James Madison

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

Thursday Recap: Rutgers Beats #10 Florida

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:50:46 -0800

The matchup between #10 Florida and Rutgers on Thursday night was hyped up due to the return of Mike Rosario, who transferred from the New Jersey school following two seasons in New Brunswick. But his return was a subplot in what turned out to be one of the best games of the calendar year, with the focus by the end being Mike Rice's young guards. Eli Carter led the way with 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Myles Mack knocked down some big shots late in regulation and during the overtime periods to lead Rutgers to the 85-83 double overtime victory.

Jerome Seagears added 13 points and junior forward Dane Miller was his usual versatile self with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kenny Boynton led four Florida players in double figures with 26 points, but the Gators seemed to bog down offensively down the stretch, once again not getting the ball inside enough to Patric Young. Young finished with 11 points but took just eight shots in 41 minutes of play, and there was even a possession where Florida failed to get him the ball despite being guarded by the 6'3" Carter. Florida's guards had the experience advantage, but it was Rutgers that made that one extra big play to win the game.

"Would I have liked them to get into our sets a little quicker? Sure," said Rice after the game. "But there was such a poise, such a confidence. They responded at the end. I always take it back because they practice like that ...hopefully this is [what's] to come."

For all their youth Rutgers turned the ball over just 11 times compared to 18 Florida turnovers, and their assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.64 was nearly double their season average (0.86). Also critical for the Scarlet Knights was their play on the boards, as they were out-rebounded by just one (37-36) on the night with Derrick Randall supplying eight rebounds in 17 minutes of play. The Rutgers reserves, led by Mack (14 points), outscored Florida's bench 22-8 with Rosario scoring five points for the Gators. The Scarlet Knights are young and there will be bumps in the road in Big East play, but as Coach Rice said after the game the future is bright.

"This is what happens when you don't think impossible is impossible," said Rice. "This is what happens when young men are determined to follow the formula and play for one another."

Other Notable Happenings

1. Vanderbilt jumps Marquette from the start and picks up a much-needed resume builder.
Much of the country didn't get to see the beginning of Vanderbilt/Marquette due to the length of Rutgers' win over Florida, and by the time ESPN2 switched over the game was essentially finished. Kevin Stallings' Commodores jumped out to a 19-4 lead and didn't look back, leading by as many as 25 points in the first half (31-6) on their way to a 74-57 victory. Marquette couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half as they shot 21.2% from the field and finished the game making 32.2% of their shots.

Jeffery Taylor led four Commodores in double figures with 19 points while Lance Goulbourne added 13 to go along with 16 rebounds, and Marquette's inability to make shots allowed the visitors to get away with 17 turnovers. Jae Crowder (16 points) and Darius Johnson-Odom (12 points) reached double figures but with fellow starters Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue combining to make two of ten shots from the field the Golden Eagles weren't able to get back into the game. Vanderbilt needed a win like this to re-establish some national credibility after an 8-4 start, and this will help as they go into SEC play.

2. Saint Mary's welcomes BYU to the WCC with 98 points in Moraga.
BYU and Saint Mary's went into Thursday's game familiar with each other since they met last season, even with some of the key figures in that meeting no longer in school. But confernce play can be an entirely different animal, as the Cougars found out in the second half of the Gaels' 98-82 victory. Randy Bennett's team made 55.4% of their shots and assisted on 23 of 31 made baskets, and individually both Matthew Dellavedova and Rob Jones posted double-doubles. Dellavedova ran the show for Saint Mary's, finishing with 18 points and 12 assists, while Jones was a matchup nightmare for BYU with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Brandon Davies was outstanding for BYU in scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds, but there wasn't enough offensive help for Davies when considering the fact that four SMC starters finished in double figures. Stephen Holt made eight of his ten shots in scoring 21 points and Jorden Page added 13 and five assists. On a night filled with offense, BYU simply could not get stops when they needed them the most. Of the three contenders for the WCC title (Gonzaga) the Gaels have the weakest non-conference resume, so that regular season crown may be most important for them when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Thursday night was a good first step in that direction.

