Colonial Athletic Association Conference Tournament Preview

Schedule (all games played in Richmond):

Friday, March 6th / First Round
- Game 1: #8 Georgia State vs. #9 Delaware
- Game 2: #5 Hofstra vs. #12 UNC Wilmington
- Game 3: #7 James Madison vs. #10 William & Mary
- Game 4: #6 Drexel vs. #11 Towson

Saturday, March 7th / Second Round
- Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. #1 VCU
- Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. #4 Old Dominion
- Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. #2 George Mason
- Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. #3 Northeastern

Sunday, March 8th / Semis
- Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner
- Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner

Monday, March 9th / Finals
- Game 11: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner

Favorite: This one is tough, because the CAA was, as has become the norm, one of the most competitive leagues in all of college basketball. VCU has to be considered the favorite. They won the league and are led by two-time CAA player of the year Eric Maynor. Maynor has already proven he knows how to perform in March (remember this - NSFDF*) and is coming off his best season as a Ram, averaging 22.4 ppg and 6.2 apg. The problem is that this year, he does not have as much of a supporting cast. Larry Sanders is a long, athletic forward and a tough match-up for CAA teams, but at this point in his career he isn't much more than a rebounder/shot blocker (his .21 a/to ratio is actually an improvement from last season). In fact, thre are only two rotation players that aren't freshman or sophomores, so if VCU plans on winning this thing, they need to ride Maynor.

Eric Maynor will need to do much more of this if the Rams want to make the dance.
(photo credit: Duke Chronicle)

Contenders: Northeastern, George Mason, and Old Dominion all won at least 12 games in league play and earned a bye for the first round of the tournament. Northeastern, to me, seems like the best of the bunch. I saw them early in the season knock off Providence and came away pretty impressed. They are tough defensively (holding opponent's to under 60 points and 42% shooting) and are an experienced bunch (most of their rotation is upperclassmen). George Mason is a similar team to Northeastern in that they are an experienced group that can really defend. But they have been a bit beat up this year, and they don't really have a play maker or a big time scorer. Old Dominion is the only team of the four mentioned that played the other three team twice (they split with each). They have something that most other CAA team don't in Gerald Lee, a 6'10", 250 lb, Finnish center that is a legitimate back-to-the-basket scorer.

Sleeper: I got a chance to see the Dragons play during the Tip-Off Marathon back in November, and even then I came away very impressed with Drexel. They are a guard-heavy team, with their top four scorers all playing in the back court, which at times creates match-up nightmares for opponents. The Dragos are also playing well right now. They finished the season just 10-8 in the league, but won 10 of their last 15 games. Of those five losses, three were by one point and one came in OT.

BIAH Pick: Northeastern.*Not Safe For Duke Fans