Drexel

CAA Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:31:46 -0500

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Conference Rank: 12th

10 year average: 14th

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

State of '08: Pennsylvania

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:08:07 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

PENNSYLVANIA

PITTSBURGH - The Panthers have made 7-straight NCAA Tournaments, thanks to the foundation built by Ben Howland. In that 7-year stretch are 4 Sweet Sixteens, including 2 each by Howland and Jamie Dixon. This year's team projects to be Top 20 once again.

VILLANOVA - Jay Wright's squad is looking to make its 5th Tournament in a row. Even though the team did sneak into the field last year, the previous three teams were legit Top 25 squads, including the 2006 team that earned a #1 seed.

SAINT JOSEPH'S - In the past eight years, St. Joe's has reached the postseason seven times (4 NCAAs and 3 NITs), a stretch in which Phil Martelli has been named the A10's top coach three times. This year the team should be solid once again, but Philly rivals Villanova and Temple are expected to be better.

TEMPLE - The Owls returned to the Big Dance for the first time since 2001, as the program is still trying to gain an identity following John Chaney's epic career. With the exception of 2007, Temple has been in the Top 102 RPI every year since the 80's.

PENN - The Quakers have obviously been one of the best teams (along with Princeton) in the Ivy League since the early 70's. While Princeton has collapsed, Penn is still hanging in there following the departure of Fran Dunphy. Last year's young team did struggle following 3-straight Tourney trips, but a 19-20 win season should be expected in 2009.

6. BUCKNELL - Long-time coach Pat Flannery stepped down after last season's disappointing 12-19 finish. But Flannery took the program to heights that no one could have expected. In '05 & '06, the Bison not only made the Big Dance, but knocked off Kansas & Arkansas. '07 wasn't bad either with a Top 80 RPI finish.

7. DREXEL - Drexel is coming off one if its worst seasons in years, and the worst in Bruiser Flint's 12-year career. Before last year's 12-20 debacle, the Dragons had made 4 NIT's in the previous 5 years.

8. PENN STATE - Last year's 7-11 Big Ten record was the best in Ed DeChellis' 5-year tenure. I guess that's progress of some sort, but the Penn State has accomplished virtually nothing since 2001's freak Sweet Sixteen run.

9. LEHIGH - When Billy Taylor took over in 2002, Lehigh had been in a prolonged slump. But he did a nice job getting the Mountain Hawks to the Tourney in '04 and to the Pat League title game in '06. 2nd year coach Brett Reed is trying to continue that success after an up and down first year.

10. ROBERT MORRIS - Last year was the culmination of steady growth achieved during Mark Schmidt's tenure. But it was 1st year coach Mike Rice who got to reap Schmidt's rewards, leading the team to an all-time high 27 wins and making the NIT after winning the NEC regular-season title.

11. DUQUESNE - Not one of Duquesne's last six coaches finished with a +.500 record. Last year's 17-13 record was the Dukes best since 93-94 when they reached the NIT. 17-13 is quite an accomplishment for Ron Everhart considering he took over a team that was 3-24 in '06.

12. LA SALLE - La Salle's utter lack of success is surprising because the school does have decent name recognition. The program has showed potential since John Giannini took over in 2004, but the postseason will still have to wait. La Salle has finished over .500 just once in the last 15 seasons (2006).

13. LAFAYETTE - In '99 & '00, the Leopards won back to back Patriot League titles. There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last 8 seasons though. 2004 was the last time Lafayette even finished above .500 in league play.

14. SAINT FRANCIS - The past three seasons have been simply brutal. The Red Flash have won 15 total games against D1 teams and finished below 300th in the RPI each year. Most preseason publications project another last-place NEC finish in 08-09.

Last: Oregon - Next: South Carolina

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Drexel Basketball Schedule: 08-09

Press Release — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:50:39 -0400

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Philadelphia – An ESPN game with Penn at the Daskalakis Athletic Center highlights the Drexel men’s basketball 2008-09 schedule. In addition, the Dragons will visit Memphis and Georgetown in non-conference play. Memphis advanced to last year’s NCAA championship game, while the Hoyas were Final Four participants in 2007.