3. Cashmere Wright takes matters into his own hands late to lead Cincinnati past Oklahoma.
One question regarding Cincinnati's smaller lineup in light of the suspensions of Yancy Gates and Cheikh Mbodj was how the Bearcats would deal with bigger teams, something that wasn't an issue in wins over lesser competition. Oklahoma provided that challenge, and while it wasn't pretty Cincinnati found a way to win 56-55. That way: give Cashmere Wright the chance to make plays late. The junior point guard scored just eight points on the night (3-14 FG), but he made two huge baskets in the final minute including the game-winner with 8.8 seconds to go. Cincinnati turned the ball over just eight times on the night compared to 17 for the Sooners (UC: 16 points off turnovers), and while they were a minus-9 in rebounding margin the Bearcats grabbed 13 offensive boards and scored ten second-chance points (OU finished with 11). Cincinnati's taken full advantage of what could have been a crippling turn of events, becoming a better basketball team as a result.

Quick Hitters

1. It was a bad night for ACC bottom-feeders on Thursday, with Boston College losing to #24 Harvard for the fourth consecutive time (67-46) and Georgia Tech losing at Fordham (72-66). To say the least these results don't do much to maintain the league's computer numbers, and it could be a long conference season for both the Eagles and Yellow Jackets. And it should also be noted that Wake Forest nearly lost to Yale after leading by 19, ultimately hanging on to beat the Bulldogs 72-71.

2. Freshman guard Jamal Branch has left the Texas A&M program and will transfer according to multiple media outlets. Branch averaged just 4.2 points and 2.5 assists per game, but his departure leaves the Aggies one option short on a perimeter that hasn't played at a championship level this season.

3. Two teams that took hits to their chances of an at-large bid on Thursday are Marshall and Iona, with both falling on the road. Iona couldn't recover from 19 first half turnovers in an 83-75 loss at Hofstra while the Thundering Herd lost 79-74 to a Belmont team they beat just ten days ago. The Herd may have a better shot at earning an at-large given their conference affiliation (Conference USA), but the climb for both teams became a lot tougher.

4. Shaka Smart's VCU Rams won their seventh straight game on Thursday, winning 76-75 in overtime at Akron. Bradford Burgess led four Rams in double figures with 19 points (and seven rebounds) and VCU forced 20 Akron turnovers on the night.

5. Getting to conference play wasn't the catalyst for Austin Peay that some thought it would be as the Governors lost 67-65 at Eastern Kentucky. Dave Loos' team dropped to 3-11 on the season (0-1 OVC) while the Colonels are now 2-0 in league play.

6. In the "inexplicable loss" category are the defeats suffered by American and James Madison, who in losing to Mount St. Mary's and Rhode Island respectively lost to teams that entered Thursday with a combined 2-21 record.

7. Even though they were the home team it's likely that few people expected Illinois State to beat Northern Illinois in the MVC opener for both teams. But that's exactly what happened as the Redbirds, led by Jackie Carmichael (19 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks), beat the Panthers 65-61.

8. The opening night of Pac-12 play didn't lack excitement either, with Stanford hanging on to beat UCLA 60-59. UCLA took 13 shots in the second half that would have given them the lead if converted...and missed them all. And in Seattle, Tony Wroten led Washington to a 95-80 win over Oregon State with 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists. If the freshman continues to learn how to use his talents to make his teammates better, look out.

Three Notable Performances

1. G Eli Carter (Rutgers)
31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the Scarlet Knights' 85-83 double overtime win over #10 Florida.

2. F Will Barton (Memphis)
27 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in the Tigers' 64-47 win over Robert Morris.

3. F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
23 points and 17 rebounds in the Rams' 72-66 win over Georgia Tech.

