the hosts and champions, but I was rather surprised just how good its odds are. Both GMU and Northeastern will provide tough potential challenges, while ODU are primed for an early defeat, and Drexel could be a bit of a Cinderella.

#1 – Virginia Commonwealth Rams (21-9, 14-4) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.165

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (2^nd Round)

With the tournament being hosted in Richmond, VCU will be heavily favored to back up its regular season crown with a CAA tournament title. The Rams are the conference’s best defenders, holding opponents to just 38% shooting, and leading the league in forcing turnovers. They also don’t commit many turnovers themselves, and are very good three point shooters, but their rebounding leaves something to be desired.

Players to watch:

6-2 SR Eric Maynor, 22.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG,6.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 52.3 eFG% - There aren’t many conferences in the country where the player of the year is quite this clear-cut, but I don’t think anyone could make a reasonable argument that there’s been any CAA player better than Maynor. He leads the conference in scoring and in assists, and manages to shoot an excellent percentage despite taking almost a third of his team’s shots. His assist total is pretty good, but his rate is even better, one of the very best in the nation, and he manages to distribute the ball while rarely turning it over. When he was the ‘Dagger’ against Duke, he was a good player, but now he’s stepped up to be one of the very best scorers in the country.

6-9 SO Larry Sanders, 11.2 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.6 BPG, 51.5 eFG% - There’s not a lot of space to be a great player with Maynor on your team, but Sanders has managed to do it, one of the conference’s best rebounders and shot-blockers. He’s a pretty solid offensive contributor; a good inside foil for Maynor, but he often struggles with foul trouble, and without him the Rams are a lot more vulnerable inside.

#2 – George Mason Patriots (20-9, 13-5) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.143

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The Patriots played fairly poorly on the road all season, and a couple of bad losses left them short of the conference title. They actually won every game they played on their home floor, but a 2-4 stretch in the middle of the conference season was a killer to their chances. George Mason has had the CAA’s best offense, shooting over 52% from inside the arc and avoiding turnovers, and its defense has also been solid: the Patriots cause opponents a lot of problems on long-range shots.

Players to watch:

6-7 SR Darryl Monroe, 10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG,1.2 SPG, 57.9 eFG% - Monroe may be a senior, but he’s a Ju-Co transfer who arrived the year after the run to the Final Four. After redshirting last season, he’s looking for his first NCAA appearance, and has been a big player for the Patriots, leading the team in rebounding while shooting a stellar 58% from the field.

6-4 SO Cameron Long, 11.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 54.0 eFG% - Long is the team’s leading scorer, and one of the few Patriots who is a serious three-point threat. He’s also a solid inside shooter who can chip in with some assists, and while he often doesn’t score a whole lot, he can easily break out for 15-20 points.

#3 – Northeastern Huskies (18-11, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.112

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1991 (1^st Round)

Northeastern looked like it would have the inside track for a conference title when it sat at 10-1, with just one game left against the other top contenders. The Husky offense came unravelled down the stretch, though, and a few bad losses dropped it to third. They are the only team that looks like challenging the top two, but may not have the form to get to the final. It’s tempting to say that Northeastern has an excellent defensive team, but that’s mostly due to its slow pace; the Huskies have been better on the offensive end, decent shooters who earn a lot of points at the free throw line. They do force a lot of turnovers, but aren’t great rebounders and allow opponents to shoot 34% from behind the arc.

Players to watch:

6-4 JR Matt Janning, 14.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 47.4 eFG% - Janning leads the Huskies in scoring, but hasn’t been a particularly effective player, just barely making a third of his threes and well south of 50% on his two-pointers. He doesn’t contribute too much in other areas of the box-score, and in the last few games has seen his scoring fall off.

6-4 Chaisson Allen, 9.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.7 SPG, 44.9 eFG% - Allen is a pretty weak shooter, and doesn’t score much, but leads the Huskies in rebounds, assists and steals, though a lot of this has more to do with how much he plays, as his rates in those areas are fairly pedestrian.

#4 – Old Dominion Monarchs (20-9, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.032

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

From sitting at 5-5 with a month to go in the season, the Monarchs put together as good a run as any team in the conference, losing just once the rest of the way. Old Dominion takes the ball inside a lot, and while it doesn’t make a huge percentage of shots, it does crash the offensive glass really well. Its free throw shooting may be a liability down the stretch, among the worst in the league. While the Monarchs are good at attacking inside, their defense isn’t nearly as good on the interior, though it does defend the outside well; forcing a lot of turnovers and rarely fouling.