The Dragons open the season on Nov. 18 in a unique ESPN event. Drexel will host Penn at 10 a.m. at the DAC as part of a marathon of 14 college basketball games that day spread over 23 consecutive hours. That will be one of two games against Philadelphia opponents. Drexel will once again play Saint Joseph’s at the Palestra on New Year’s Eve.

The Dragons will host Cal-State Northridge and Niagara in non-conference games at the DAC. They will also host a team to be announced in ESPN’s Bracketbuster series on Feb. 21. It will be the fifth straight season the Dragons have participated in the even. Other road games include contests at Bucknell, at Rider and a return game at Fairfield from last season’s Bracketbusters match up.

The Colonial Athletic Association schedule begins on Dec. 6 with a home game against George Mason. It will be the only conference game in December. The rest of the conference slate gets underway in January, when Drexel plays four of its first six CAA games in the month on the road. This season, Drexel will play home and home series against Delaware, George Mason, Georgia State, Hofstra, Northeastern, Towson and William & Mary. The Dragons visit James Madison and UNC Wilmington and host Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth.

Game times and complete television schedule will be announced at a later date.

Drexel Men’s Basketball 2008-09 Schedule (all times to be announced unless noted)

Nov. 18 Tue. Penn 10:00

Nov. 22 Sat. at Georgetown

Dec. 1 Mon. Cal-State Northridge

Dec. 6 Sat. George Mason*

Dec. 14 Sun. at Fairfield

Dec. 18 Thu. Niagara

Dec. 20 Sat. at Bucknell

Sec. 22 Mon. at Memphis

Dec. 27 Sat. at Rider

Dec. 31 Wed. at Saint Joseph’s (Palestra)

Jan. 3 Sat. at Hofstra*

Jan. 5 Mon. at James Madison*

Jan. 7 Wed. VCU*

Jan. 10 Sat. at Georgia State*

Jan. 14 Wed. Hofstra*

Jan. 17 Sat. at UNC Wilmington*

Jan. 20 Tue. Delaware*

Jan. 24 Sat. William & Mary*

Jan. 28 Wed. Georgia State*

Jan. 31 Sat. at Towson*

Feb. 4 Wed. at Delaware*

Feb. 7 Sat. Old Dominion*

Feb. 11 Wed. at Northeastern*

Feb. 14 Sat. Towson*

Feb. 18 Wed. at George Mason*

Feb. 21 Sat. Bracket Busters

Feb. 25 Wed. Northeastern*

Feb. 28 Sat. at William & Mary*

Northeast non-TV Bracket Busters preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:23:55 -0500