College Hoops Monday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:29:23 -0800

The best game in regards to the national polls would be Notre Dame visiting Pittsburgh in the first game of the Big Monday doubleheader. But a good argument can be made that the matchup between the Fighting Irish and Panthers isn't the most important game of the night. That distinction goes to Baylor visiting Kansas State in a matchup of two teams who need a win period, not just one to prop up their respective resumes. Scott Drew's Bears (13-5, 3-2) have an RPI (according to realtimerpi.com) of 87 with a strength of schedule of 111, and while those numbers are simply tools that the selection committee can use in determining at-large selections that's not the kind of "hardware" you want to be bringing to the table when your name is on the board. Beating Oklahoma State on Saturday was a solid victory in both performance and its impact on the Bears' resume as it's their best win of the season from a computer standpoint. A win in the Little Apple would be an additional boost, but it's going to be difficult to leave Bramlage Coliseum with a victory given the fact that Frank Martin's team needs a win for resume reasons as well.

Kansas State dropped another "statement" game on Saturday, falling by eight at Texas A&M to drop to 1-4 in conference play (12-7 overall). But what helps the Wildcats are a decent RPI (50) and a very good strength of schedule (19th), the byproduct of playing the likes of Duke, Florida and UNLV not to mention some of their early conference opponents. But against teams in the RPI Top 50 K-State has a record of 0-5, and while tonight's game won't offer the opportunity to improve that record it's a shot at adding a win that could make a difference come March in addition to beginning that slow climb back into the top half of the Big 12. The key for both teams: consistency especially for Kansas State, who talked about making that turn following a beating of Texas Tech, only to drop consecutive road games to Missouri and A&M. Seniors Jacob Pullen (18.0 ppg) and Curtis Kelly (10.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg) need to be the leaders for the Wildcats to become a factor in the Big 12 race in some form, but the struggles for both they and the entire team underline the impact that Denis Clemente had on the team.

The Wildcats will play slightly faster than Baylor offensively but there isn't enough of a difference to say that the Bears would be in trouble in a full-court game. LaceDarius Dunn (21.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg) is one of the better perimeter scorers in America, but they need him to get quality looks on a consistent basis. Inside Perry Jones III (14.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg) has been one of the top freshmen in the nation, and his size and skill set make him a likely lottery pick whenever he decided to turn pro. But the key for the Bears may be point guard A.J. Walton, who averages 5.5 assists per game but has also turned the ball over nearly four times per game. Does Kansas State have the ability to force the sophomore into hurried decisions? Opponents turn the ball over on 23% of their possessions which is the number that the Bears average on the season, and if the Octagon of Doom gets going things could be turned up a notch for the sophomore.

But Baylor's zone defense could be the factor that keeps them in the game. The back line of Jones III, Anthony Jones and Quincy Acy is tough to navigate for many frontcourts although Kansas made it look easy last week. If Kelly and Jamar Samuels can get the job done on the boards they'll have a good shot at defending their home floor. A loss for either won't be a deadly blow at this point in the season, but it certainly won't help matters in regards to comfortably making the NCAA Tournament. As noted earlier the big one is Notre Dame taking on Pittsburgh in the Steel City, and with the Panthers 61-10 all-time in Big East games at Petersen Events Center it's tough to pick many teams to go in there and win. But with Ben Hansbrough playing outstanding basketball and the return of Carleton Scott providing a boost the Irish have more than a puncher's chance. Also keep an eye on James Madison at Hofstra in another key game at the top of the CAA standings.

Top 25
7:00 PM (14) Notre Dame at (3) Pittsburgh (ESPN)

NCAA Division I Games
5:00 PM New York City Tech at NJIT
6:00 PM New Orleans at Huntingdon
7:00 PM William & Mary at Northeastern
7:00 PM Virginia Commonwealth at Towson
7:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Old Dominion
7:00 PM Morehead State at Ball State
7:00 PM Georgia State at Drexel
7:00 PM James Madison at Hofstra (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State (ESPNU)
7:00 PM Furman at Wofford
7:30 PM Rider at Siena (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Hampton at Florida A&M
8:00 PM Howard at Bethune-Cookman
8:00 PM Coppin State at Delaware State
8:00 PM Morgan State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
8:00 PM North Carolina Central at North Carolina A&T
8:00 PM Tennessee-Martin at SIU-Edwardsville
8:00 PM Panhandle State at Texas-San Antonio
9:00 PM Baylor at Kansas State (ESPN)
9:00 PM George Mason at Delaware (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Southern University at Alabama A&M
9:00 PM Alcorn State at Alabama State
9:00 PM Prairie View A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
9:00 PM South Carolina State at Norfolk State (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Montana State at Idaho State
11:30 PM Seattle at Fresno State