Players to watch:

6-10 JR Gerald Lee, 15.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 57.0 eFG% - It’s rare to find a 6-10 player at this level who isn’t a great rebounder, but that’s exactly what Lee has been. The Finnish national’s strength is in his offensive game, as he’s a 57% shooter who sees a lot of the ball.

6-5 SO Ben Finney, 10.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 53.6 eFG% - Finney may be five inches shorter than Lee, but he has out-rebounded him on the season, and has easily been the team’s best player on the offensive glass. He’s also a pretty efficient scorer, having a decent three-point touch to go with good scoring ability inside. His 58% free throw shooting is a big problem, though.

#5 – Hofstra Pride (20-10, 11-7) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.010

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (1^st Round)

Hofstra has the honor of being Ken Pomeroy’s luckiest team in the entire country, as it’s been outscored by an average of two points in conference play, and yet finished fifth in the standings. The Pride lucked out with a weak draw, but don’t look likely to challenge the better teams. They have one of the conference’s weakest offenses, as they are both terrible shooters (including 43% from two) and turn the ball over a lot. The one bright spot is rebounding, but when you miss as often as the Pride do, it’s not that much of a benefit. Hofstra has some serious defensive problems as well, committing a lot of fouls and allowing opponents to score pretty easily from behind the arc.

Players to watch:

6-3 SO Charles Jenkins, 19.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 42.9 eFG% - Jenkins is second in the CAA in scoring, though this is more about the sophomore’s role in the offense than his ability to shoot. His percentages are decent but not great, though an 81% showing at the stripe sure helps. Still, he’s an excellent distributor of the ball who can potentially go off for a big number, and has twice put up more than 30 in the month of February.

6-10 SO Greg Washington, 5.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 49.6 eFG% - Washington doesn’t score much, but he doesn’t need to, as the core of his game is rebounding, where he leads the team despite often playing less than 20 minutes, and shot-blocking, where he puts up one of the best rates in the country. Watch out for the Dragons in two years, when both Jenkins and Washington are seniors.

#6 – Drexel Dragons (15-13, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.050

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1996 (2^nd Round)

If you want to pick a team outside the top 4 that could cause a surprise, Drexel might be worth a shot, though a 2-5 finish to the conference season doesn’t give much hope to its chances. The Dragons managed to break the .500 mark despite being one of the country’s worst shooting teams. There are two reasons: they are good offensive rebounders, and their opponents have been just about as bad making shots as the Dragons have. It’s very rare to see a team lead the conference in two-point defense and finish last in two-point offense, but somehow Drexel manages it.

Players to watch:

5-10 SO Jamie Harris, 8.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 48.0 eFG% - Harris is Drexel’s most efficient player, and when you consider that he turns the ball over a fair amount and shoots just 41% from two-point range, this is something that should really concern the Dragons. He’s the team’s only three-point shooter who hits more than a third of attempts, but his role in the offense is too small to really help the team.

6-3 SR Scott Rodgers, 13.7 PPG,5.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 39.0 eFG% - Rodgers is a little better than his pathetic eFG% would suggest, leading the team in assists and putting up a pretty good percentage at the free throw line, but he still wastes a lot of possessions on missed shots.

#7 – James Madison Dukes (18-13, 9-9) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.022

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1994 (1^st Round)

James Madison is a deserved .500 team, finishing pretty close to even in EM over the course of the conference schedule. It’s a pretty good shooting team that turns the ball over a lot, and it also manages to hold opponents to a conference-best 28% from behind the arc. The Dukes’ problem has been defending the inside, as their inability to stop shots or get a lot of rebounds has held them back.

Players to watch:

6-3 JR Pierre Curtis, 8.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 52.9 eFG% - Curtis doesn’t tend to take a lot of shots, but has a good percentage on the ones he does take, and manages to get to the free throw line a lot, where he’s an 81% shooter.

6-6 SR Juwann James, 15.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 59.7 eFG% - James missed much of the month of November, but on his return he brought an excellent dimension to the Dukes’ offense, shooting nearly 60% from the field and doing a great job on the offensive glass. He’s averaged 20 points in the month of February, and is the team’s best offensive threat.