Here’s a quick preview of the ESPNU O’Reilly Bracket Busters games this weekend that will not be shown on television involving northeast teams. In most cases, the organizers of this event have done a better job of limiting the travel for non-television games, with the exception of UC Davis visiting Loyola (MD) among games involving northeast leagues. Bracket Busters, originally put together to provide schools in non-BCS leagues one last opportunity to add to their resume, now involves some 100 schools from sixteen conferences. Niagara @ Appalachian State (Saturday, 1 PM) The nation’s leading scorer, Charron Fisher, takes his act on the road as the Purple Eagles visit the Mountaineers of the Southern Conference. Fisher has eclipsed the forty point mark in two of his last three games, including 45 and nine rebounds against Loyola (MD). Niagara (with help from Tyrone Lewis, Stanley Hodge and an improving Benson Egemonye) will look to run and put up a lot of points, but the Mountaineers are also capable of scoring some points. Six players score at least seven points per game, led by senior forward Donte Minter. I’ll take the Mountaineers due to the home court advantage. Northeastern @ Holy Cross (Saturday, 4 PM) The Huskies make the short trip to Worcester to take on a Crusader team still trying to recover from a slow start in Patriot League play. Tim Clifford is Holy Cross’ best offensive option, but it’s been the health of PG Pat Doherty that has been the concern. His Achilles injury at San Francisco was the catalyst for a five-game skid early in 2008, and the team has been up and down ever since. Northeastern, looking to end their two-game skid, will counter with a balanced scoring attack led by wing Matt Janning. Normally, I’d go with the home-court advantage, especially with an environment as hostile as the one awaiting NU’s arrival. But I’m going to take the Huskies due to the fact that they’re a more balanced team on offense. Bucknell @ Old Dominion (Saturday, 7 PM) The Bison, like their Patriot League rivals, have uncharacteristically struggled in league play this year. But given the number of losses due to graduation over the last two seasons, you can understand why this team isn’t in its usual perch atop the conference standings. Guards John Griffin, Justin Castleberry and Stephen Tyree are the main men on the offensive end of the floor, and they’re going to have their hands full in Norfolk. Forward Gerald Lee leads the Monarchs in scoring, but they have seven players averaging at least six points per game. In their last four games, all wins, three different Monarchs have led the team in scoring (Lee twice, Brian Henderson and Abdi Lidonde once apiece). I like the Monarchs to win this one. Vermont @ UNC-Wilmington (Saturday, 7 PM) If you’re looking to find a candidate for the most improved player in the country (yes, country), look no further than Vermont’s Marqus Blakely. After averaging 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season, the sophomore forward is up to 19.8 and 10.8 this year. And only two players have a 30/20 game to their credit this season: Michael Beasley and…Marqus Blakely. Mike Trimboli and Kyle Cieplicki are also more than capable of scoring from the perimeter. As for the Seahawks, four players average at least twelve points per game, led by senior guard T.J. Carter’s 15.8. Possessing a home record of 11-2, UNCW comes into this one riding a four-game win streak. Expect this one to be a close one, but I like the Seahawks to come out on top. UC Davis @ Loyola-Maryland (Saturday, 1 PM) Well, this one could get ugly as the Greyhounds host the Aggies. UC Davis, currently dead last in the Big West, has lost their last nine and are the league’s worst defensive team (opponents shoot 48.1% from the field). And when you’ve got to stop a player like G Gerald Brown, that could be bad news for the Aggies. Brown will have some help on the offensive end, supplied by Michael Tuck and Marquis Sullivan. The Aggies are led by guards Vince Oliver and Shane Hanson, but they have a road record of 1-11 for the season. I like Loyola to win this one. Hofstra @ Iona (Saturday, 2 PM) The Gaels host one of the nation’s best scorers in Hofstra’s Antoine Agudio, and with Iona preferring to quicken the pace this could be a game in which Agudio puts up some points. But the trend all season has been that the Pride are only as successful as Agudio’s supporting cast, and a group led by Charles Jenkins has become more confident as the season has progressed. On the other side, Kevin Willard’s first year as head coach has been streaky in regards to results, with a three game win streak followed by a short losing spell. Iona ended a two-game skid with a win at Canisius on Monday night, and five players averaging about eight points per game (Kyle Camper averages 7.8 to be exact). The key to this one will be how well Hofstra takes care of the basketball, something they haven’t done well on the road this season (3-9 away from home). I’ll take Iona by a basket. Fairfield @ Drexel (Saturday, 4 PM) The Stags, winners of five in a row, take their on one of the CAA’s worst offensive teams in the Dragons of Drexel. Center Frank Elegar leads Drexel in both scoring and rebounding, but the points have been few and far between for a team looking to replace the likes of Bashir Mason and Dominic Mejia from last season’s team. Fairfield, on the other hand, has received a boost from the likes of seniors Marty O’Sullivan and Mamadou Diakhate, two players who weren’t expected to see much playing time throughout the remainder of the season. But the team runs based on the play of PG Jonathan Han, the MAAC’s assist leader. With six road wins already to their credit, I like the Stags to pick up a seventh. Youngstown State @ Buffalo (Saturday, 4 PM) With two of the bottom feeders in their respective leagues on display, you have to dig a little deeper to figure out who to watch in this one. How about guards Andy Robinson (Buffalo) and Byron Davis (Youngstown State)? Both lead their teams in scoring, but truth be told each team has a couple of places from which the points can come. I’m taking Buffalo for one simple reason: The Penguins are 1-11 on the road this season. Binghamton @ Manhattan (Saturday, 4 PM) One of three matchups between America East and MAAC schools, this one will be an interesting affair due to the age difference between the backcourts. Manhattan, led by Antoine Pearson and Devon Austin (Austin’s a wing), rely primarily on sophomores while Binghamton’s backcourt is manned by seniors Mike Gordon and Richard Forbes. The Bearcats’ leading scorer, however, is sophomore forward Lazar Trifunovic (14.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg). I like the Jaspers to move their three-game win streak to four due to the fact that they’re at home (Binghamton is 3-10 on the road this season). Albany @ Canisius (Saturday, 7:30 PM) There’s no Jamar Wilson, but the Great Danes are still in third place in America East. The leader this season is Brian Lillis, a wing currently averaging sixteen points per game. In all, five Great Danes are averaging at least 7.7 points per game. Their opponent has one of the quickest guards in the MAAC in Frank Turner, but little has gone right this year for the 4-22 Golden Griffins. Losers of five straight games, I don’t think Canisius plays good enough defense (allowing 73.1 points per game) to end the skid in this one. Boston University @ St. Peter’s (Saturday, 2 PM) The Terriers have won six of their last seven, while the Peacocks have lost eleven of thirteen. SPC has one of the toughest competitors in the MAAC in senior Todd Sowell, but as a team they simply don’t defend well enough or take good enough care of the basketball (averaging sixteen turnovers per game). When you have four players scoring in double figures, turnovers are a sure way to keep your win total low. Corey Lowe, one of the best guards in America East, leads BU with eighteen points per game, but the improved play of freshman John Holland has been the catalyst for their recent run of good play. I like the Terriers to get a road win in this one.