Jon Teitel's Coaches Interview Series: James Madison's Lou Campanelli

Jon Teitel — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:30:04 -0800

In the most recent installment in his coaching greats interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time talking with former James Madison head coach Lou Campanelli, who led the Dukes to five NCAA Tournament appearances before moving on to take the Cal job in 1985. James Madison has yet to duplicate Campanelli's level of success since his departure.

Jon Teitel: In the early 1970s you were an assistant basketball coach at URI where your graduate assistant was Mike Fratello. What was Mike like back in the day and what made him such a great coach later in life?
Lou Campanelli: Mike was the freshman coach at URI and I brought him over to JMU afterwards. I drove him up to Villanova and made Rollie Massimino interview him. He spent a few years with Rollie, and then a few years with Hubie Brown, so he got to learn from good people and have a good foundation.

JT: One of your mentors was Rollie, who gave you your 1st job at Hillside (NJ) HS in 1959. Why was he such a great mentor and what did it mean to you when he won the 1985 NCAA title at Villanova?
LC: It brought tears to my eyes, as I was there in Lexington. He was a wonderful teacher who had previously worked under a fundamentally sound coach named Bill Martin. Rollie had a good defensive philosophy. He took me under his wing, and took me to some of the biggest coaching clinics on the East coast. Even at age 21 I was around someone who I could tell was going to be highly successful. I got a year's head start, as I was not playing much during my senior year. One of my first high school coaching jobs was very tough because we had no gym! I knew how much the title meant to Rollie, and I told him before the game that I had a good feeling he would win it all. I jumped the rail and caught him in the hallway on the way to the press conference and gave him a big hug.

JT: What are your memories of the 1981 NCAA Tournament (you used a 2-3 zone defense en route to a six-point win over Georgetown before a nine-point loss to Notre Dame)?
LC: It was our first NCAA tourney. John Thompson was building a strong program around guys like Sleepy Floyd. We played multiple defenses in those days and changed them up very well. They pressed us the entire game but we were able to limit our turnovers. We played the Irish on St. Patrick's Day in Providence, and Digger was wearing his green carnation. They had 5 NBA draft picks on that team (John Paxson, Kelly Tripucka, etc.). When we got back from the Notre Dame game we were greeted by 2,500 fans at an impromptu pep rally, which made the kids feel great.

JT: What are your memories of the 1982 NCAA Tournament (you had a seven-point win over Ohio State, then held Michael Jordan to six points in 37 minutes in a two-point loss to eventual champion North Carolina in Charlotte)?
LC: We beat ODU twice during the year and the conference tourney was held on ODU's home court, where they beat us by four points. I was worried that we were heading to the NIT, but when our AD told me that we got sent to Charlotte with an at-large bid, I threw the phone against the ceiling! We were the first mid-major team to ever get an at-large bid in a 48-team field. A lot of other coaches were unhappy that the NCAA picked JMU over their own teams but we had several good wins and a good strength of schedule. Ohio State had Clark Kellogg and was very good, but we came from seven points down with seven minutes to go. Our kids were very gritty, and we had good balance with several guys who scored in double-figures. We woke up and realized we were playing NC the next day, and we did not have a lot of time to prepare for them. We did a good job on Jordan, but a couple of calls in the final 2 minutes did not go our way as they went to a four corners offense.

I cried in the bathroom with my SID after the game, as I did not want to cry in front of everyone at the press conference. Jordan and James Worthy were singing the praises of our kids at the press conference and giving us credit, and I told one of my kids that that is why they have such a classy program. I recruited Linton Townes the following summer and when I gave him a scholarship his father (a reverend) got down on his knees to give thanks to the Lord, so I jumped down off my chair, got on my knees, and prayed that Linton would grow a little taller and get some more muscle! We might have been the only school to ever make it to the second round of the tourney three straight times within five years of making the jump to D-I. When we got back from the UNC game there were 5,000 people in the gym. I got goosebumps and our kids were in tears.

