Old Dominion

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

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the CAA?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:13:52 -0400

State of '08: Virginia

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:11:33 -0400

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.

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH - VCU is in the middle of a great run that started in 2002. Besides making the 2004 & 2007 tourneys, the Rams also made the NIT in 2005 & 2008. More impressively, 6 of the last 7 teams have finished in the RPI Top 90 as the program has had a lot of success in non-conference play.

GEORGE MASON - Everyone remembers GMU's shocking 2006 Final Four run, but that was not an isolated case of success under Jim Larranaga. In the last decade, the Patriots have made 4 NCAA Tournaments, 2 NITs, and finished at or above .500 in CAA play every season

VIRGINIA - In the last 10 years Virginia has made 2 NCAA Tournaments (winning just 1 game) and a bunch of NITs, but haven't really had a breakout season (at least by BCS standards). Similarly, they've never really been very bad.. expect for now. Last year's team finished below the RPI Top 100 (127th) for the 1st time since the 90's, and this year's team will most likely not even crack the Top 150 or so.

OLD DOMINION - Except for a bad spell in the early part of the 2000s, ODU has been consistently solid over the last 20 years. The '05 & '07 teams made the Big Dance, while the '04 & '06 squads finished in the RPI Top 100. After some slippage last year, ODU is once again considered one of the league favorites (behind VCU).

VIRGINIA TECH - The Hokies have come a long way under Seth Greenberg, making the move to the ACC and making the Big Dance in 2007 (their first in a dozen years). The last 2 teams were also the first in that long gap to finish in the RPI Top 100 or to finish above .500 in conference play. This year's team should once again be competitive in league play.

6. RICHMOND - Richmond has some good history, but the last four years have been rather blah. 2007 was the program's worst year in a decade, and this year's team might have to settle once again for the CBI at best.

7. HAMPTON - The Pirates have been the MEAC's best team over the last decade. In 2001, 2002, and 2006, they won the league tournament and made other close runs in 2003 & 2005 (& were good once again last year before being shocked by Coppin in the league quarters). No surprise that most experts project them to win the league once again in 2009.

8. LIBERTY - Beginning in 2003, Liberty has been consistently solid in the Big South, never finishing below .500. In 2004, they reached the NCAA Tournament after blowing through the conference tournament.

9. WILLIAM & MARY - The Tribe are still looking for that elusive first NCAA trip, but have been making strides the last few seasons. Last year's team made a surprising CAA title game run, after finishing over .500 in league play for the first time in over a decade. They've also dominated the recent series against JMU.

10. JAMES MADISON - A once decent program, JMU has endured a brutal slump that began around '01 or '02. Last year's team won 10 games for the first time since 2003, and also set a high in that period with a whopping 5 wins in the CAA. New coach Matt Brady was hired in the off-season to turn things around.

11. RADFORD - Outside of a mediocre 2006 campaign, the last handful of seasons have been very uneventful for Radford fans. 5 out of 6 seasons seasons below .500 in Big South play, and a pair of consecutive 300+ RPI seasons won't cut it.

12. VMI - VMI is known for high-scoring offenses, but unfortunately they're not known for wins. From 2004-2006, this was one of the country's worst teams. Although the last two years have been better (thanks in part to Reggie Williams), there's been little to write home about outside of a decent run in the 07 conference tourney.

13. NORFOLK STATE - The Spartans have been very consistent over the last decade, hovering around 10 or wins in the MEAC. In that time they never finished below .500 in conference play, but also haven't really come close to making the Big Dance. Last year's win over Richmond was probably their best non-conference win since 2002 (when they beat ODU on the road).

14. LONGWOOD - The Lancers are still trying to find their groove in D1. They've never finished above 300th in the RPI or won more than 8 D1 games. At least they knocked off in-state rivals Liberty & Norfolk State last year.

Last: Utah - Next: Washington

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

2008 BracketBusters Participants (Home/Away)

Press Release — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:14:05 -0400

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Bristol, CT -- The seventh annual ESPNU BracketBusters event, a two-day men’s college basketball extravaganza pitting potential NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other on February 20-21, will feature 13 nationally televised games – on either ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN360.com -- selected from a pool of 102 teams.

For the fourth straight year, ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise five BracketBusters games while ESPN360.com, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will offer two. ESPN2 will televise six contests. ESPN360.com will also simulcast ESPN2’s six telecasts. The 13 BracketBusters matchups will be announced February 2, while game time and network assignments will be announced February 9.