Joel Knows: BracketBusters Review

Joel Welser — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:08:59 -0500

Joel knows this is a special BracketBusters edition of “Joel Knows.”

Joel knows the Missouri Valley Conference now understands why the BCS conferences will never play in any bracket busting type event. In one day, well two counting the Missouri State thud on Friday night, the MVC lost at least one bid to the NCAA Tournament. Yet, the true sign that the MVC is a power conference comes with the faithful believing that they should win against teams in “bad” conferences like the Big South and Southern Conference. In the span of about three years, the fans of the MVC have gone from not receiving enough respect for their conference to not respecting the teams and conferences that were in the same situation they were in three years ago.

Joel knows Bradley did pick up a good win at VCU, which pretty much made the weekend a wash for the conference, but it is probably too little too late for the Braves to earn an at-large bid. The RPI is nice, but it looks like Bradley will need a few other bubble teams to burst before their name is called. However, they are definitely playing well enough to take care of business at Arch Madness and leave the decision out of the hands of the committee.

Joel knows Missouri State is not out of it yet either after their Friday night loss against Winthrop, but with two losses in a row, they need to turn things around right now and win at Wichita State on Tuesday. In any event, the MVC looks like a three-bid league at most.

Joel knows Valdas Vasylius played Old Dominion firmly onto the bubble by leading the way during a 73-70 victory at Toledo. Beating the Rockets is not a great win, but any win on the road over a team that is 10-2 in a decent conference cannot hurt. Vasylius scored 22 points and grabbed ten boards, earning his third consecutive double-double. Outside of the puzzling loss at James Madison, ODU doesn’t have a horrible loss on the schedule. The lone quality non-conference victory is over Georgetown, and as the Hoyas get better, ODU looks better.