JT: In 1985 you left JMU to become head coach at California. Why did you make the move and did you have any regrets?
LC: I felt that I was ready for another challenge, as I was not sure how much farther I could go at JMU. I talked to Cal's AD while I was at that year's Final Four, and he mentioned that he was looking for a hard-nosed guy. The JMU job was a dream come true for a young coach, as it was going to be my baby and I could raise it the way I saw fit. I did not want to lose my enthusiasm and passion. I was determined not to leave JMU until we made the tourney as a D-I school. I loved JMU and I loved the people.

JT: In 1986 you beat UCLA by eight points, breaking Cal's 52-game losing streak to the Bruins. How were you able to beat them and where does that win rank among your best ever?
LC: At the press conference when I took the Cal job, someone in the back asked me about the streak and someone else explained that we had lost to UCLA 52 straight times. I looked at the guy in the back and said, "We are going to beat their ass the first time we play them", and the entire room went nuts. On the flight home I was writing down my to-do list on a legal pad (buy a house, assemble a coaching staff, etc.), and about fourth or fifth on the list in capital letters I wrote "BEAT UCLA". We squeaked by USC on a Thursday, but due to my bold prediction ABC wanted to put a mike on me for my pre-game speech on Saturday. One of our alums had sent me a case of champagne earlier that week, and I told my staff that we were going to share a bottle after we beat the Bruins.

The electricity in our little band-box gym was incredible. Reggie Miller could make it from 28 feet out, but luckily the three-point line was not introduced until the following season. The crowd stormed the court after we won and it was incredible. Everyone came into our office for pizza and beer after the game, but I kicked everyone out so that I could break out the champagne and pour it over everyone's head. There were still 2,000 people in the gym 90 minutes after the game celebrating while the band was playing.

JT: In the 1990 tourney Keith Smith made two free throws with four seconds left to give the Bears a two-point win over Indiana and Bobby Knight for the school's first NCAA Tournament win in 30 years. Did you think that Smith was going to make both free throws and what was the reaction like back on campus?
LC: Keith was money so I knew he was going to make them both...but I prayed to God as well. There were some people waiting for us when we got back to campus, but it was not like at JMU. When you beat a team like Indiana people expect you to be able to beat anyone.

JT: Jason Kidd enrolled at Cal in the fall of 1992. Was he the best HS basketball player you have ever seen and how were you able to convince him to come to Cal?
LC: He was not the best but he was very good. We did not have to do any special recruiting, as his people convinced him to stay local.

JT: You spent several years as an advance scout for the Cavaliers and Nets. How did you like the scouting gig and what was the best team you scouted during that time?
LC: Fratello offered me the scouting job, which is the toughest assistant job in the NBA, as you have to stay 1-2 games ahead of your team. Mike wanted my reports to be very detailed, so I would spend 4-5 hours after each game writing everything up, and had to do a lot of traveling.

JT: You spent six years as the Pac-10 Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officiating. Why did you get into officiating and how do you see technology affecting officiating in the future?
LC: That came out of the blue, as they wanted to take a former coach to get a different perspective. I really enjoyed it, and told the refs that I was going to coach them, which caused some of their egos to get bristled. One of the young refs I taught just made it to his first NCAA tourney game, and he called me to say thanks, which gave me a lot of satisfaction. The frustrating thing is that you cannot do anything after the game. You cannot change the call or change the outcome of the game. Once I started to have grandkids, I decided to retire because there was so much travel up and down the West Coast.

Coach Campanelli is also on Jon's list of best coaches in CAA history.