The 102-team field is highlighted by the return of last season’s BracketBusters participant Davidson, who made it to the Elite Eight in last year’s NCAA Tournament and will feature 12 teams from the Mid-American and Colonial Athletic; 10 from the Ohio Valley, Missouri Valley, Horizon League and Metro Atlantic Athletic; nine from the Western Athletic and Big West; four from the America East and Southern; three from the Big South; two from the Big Sky, Summit League and West Coast; and one from the Mid-Eastern Athletic, Northeast and Patriot.

As part of the agreement, all 13 of the BracketBusters home teams, as well as the remaining 38 home squads, will play a “return” game at the home facility of their opponent in November or December of the following season.

This year’s BracketBusters pool features teams with 77 appearances in the last five NCAA Tournaments, including a team in the Final Four - George Mason (2006); one in the Elite Eight – Davidson (2008); and six Sweet Sixteen squads – Butler (2007), Southern Illinois (2007), Bradley (2006), Wichita State (2006), UW-Milwaukee (2005) and Nevada (2004).

2009 BracketBusters Participation Pool Conference # teams Home teams Road teams America East 4 (2-2) Vermont UMBC Boston University U of Hartford Big Sky 2 (1-1) Portland State Montana State Big South 3 (1-2) Winthrop Liberty Gardner-Webb Big West 9 (4-5) Cal Poly CS-Fullerton Long Beach State CS-Northridge UC-Davis UC-Irvine UC-Santa Barbara UC-Riverside Pacific Colonial 12 (6-6) Drexel Delaware James Madison George Mason UNC-Wilmington Georgia State Old Dominion Hofstra Towson Northeastern William & Mary VCU Horizon 10 (6-4) Loyola Butler UIC Cleveland State Valparaiso Detroit Wright State Green Bay Youngstown State Milwaukee Metro Atlantic 10 (5-5) Fairfield Canisius Marist Iona Niagara Loyola Rider Manhattan Siena Saint Peter’s Mid-American 12 (6-6) Ball State Akron Central Michigan Buffalo Eastern Michigan Ohio Western Michigan Miami (OH) Bowling Green Northern Illinois Kent State Toledo MEAC 1 (0-1) Morgan State Missouri Valley 10 (5-5) Creighton Bradley Drake Illinois State Evansville Missouri State Indiana State Northern Iowa Wichita State Southern Illinois Northeast 1 (0-1) Fairleigh Dickinson OVC 10 (5-5) Murray State Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Austin Peay Tennessee State Eastern Illinois UT-Martin Jacksonville State Patriot 1 (1-0) Bucknell Southern 4 (2-2) Davidson Appalachian State Georgia Southern Elon Summit League 2 (0-2) North Dakota State South Dakota State West Coast 2 (2-0) San Diego St. Mary’s WAC 9 (5-4) Hawaii Boise State Idaho Fresno Nevada LA Tech New Mexico State Utah State San Jose State 51 teams 51 teams

2008-09 Old Dominion Basketball Preview: #83

Joel Welser — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:45:43 -0400

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Old Dominion Monarchs

Overall Rank: #83

Conference Rank: #3 Colonial

2007-08: 18-16, 11-7, 4^th

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Do not let the overall record fool you; the 2007-2008 version of Old Dominion was a quality team who played a very difficult schedule. Yet, if they want to reach the postseason again they will have to replace some solid players in the backcourt. The most important player could end up being Darius James. The 6-1 point guard worked his way into the starting lineup half way through the season as a freshman and did a solid job running the show. He is not a great scorer, but he will take care of the ball and create plenty of opportunities for his teammates. As long as James can continue to develop and become a leader on the floor, the Monarchs backcourt will be in good hands.

Who’s Out:

Brian Henderson, Brandon Johnson and Abdi Lidonde accounted for the majority of the starts in the backcourt. Henderson and Lidonde were the most effective outside shooters on the team and finding somebody else who can hit the three-pointer will be a big issue. Johnson tallied 4.6 assists per game and was a decent scorer as well. He might not have the quickness of James, but Johnson was still a senior leader and a solid defender who will be missed. Center and crowd favorite Sam Harris earned 13 starts during his senior year, but the big man never really developed into a consistent impact player.

Who’s In:

The ODU backcourt hopes to replace a couple average shooters with some better athletes who will slash to the basket. As long as the returning players and some key newcomers can play some defense, the backcourt could be better this year. Speaking of defense, that is where point guard Marquel De Lancey excels. In certain situations he will be a valuable asset to the team. Kent Bazemore, Etoile Imama and Trian Iliadis will add to that depth and athleticism on the wings. Bazemore, who redshirted last year, is a good athlete who can get to the basket and use his 6-5 size to his advantage. Iliadis is not the same caliber athlete, but he is a good shooter and that is what this team needs. Chris Cooper and Nick Wright can grab some rebounds and block some shots and will add some depth to the frontcourt.