Joel knows another CAA team, Drexel, is back on the bubble as well. The Dragons slipped by Creighton in Omaha 64-58 and added another marquee victory to the resume. Losses at Penn, Rider and William & Mary will most likely come back to haunt Coach Bruiser Flint and company if they can’t manage to win the CAA tournament. At the least, they need to win their final two games and probably make a nice little run in the conference tournament to be a serious bubble candidate

Joel knows Western Michigan is going to win the MAC…next year. On Saturday, WMU knocked off Valparaiso 89-80 in overtime. What does that have to do with next year? It is a rarity for the young Broncos to keep their composure during a close game and the win over Valpo means, or so the Zoo Crew hopes, that the youngsters are growing up. WMU expects to return everybody on their roster and with Joe Reitz under the basket, David Kool knocking down the long balls, Shawntes Gary scoring 20 points a night and Michael Redell running the show, the Broncos have more than enough weapons to win the conference. My only concern is that it will take a few more years before Kool becomes the team leader and we start to see “Kool and the Gang” signs at University Arena. Somebody tell the band to start practicing ‘Celebration.’

Joel knows the Horizon League had a good day, despite the marquee loss of Butler to Southern Illinois. The only other loss for the conference was when Drake completed a come from behind victory at home over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Even cellar dweller Cleveland State headed across the country to Wells Fargo Court at the Matadome in Redwood Hall, better known as the Kinesiology Building, and knocked off Cal State Northridge 85-76.

Joel knows it was fun watching the Missouri Valley Conference’s RPI slide up and down. The MVC, according to some RPI outlets, started Saturday at sixth, slipped to seventh after their 0-3 start on the day and then slid up to fifth, over the Big XII and Big East, after the success later in the evening. By early Sunday morning, the conference was back down to seventh with Creighton’s loss to Drexel.

Joel knows the fans love BracketBusters. It’s a chance to talk smack on a different message board and compare who had the more disappointing season with the opponent’s fans.

Interesting interpretation of "bench decorum" in Omaha

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 01:52:28 -0500

Am I the only person watching the Drexel/Creighton game tonight that was confused about the emphasis on "bench decorum"? Each head coach, Bruiser Flint of Drexel and Dana Altman of Creighton, was T'd up in this BracketBusters game that the visiting Dragons eventually won 64-58. Altman's technical, in which he was called for being about six inches outside of the coaches box, brought back memories of Dean Smith getting a T for the same offense in the 1991 Final Four. Coach Altman said nothing to the official to warrant this call, just happened to do something that coaches throughout the nation have been doing for years. Drexel went on a run after this, and things seemed to be going well for the Dragons until Coach Flint found himself on the wrong side of the whistle when yelling at his player for a foolish reach-in foul. Jumping into the air and yelling at his guy wouldn't have been a problem (nor should it be) had an official not been right next ot Flint. Luckily for Drexel, they were able to hold on despite some horrific foul shooting (at one point they had missed five straight from the charity stripe). The actual turning point? Anthony Tolliver picking up his fourth foul with the Blue Jays firmly in control halfway through the second half. From there Frank Elegar took over inside, and Dominic Mejia knocked down some shots from the outside. Can Drexel grab an at-large out of the Colonial? This result definitely helps, but I think they need to at least win out in the regular season then make a decent run in the CAA Tournament. But while the Dragons helped themselves out in terms of an at-large resume, conference bretheren VCU did some serious damage to their hopes by losing to Bradley at home. VCU doesn't have the non-conference resume that shots "at-large", so getting that win at home on Saturday would have been huge. But thanks to Jeremy Crouch (22 points) and Daniel Ruffin (19 points), a chance to add a solid non-conference win to their credentials escaped VCU. Holy Cross and Hofstra got together on the Island and played an exciting game that was decided by Carlos Rivera in the end. The third memeber of the vaunted Hofstra attack (you don't hear his name as much as that of Loren Stokes and Antoine Agudio) knocked down two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining, then blocked a Keith Simmons jump shot as time expired. Take nothing away from the Pride, but you have to wonder how this game would have gone had Holy Cross big man Tim Clifford not fouled out with nearly seven minutes left in the game. Both teams head back to conference play with hopes of winning an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. I like Holy Cross' chances in the Patriot League, especially if they can get the top seed, ensuring home court throughout the tournament. While all this was going on with BracketBusters, two things happened in the NEC. 1. Fairleigh Dickinson knocked off Central Connecticut State 66-60, ending the Blue Devils' 12-game win streak. It was a tale of two half, with CCSU sprinting out to a 34-21 halftime lead. FDU, led by Cameron Tyler, outscored the Blue Devils 45-26 in the second half. Of course it's too late for anyone to catch CCSU atop the conference standings, but at least this game puts to rest the idea that CCSU would go unchallenged for the league's automatic bid. They'll have home court throughout, but FDU moved within one game of Quinnipiac for second place, and that position would guarantee two home games. Next week is the end of the regular season for that conference, so we'll see what happens there. Happening #2 in the NEC: St. Francis (NY) 102, Robert Morris 97 in double overtime. After their disappointing effort at St. Francis (PA) on Thursday, you'd have a hard time convincing me that the Terriers would be able to knock off the Colonials, but behind Jamaal Womack's 31 points SFNY got it done. It's probably too late for the Terriers to get to eighth place in the NEC (only the top eight qualify for the conference tournament), but they look a lot better than they did last season. Look for SFNY to make a move in 2007-08. Lastly, Dwight Howard was robbed. If height is going to be the determining factor in how the judges view a dunk then they should put a height limit in the rules. If I were a talented big man in the NBA like Howard, I'd most likely sit out the dunk contest at this point. Good night. And Charles Barkley has a little gas left in the tank, but I'm not so sure about Michael Cooper.