Delaware: Steve Steinwedel (1985-1995) 163-121, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Drexel: Bill Herrion (1991-1999) 167-71, three NCAA Tournament appearances, five conference titles, four-time conference Coach of the Year

George Mason: Jim Larranaga (1997-present) 229-142, four NCAA Tournament appearances, three conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Georgia State: Lefty Driesell (1997-2003) 103-59, one NCAA Tournament appearance, four conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Hofstra: Jay Wright (1994-2001) 122-85, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference titles, two-time conference Coach of the Year

James Madison: Lou Campanelli (1972-1985) 238-118, five NCAA Tournament appearances

UNC Wilmington: Jerry Wainwright (1994-2002) 136-103, two NCAA Tournament appearances, three conference titles, two-time conference Coach of the Year

Northeastern: Jim Calhoun (1972-1986) 248-137, five NCAA Tournament appearances, five conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Old Dominion: Blaine Taylor (2001-present) 188-103, three NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference titles, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Towson: Terry Truax (1983-1997) 202-203, two NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference titles, two-time conference Coach of the Year

VCU: JD Barnett (1979-1985) 132-48, five NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference titles, two-time conference Coach of the Year

William & Mary: Bruce Parkhill (1977-1983) 89-75, one conference title

#82 James Madison: 2010-11 Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:57:32 -0700

Overall Rank: #82

Conference Rank: #4 Colonial Athletic Association

2009-10: 13-20, 4-14

2009-10 postseason: none

Coach: Matt Brady (33-34 at James Madison, 106-84 overall)

Do not let the 4-14 record fool you, James Madison has an extremely talented squad. Their best player missed the first semester due to transfer rules and another forward only played in four games before succumbing to back injuries. And four days before the season began the team lost their starting point guard. If injuries do not strike again, the Dukes will be a lot closer to 14-4 than 4-14 in 2010-2011.

Key Losses: G Pierre Curtis, F Matt Parker, F Dazzmond Thornton, G Darren White

Key Newcomers:

The only thing JMU really needs out of this class is some depth on the wings. And Coach Matt Brady got plenty of that. Junior college transfers Rayshawn Goins and James Millen have plenty of experience. It is Goins who is the more intriguing prospect. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Goins has a lot of size for a wing. Millen is a more traditional shooting wing. The lone incoming freshman is Chad Jackson. With the addition of the junior college transfers, Jackson may find it difficult to see much playing time, but he is a talented player who may be too good to keep on the bench for long.

Backcourt:

Two years ago Devon Moore averaged 10.7 points and 2.9 assists per game and started all 32 games, leading the Dukes to a postseason tournament. James Madison really missed him last year. Moore was just a freshman two years ago and turnovers were an issue, but that should be relatively resolved with a year of starting experience and a year to watch from the bench. Ben Louis will help Moore with the ball handling duties this year, just like he did with Pierre Curtis last season. Louis is not a scorer, but he is a superb defender and this is a team that needs all the defense it can get. Alioune Diouf did not have a great freshman campaign, but he had his moments and should improve with a year of experience.

Frontcourt:

The backcourt will be good, but it will be the frontcourt that propels JMU to the postseason. Junior small forward Julius Wells has developed into a great all-around player. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists during his sophomore campaign and should only get better with time. Wells knocked down nearly three three-pointers per contest and is not afraid to use his 6-5 frame to attack the basket. The return of Andrey Semenov will bolster the frontline even more. The 6-7 sophomore missed all but four games last year, but had a great freshman campaign in which he averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. Semenov’s ability to hit the outside shot really stretched out the defense and that was sorely missed by JMU last season. Trevon Flores stepped into a starting role in place of Semenov. Flores ended up averaging 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks and did a fine job for a freshman forced into action. Now he will be a superb player off of the bench.

Who to Watch:

The star of this team quickly became Denzel Bowles once he was eligible in December. He started all 25 games he played in and averaged over 20 points per game and nearly ten rebounds per contest. Nobody in the conference found a way to stop him. Bowles may not have to put up numbers like that this year since some other players should step up their scoring production, but it is nice to know that the 6-10 senior can take over any game he needs to.