Who to Watch:

Cooper and Wright will have some time adjust to life in the Colonial Athletic Association since Gerald Lee, Frank Hassell and Jonathan Adams are back in Norfolk, Virginia. Lee was the only player who averaged over ten points per game last year. The 6-10 forward is also the best rebounder on the team and is prepared to jump into superstar status as an upperclassman. At 6-8, Hassell has plenty of size and is a good shot blocker. With a year of experience under his belt, Hassell will be an even better complimentary player next to Lee this year. Whether he starts or not, Adams will provide the frontcourt an experienced option who can do some scoring and be effective on the glass.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt is one of the best in the conference and the difference between a good and a great year for the Monarchs will be in the backcourt. James and De Lancey can handle the point guard spot, but the team needs Marsharee Neely and Ben Finney to step into bigger roles and provide some experience to the young group on the perimeter. Neely can be a solid scorer and a decent shooter, but he has not proven that very much as an underclassman. Finney, a 6-5 wing, had a fine freshman season and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup at the small forward spot. If he can develop a more consistent outside shot, Finney could emerge as a superb scorer.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Darius James, Sophomore, Guard, 6.9 points per game

Marsharee Neely, Junior, Guard, 3.0 points per game

Ben Finney, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 points per game

Frank Hassell, Sophomore, Forward, 5.3 points per game

Gerald Lee, Junior, Forward, 12.9 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

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.

2007-08 Old Dominion Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:20:14 -0400

Old Dominion Monarchs

Overall Rank: #68

Conference Rank: #3 Colonial

2006-07: 24-9, 15-3, 2^nd

2006-07 postseason: NCAA

Old Dominion may lose their top three players from their NCAA team of a season ago, but that does not mean the Monarchs will not be looking for another tournament berth this year. Behind the big losses are some talented youngsters who are ready to emerge as impact players for ODU. Coach Blaine Taylor’s efficient style of basketball allows for the loss of key players without much loss in the standings and the Monarchs never slip as far as it may appear on paper.

Who’s Out:

It cannot get much better than the frontcourt combination of Valdas Vasylius and Arnaud Dahi. The duo combined for 25.0 points and 12.4 rebounds per contest. While neither was much of a beast inside, both could step outside and hit the long ball and proved to be prolific scorers by the end of their collegiate careers. Point guard Drew Williamson averaged 4.3 assists and only 1.6 turnover per game. Replacing that turnover margin, not to mention Williamson’s 11.0 points per game, will not be easy, but ODU has plenty of perimeter talent returning. John Morris has wrapped up his career with the Monarchs after seeing limited action in 15 games last year.

Who’s In:

Defensively, ODU will be great. Where the offense comes from is the concern and if any of the four incoming freshmen on the perimeter can contribute a bit in the scoring column, it will be a pleasant bonus. Ben Finney, a 6-5 wing, has the size and the strength to get to the basket and become a dynamic scorer. A year at prep school will certainly help the local Norfolk, Virginia product, but how long it takes to adjust to the level of play will determine how good the season will be for Finney. Kent Bazemore, another 6-5 wing, is a solid athlete and he has the ability to help out on the glass if the new look frontcourt has some problems in that department. Darius James and Etoile Imama will add some more depth to the backcourt, but it is Imama who is expected to be a big contributor before his days as a Monarch are over. The 6-3 point guard has international experience playing for the Canadian Under-19 national team and is coming from the famous Champlain St. Lambert program, which has produced numerous Division I players. Imama will spend a year as the backup, but he should be a great scoring point guard before all is said and done. In the frontcourt, Frank Hassell is expected to contribute right away. The 6-8 redshirt freshman is tough, will score on the inside and can get on the glass. Keyon Carter is a little less polished, but the 6-7 forward is a superb athlete and will be asked to play some minutes at the power forward spot.

Who to Watch:

The new stars of the team will be Brandon Johnson and Brian Henderson. Johnson, who averaged 8.3 points, 3.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds is ready to take over the leadership role. Henderson is the long range shooter of the squad and should improve on his 9.4 points per game since he will be asked to take many more shots. Abdi Lidonde has been inconsistent at best during his collegiate career. It may be asking too much for the redshirt senior to become more than a shooter off the bench, but he has the potential to explode on any given night. Assuming Lidonde’s consistency remains an issues, Marsharee Neely is ready to take over. Neely was rarely given the opportunity to show his stuff as a freshman, but the 6-2 sophomore will find more opportunities during the 2007-2008 campaign.