Daily Dribble: 2/9

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 13:41:56 -0500

Thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts.. - Most people find this hard to believe.. but I don't really read ESPN.com's basketball coverage (or any other site's for that matter). Honestly, I rarely pay attention to what goes on over there unless a reader or a message board poster highlights something. Apparently they set up a Mock Selection Committee, which I only heard about after reading an email from a reader by the name of Travis Klein. Looks like a cute endeavor on ESPN's part.. but what's really the point of this? To highlight what we already know about the process.. that's its completely subjective, arbitrary, and biased? If that's the point, then I guess they succeeded. What's really odd about the whole thing is how it took into account some ridiculous occurrences like Memphis losing the CUSA and Evansville winning the MVC? Did they just roll a dice or throw darts? And why did only Mid-Major powers lose in their mock up (Butler, Memphis, SIU/Creighton) all fell? Hell, lets make believe Rutgers wins the Big East tournament! I guess even this "shake-up" biased towards the power-conferences.. apparently only mediocre mid-majors win their conference tournaments.. but mediocre power conferences teams (ie, Syracuse last year..) never make such runs. - Anyways, enough about ESPN. Its better off not knowing what those jokers think. Instead, thoughts on last night's games: - Butler's Pete Campbell scored 28 in last night's blow out win over Cleveland State. Campbell's been on a tear since New Year's. In 2006, he never scored over 8 points in 13 games. He's now scored 9+ in all 11 games in 2007. Campbell is shooting 53% from three (on 100 attempts so its no joke #) and his 8.3 ppg in just 13.5 mpg is pretty darn impressive and the best scoring rate of any Bulldog. - Wilson Chandler had 25 and 11 in DePaul's nice home win over Notre Dame. I harp on Chandler often, but this guy has no business merely averaging 14 ppg. He's one of the most gifted players in the Big East and its time he starts putting up the big numbers. (Going back to that ESPN Mockery above.. Villanova was a 6 seed for god knows why. Yet you have a DePaul team that's equal to them in the standings, has a win over Kansas, and beat Nova in Philadelphia.. yet they don't even get a sniff at the Big Dance. Apparently the committee watched Nova's CBS game against Texas a few weeks back and "fell in love..") - Huge win for Drexel last night over Hofstra in OT. The Dragons have wins at Villanova (the 6 seed I mentioned above..) and at Syracuse, but they hadn't beaten a top CAA team yet (0-4 against Hofstra, VCU, and ODU before last night). With those teams off the schedule, there's a good chance the Dragons sweep their remaining 4 CAA games. That would put them at 14-4 in league play and 22-6 overall. There's also a BracketBusters game left at Creighton. That game could determine whether Drexel has a shot at an at-large bid (I think they deserve a shot regardless of that game). - UMASS moved back into sole possession of 1st place in the A10, destroying Rhode Island last night. Stephane Lasme had his 3rd triple-double of the season (18, 12, and 11 blocks). Jason Kidd should look out. - South Alabama is quietly owning the Sun Belt. Well, owning is an overstatement since the Jaguars needed overtime to put away 2nd place Western Kentucky last night. But at 12-2, USA is now 3 games ahead of WKU and on an 11 game winning streak. - USA is only one of 5 teams that have won at least their last 10 games. Holy Cross, Winthrop, Florida, and Memphis are the others. Holy Cross' streak could be in danger because they had to Bucknell tonight. - Northern Iowa is officially done. The Panthers lost a home game at Drake and are now just 7-7 in the MVC. Then again (4-6 in the Big East.. Villanova.. gets you a 6 seed in the Tournament apparently.. so I guess .500 in the MVC is worth what.. a 3rd seed?) - That's all for now