#8 – Georgia St. Panthers (11-19, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.058

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2001 (2^nd Round)

Now that we’ve reached the #8 seed, the teams begin to head south, with all sporting fairly large negative efficiency margins. All the teams previously discussed had defended at at least a point-per-possession or better, with Georgia St. being the first to fall short of that standard. The Panthers are a decent shooting team from the field, but have hit under 60% from the free throw line, and have been poor offensive rebounders. Defensively, opponents take a lot of long distance shots against Georgia St., which probably works out for the best, given how weak its interior play has been.

Players to watch:

6-1 SR Joe Dukes, 12.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 47.3 eFG% - Dukes leads the team in points, assists and steals, but his shooting has been somewhat spotty, and his role has gradually shrunk over the course of the season.

6-0 JR Trae Goldston, 11.0 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 50.9 eFG% - Goldston’s overall numbers have been pretty solid, but he’s tended to be very inconsistent, with periods where he’s a big scorer sandwiched between stretches where his shot hasn’t been going. If he’s on, he can put up 15-20 on any team in the tournament, but that’s a pretty big if.

#9 – Delaware Blue Hens (13-18, 6-12) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.046

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1999 (1^st Round)

Delaware may sit towards the bottom of the conference standings, but it certainly has the potential to cause some upsets, as it is the only team outside the top four to have beaten both George Mason and VCU this season. The Blue Hens put up a lot of threes (something we’ll see often towards the bottom of the conference), and make them at a pretty good clip, but have little interior presence, especially in terms of rebounding. They tend to give opponents a big possession advantage, through the dangerous combination of not grabbing misses and forcing few turnovers.

Players to watch:

6-6 SR Marc Egerson, 15.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 48.5 eFG% - The conferences’ leading rebounder, Egerson is the only man in the CAA to average a double-double, but doesn’t do it in the way you might expect, as he’s an excellent defensive rebounder who gets a lot of offense from behind the arc.

5-10 JR Brian Johnson, 10.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 5.0 APG, 53.6 eFG% - Johnson has been a very solid guard for the Hens, especially down the stretch, averaging nearly 15 points in his last eight games. He’s a 40% three point shooter who gets a lot of assists, while controlling turnovers fairly effectively.

#10 – William & Mary Tribe (10-19, 5-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.075

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

The Tribe enter the tournament on what is for them a roll, having crawled their way back to respectability after a 1-10 start. Frankly, you wouldn’t expect very much out of a team that takes most of its shots from behind the arc, but shoots just 31% from there. They’ve been an OK defensive team, but have allowed opponents to shoot pretty well from long-distance. The change in William & Mary’s recent positive stretch has been putting together better shooting with control of turnovers; they’d occasionally done each thing for the first part of the season, but getting them to happen in the same game was uncommon until the last month or so.

Players to watch:

6-3 JR David Schneider, 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 44.7 eFG% - Schnieder is an ugly shooter, just 35% overall and 30% from behind the arc, but he puts up a good assist rate while committing few turnovers (just 43 all season), which ends up making him a pretty efficient player despite his problems.

6-5 FR Quinn McDowell, 9.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 57.8 eFG% - McDowell doesn’t play a huge role in the offense as a freshman, but when he does takes shots, he usually hits them, putting up the highest three-point shooting numbers on the team and hitting 57% of his shots inside.

#11 – Towson Tigers (10-21, 5-13) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.107

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1991 (1^st Round)

Towson has had a difficult season, and are deserved 11^th place finishers after having a lot of trouble of the defensive end. Teams have been able to exploit the Tigers inside , shooting 52%, and they don’t do anything else well enough to make up for those troubles. Their offense has been respectable, not making a lot of shots, but getting a lot of chances by limiting turnovers and picking up a good number of rebounds.

Players to watch:

6-8 SR Junior Hairston, 12.9 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 47.1 eFG% - If Hairston took less three-pointers, he’d be one of the conference’s better players overall, but with his 30% shooting serving as an anchor to his efficiency, he’ll have to settle for excellent rebounding and block rates. He also holds onto the ball pretty well, and his shooting is the only serious weakness in his statistical profile.

6-7 JR Jarrel Smith, 11.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 46.4 eFG% - Smith doesn’t have any particular area in which he’s that strong, but he’s a decent shooter who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, which is a relative rarity on this team.