Final Projection:

The Monarchs have one genuine, although relatively unproven, star in the frontcourt. Gerald Lee managed to earn six starts as a freshman despite the talent in front of him. If Lee lives up to his potential, nobody will remember Vasylius and Dahi by January. Jonathan Adams may play the most important role on the team. The power forward has yet to live up to his potential, but getting some scoring from him will really open up Lee to have his breakout year. Crowd favorite Sam Harris will eat up some minutes in the paint. The 7-3 center will not do much more than that though. ODU will be good, but not quite as good as last year. And that means they will be on the wrong side of the bubble this time.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Brandon Johnson, Senior, Guard, 8.3 points per game

Abdi Lidonde, Senior, Guard, 4.6 points per game

Brian Henderson, Senior, Guard, 9.4 points per game

Jonathan Adams, Junior, Forward, 3.0 points per game

Gerald Lee, Sophomore, Forward, 4.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | College Basketball Schedule | Discuss the Preview

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.

Daily Dribble: 2/8

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:51:17 -0500

If you want Duke/UNC talk.. go elsewhere.. this is a Tobacco free Dribble. - The Pac-10's learned the key to getting more national recognition. Have your 2nd tier teams play joke non-conference schedules to build up the wins. Oregon's Non-Conference SOS: 254. Washington State's: 297. Southern California: 187. Out of the Top 50 RPI teams in the country, there's only 2 as bad or worse than those 3 Pac-10 schools. Clemson played the 204th best schedule, and Kansas State played the 198th. - After starting 3-0 in conference play, Clemson looked like they weren't going to repeat last year's horrible collapse once the ACC schedule started. But then the Tigers lost 6 of 7 to drop below .500 in the ACC. A home win over FSU bounced them back to .500, and now they have winnable games at Wake and vs Maryland which should push them to a solid 7-5. - Georgetown won its sixth straight at Louisville in impressive fashion. Jeff Green isn't really known for his scoring totals, but the junior forward has been a bit more assertive in recent weeks. Over the last 4 games, he's averaging 19 ppg on 60% shooting. Louisville meanwhile drops to 6-4 in Big East play. They have a lock win over South Florida next, but then a killer road trip to Pitt and Marquette. Considering the Cardinals havent beaten anybody on the road, they will mostly likely be 7-7 after that trip. This is a team that hasn't beaten anyone all year and .500 in the Big East wont cut it. - Akron's quietly 18-4 and 9-1 in MAC play. The Zips have actually received a few AP Top 25 votes in each of the last few weeks. The problem is that the MAC is the country's most mediocre league (15th in the RPI) and the Zips played the 305th best non-conference schedule. Whoever put them in the Top 25 shouldn't be allowed to vote again.. - Don't count Old Dominion out of the CAA race. The Monarchs won at Georgia State last night and are now 11-3 in league play. They've won 6 straight, but more impressively.. 4 of those wins were on the road. Up next are two huge games against Hofstra and VCU (the two teams ahead of them in the standings). The games are at home, so they definitely have a good shot at winning both. - Like ODU, Florida also has a 4-game conference road winning streak. If the Gators beat Kentucky this Saturday in Lexington, they should just cancel the rest of the schedule and give the Gators the title. - Ramel Bradley might be UK's best hope against Florida. The junior guard had 24 points and 9 assists in last night's win over South Carolina. Over the past three games, he's averaging 22 points and 6 assists. - Its been a forgone conclusion that Butler would win the Horizon League.. but Wright State is giving the Bulldogs a serious challenge. WSU beat UIC in overtime Wednesday night to improve to 11-2. Next up is Butler who head to Dayton to face the streaking Raiders. Butler's still a big favorite in that game.. but if somehow WSU could win, the two would then be tied in first. - For awhile it seemed like Michigan State was a lock to make the Big Dance.. but the Spartans have now lost 4 straight. The Spartans were held to just 38 little points against Purdue last night. MSU is now just 8th in the Big Ten at 4-6.. and its not like the Big Ten is a dominant league right now. The Spartans now have a rare 4-game homestand coming up.. so they need to turn things around in a hurry. - After 20 minutes against Evansville, it looked like Creighton was going to fall out of a first place tie with SIU atop the MVC. But despite being down 48-34, the Bluejays came back at home for the win. Now the Jays head to SIU for a big weekend game.. though the smart money is on SIU being alone in first place after that game. - Does Oklahoma have a shot at the NCAA Tournament? The Sooners upset #17 Oklahoma State last.. and are now 5-4 in Big 12 play (ahead of OSU and Texas Tech.) With games against Texas, A&M, and Kansas left.. I wouldn't expect much of a late season surge. - Thanks for Dribbling -

2006-07 Preview: #67 Old Dominion

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:11:24 -0400

Despite losing Loughton and Hunter, don't count ODU out of the Colonial race.