BracketBuster Insight & Game Breakdown

Joel Welser — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:27:13 -0500

It’s that time of the year again. The time when ESPN takes away the feeling that we are only weeks away from March and makes it feel like November again. The time when we stop talking about important conferences races and start talking about Albany heading to Boise State…a game not even Great Danes would talk about in November. The time when Oral Roberts’ Caleb Green and Ken Tutt spend senior night facing Utah State, instead of a traditional conference foe. But here we are so close to March and ready again for another installment of BracketBusters. Fourteen games will be on the ESPN family February 16th and 17th; six on ESPN2, five on ESPNU and three on ESPN360.

There are two types of BracketBuster games…those that could have an impact on your bracket …and those that won’t. Those that do provide more than just an impressive win or a tough loss, they provide exposure for the so-called mid-major teams that don’t usually get the wonderful exposure of ESPNU. In the case of the Missouri Valley Conference, it’s a step down.

The Big Games:

Southern Illinois at Butler
This one won’t bust any brackets. Both teams are virtually dancing already, yet the momentum could keep going through March for the winner…especially for Butler, who doesn’t face the same type of competition as the Salukis on a weekly basis. First one to 50 wins.

Drexel at Creighton
Still dreaming of at-large bids? The Dragons and the Bluejays sure are and a win on BracketBusters Saturday will surely help. Creighton and Nate Funk have been inconsistent, but have pulled together for conference play and find themselves atop the MVC standings. For Drexel, it could be a George Mason-esque BracketBusters win that catapults the CAA team into the NCAA Tournament.

Northern Iowa at Nevada
The Panthers need a huge win and they can get it in Reno. Nevada’s Nick Fazekas will have his hands full with the talented, albeit undersized, frontcourt of Grant Stout and Eric Coleman. The Wolfpack doesn’t have much to play for besides a seed or two.

Ohio at New Mexico State
Reggie Theus and New Mexico State have won 16 of their last 17 games. While Ohio isn’t going to be as big of a win as Nevada, the Aggies aren’t out of the bubble picture quite yet and any win helps. In a conference like the WAC, NMSUs at-large hopes ride on games against Utah State, Fresno State and Nevada…not Ohio.

Winthrop at Missouri State
Winthrop has only lost to North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas A&M and Maryland this year. However, they lack a memorable victory and won’t find one with the rest of the Big South schedule. BracketBusters provides them with a chance for that elusive big win, which would keep the Eagles alive for an at-large bid should they stumble in their conference tournament.

Bradley at VCU
The winner can garner some at-large attention, but Bradley needs to get hot well before their encounter with VCU. The Rams are 18-3 and 10-0 in the CAA and their status as an at-large contender or pretender may be known well before the February 17th encounter with Bradley with games against Hofstra, Old Dominion and George Mason in late January and early February.

The games that don’t have an effect on March aren’t totally meaningless. It is nice for the home crowd to see a new and different team playing on the home court. And, in the world of small conferences, those are games, and the return games, that the administration can not imagine getting without the help of the BracketBusters system. Some might be interesting, but they bear little weight on the 2006-2007 season. At the best, a hyped up crowd and team could give some squads momentum riding into the conference tournament.