#12 – NC Wilmington Seahawks (7-24, 3-15) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.075

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2006 (1^st Round)

The Seahawks have easily been the worst team in the league, ranked at the bottom of the conference on both ends of the floor, and their win over VCU stands out as their only half-decent result. They allow opponents to shoot a absurd 58% from two-point range, and aren’t much better outside the arc. A lot of this can be linked to their pace of play, the conference’s fastest. This creates a lot of turnovers, but NC Wilmington pays for it by getting badly outrebounded, and is unable to create for itself the same high percentage chances it gives up.

Players to watch:

5-11 SO Chad Tomko, 15.8 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 46.6 eFG% - Tomko takes a lot of shots when he’s on the floor, and while he doesn’t shoot a great percentage, he makes up for it with excellent assist and steal rates.

6-3 JR Johnny Wolf, 13.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 50.6 eFG% - Wolf takes most of his shots from behind the arc, and is one of the rare Seahawks that manages to hit more than a third of these attempts. The most interesting thing about Wolf may be how infrequently he fouls; since fouling out twice in the first three games, he has committed just 21 in the next 27 games.

My statistical all-Colonial team:

Virginia Commonwealth SR G Eric Maynor, 22.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG,6.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 52.3 eFG%

Delaware SR G Marc Egerson, 15.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 48.5 eFG%

Hofstra SO G Charles Jenkins, 19.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 42.9 eFG%

George Mason SR F Darryl Monroe, 10.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG,1.2 SPG, 57.9 eFG%

Old Dominion JR F Gerald Lee, 15.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 57.0 eFG%

2009 CAA Tournament: Schedule/Seedings Announced

Press Release — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:20:49 -0800

The pairings are set for the 2009 CAA Men's Basketball Championship, which will be held March 6-9 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va.

First-round tournament action tips off on Friday, March 6 as #8 Georgia State (11-19, 8-10 in CAA) meets #9 Delaware (13-18, 6-12 in CAA) at Noon, followed by #5 Hofstra (20-10, 11-7 in CAA) against #12 UNC Wilmington (7-24, 3-15 in CAA) at 2:30 p.m. In the night session, #7 James Madison (18-13, 9-9 in CAA) takes on #10 William and Mary (10-19, 5-13 in CAA) at 6 p.m., followed by #6 Drexel (15-13, 10-8 in CAA) versus #11 Towson (10-21, 5-13 in CAA) at 8:30 p.m.

In the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 7, #1 VCU (21-9, 14-4 in CAA) faces the Georgia State/Delaware winner at Noon, followed by #4 Old Dominion (20-9, 12-6 in CAA) against the Hofstra/UNCW winner at 2:30 p.m. In the night session, #2 George Mason (20-9, 13-5 in CAA) meets the JMU/William & Mary winner at 6 p.m., followed by #3 Northeastern (18-11, 12-6 in CAA) against the Drexel/Towson winner at 8:30 p.m.

The semifinal contests will take place at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 and the CAA men's basketball championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9.

Tickets are $21 per session and $70 for a tournament book that includes all 11 games. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

CAA Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:31:46 -0800

Conference Rank: 12th

10 year average: 14th

CAA Conference Page

All-CAA Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Eric Maynor	VCU	Sr
G	Charles Jenkins	Hofstra	So
G	Abdulai Jalloh	James Madison	Sr
G/F	Matt Janning	Northeastern	Jr
F	Gerald Lee	Old Dominion	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Matt Janning Charles Jenkins Eric Maynor* * High-Major POY		Points: Eric Maynor 17.8 Rebounds: Junior Hairston (Tow) 8.9 Assists: Eric Maynor 5.4

CAA Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

48	VCU	Colonial	1	NCAA
69	Northeastern	Colonial	2	NIT
83	Old Dominion	Colonial	3	NIT
102	George Mason**	Colonial	4
148	Georgia State	Colonial	5
159	Hofstra	Colonial	6
177	Delaware	Colonial	7
193	UNC Wilmington	Colonial	8
218	William & Mary	Colonial	9
245	Drexel	Colonial	10
267	James Madison	Colonial	11
289	Towson	Colonial	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the CAA?

Other CAA Content

Conference Media Poll

Other

Top Six Non-BCS Players: Maynor

State of 08: Virginia

Rise & Fall: CAA