Final Projection:

Poor defense was an issue last season, but now James Madison has three legitimate shot blocking threats and the reshuffling of the backcourt should help the team’s overall defense. The offensive weapons are abundant and experienced, so it should come down to the defense. An NIT bid is probably the best this group can hope for and they have the talent and experience to sneak into the NIT and avoid another trip to the CIT or CBI.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Devon Moore, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season

Ben Louis, Senior, Guard, 5.4 ppg

Julius Wells, Junior, Forward, 16.3 ppg

Andrey Semenov, Sophomore, Forward, 6.2 ppg

Denzel Bowles, Senior, Forward, 20.8 ppg

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College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

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

James Madison Basketball Preview: #125

Joel Welser — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:18:31 -0700

James Madison Dukes

Overall Rank: #125

Conference Rank: #5 Colonial Athletic Association

2008-09: 21-15, 9-9

2008-09 postseason: CIT

Coach: Matty Brady (21-15 at James Madison, 94-65 overall)

James Madison had not won a postseason game since 1983. Coach Matt Brady put an end to that streak during his first year at the school. Sure it was only the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, but the team got some post season experience and won a couple games. Coach Brady should be aiming higher this time around, but without forwards Juwann James and Kyle Swanston, the Dukes could take a small step back.

Key Losses: F Juwann James, F Kyle Swanston

Key Newcomers:

Yet, even without James and Swanston, James Madison has a deep bench. Seven returning players averaged at least 14 minutes per game last year and there are some other youngsters who could step up and play a bigger role off the bench. That is bad news for the newcomers if they were hoping to find immediate playing time. Redshirt freshman Alvin Brown has the most potential to contribute right away after spending last year watching from the bench. It helps that at 6-10 and 210 pounds, he is easily the tallest player on the roster. Shooting guard Darren White can do a little bit of everything and he could find himself playing quite a few minutes since this team lacks depth on the perimeter.

Backcourt:

They may lack depth on the perimeter, but the Dukes certainly do not lack talent. Devon Moore had a sensational freshman campaign, averaging 10.7 points and 2.9 assists. His turnover numbers, at 3.1 per game, were a little high, but that is understandable for a freshman. Having Pierre Curtis by his side should make Moore’s game even better. Curtis is an experienced senior who can handle the ball as well and score by getting to the basket. Neither are good three point shooters, but both shot at least 50 percent from the floor overall and will take smart shots that they know they can make. Ben Louis and Heiden Ratner will compete with White for minutes off the bench.

Frontcourt:

Last year the talent was in the frontcourt, but that might not be the case anymore. Andrey Semenov has the potential to be a dominating big man if he can stay healthy. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a freshman and should be ready to step into a starting role. His ability to step outside and hit the mid-range jumper could prove to be very valuable to a team that lost its most consistent outside shooter in Swanston. While Semenov scores from everywhere on the floor, Dazzmond Thornton will get the start at the five spot. He only averaged 14.7 minutes per game last year, despite starting 33 games, but the 6-7 senior will do the dirty work in the paint.

Who to Watch:

Swanston was the best three-point shooter on the team last year, but small forward Julius Wells was not far behind. Wells was not as prolific or consistent of a shooter as Swanston, but the 6-5 sophomore proved to be a very effective scorer. He is the team’s top returning scorer and rebounder averaging 11.6 and 5.5, respectively, and will most likely be the team’s top scorer this year. If he can avoid a sophomore slump, Wells could emerge as one of the best players in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Final Projection:

James Madison reached the postseason last year and they very well could this year too. James and Swanston are big losses, but Coach Brady is an up and comer who is bringing in quality talent. The key to this team will be finding another shooter. Right now Wells is the only proven outside shooter and if his shot is off on any given night, the Dukes could be in trouble.

Projected Post-season Tournament: CBI/CIT

Projected Starting Five:

Devon Moore, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 points per game

Pierre Curtis, Senior, Guard, 9.3 points per game

Julius Wells, Sophomore, Forward, 11.6 points per game

Andrey Semenov, Sophomore, Forward, 8.2 points per game

Dazzmond Thornton, Senior, Forward, 6.0 points per game

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Preview Interviews

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.