The Interesting Games:

Kent State at George Mason
Both squads have realistic hopes of winning their conference tournaments and will bring a Cinderella history with them. Before George Mason last year, it was Kent State’s Elite Eight run in 2002 that embodied the hopes and dreams of mid-majors everywhere.

Appalachian State at Wichita State
This can only be bad for Wichita State. If the Shockers play themselves back on the bubble, a loss against the Mountaineers will knock them right back off. A win will only be slightly more memorable than the UMKC home victory in November. Appalachian State is an intriguing team that could end up with five players averaging in double-digit scoring, but their NCAA hopes will most likely depend on the Southern Conference Tournament.

Utah State at Oral Roberts
Again? USU swept a home and home series with ORU last year and the squads will meet up again this year. The good news for ORU is that they can beat USU this time around and that is enough to improve to a 15 seed come March.

Cal State Fullerton at Wright State
Short people, well short for basketball, will love this game. Bobby Brown, 6-0, of Fullerton and Dashaun Wood, 5-11, of Wright State are both leading their teams in scoring with an average of at least 19.0 points per game. Fullerton has the ability to light it up from long range and another night of hot shooting could make the long trip to Dayton a prosperous one for Fullerton.

ESPN and the powers that be at the schools usually do a good job of setting up good games that make sense based on geography and team strength. However, we would have made a few changes.

The Games That Will Never Be:

Bradley at Fresno State
Unfortunately, Bradley is a little better than most thought and Fresno State is a little disappointing thus far, but this could have been the ultimate battle of long range shooting. Bradley makes 10.4 three balls per game, ranking 4th in the nation, while Fresno State isn’t far behind at 9.8 per contest.

Creighton, Missouri State or Wichita State at Nevada
A home team heavy MVC slate leaves only one marquee match-up available. Nevada taking on Creighton, Missouri State or Wichita State would be more interesting than Northern Iowa. Creighton is finally proving to be as dangerous as most thought in the preseason and matching up against Nevada would be an epic battle.

VCU Downs Drexel, Improves to 10-0 in CAA

Press Release — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 03:00:00 -0500

Philadelphia, Pa. – VCU made six of its nine three pointers in the second half and held off Drexel, 75-68. The Rams (18-3, 10-0 CAA) remained undefeated in conference play. Drexel, playing without Frank Elegar, fell to 15-5 overall and 7-3 in league play.

Drexel led in the early stages of the second half, but VCU answered to take the lead for good at the 15:48 mark. B.A. Walker nailed a three-pointer to give the Rams a 41-38 lead. Drexel was never out of the game and got the lead down to one on two occasions. With VCU up 57-56, Walker sank a pair of free throws and two three-pointers to put the game out of reach with 3:31 left. Drexel couldn’t get any closer than five points the rest of the way.

Bashir Mason (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedicts) led Drexel with 19 points, 15 in the second half. The senior became just the 27th Dragon to reach the 1,000 career point mark when he sank a free throw early in the second half. Scott Rodgers (Philadelphia, Pa./Central) had a career-high 17 points and also handed out four assists.

Drexel played the game without leading scorer Frank Elegar (Bronx, N.Y/St. Raymond’s). The junior was suspended by the CAA on Friday for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Dragons’ win over Delaware last Saturday. Randy Oveneke (Antwerpen, Belgium) started in Elegar’s place and chipped in with 11 points and five rebounds, and scored on a follow-up dunk to end the first half. Chaz Crawford (Philadelphia, Pa./Hargrave Military) returned to the line-up after missing the UNCW game due to injury and had six blocked shots and five rebounds.

Walker led the Rams with 24 points and was 7-for-11 from the floor. He was 6-for-8 from behind the arc. Eric Maynor and Jesse Pellot-Rosa added 17 and 14 points, respectively. The Rams shot 50 percent from behind the three-point stripe (7-14) and were 22 of 27 from the line.

The Dragons have a quick turnaround and head to Boston tomorrow. Drexel will play at Northeastern on Monday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and can be heard on WNTP 990 AM and on the web at drexeldragons.com.

-DU-