Colonial Fans

Scores

Wednesday, December 28

Drexel 77, Fairfield 69

Thursday, December 29

Miami (Ohio) 73, William & Mary 69

VCU 76, Akron 75 (OT)

Hofstra 83, Iona 75

Rhode Island 79, James Madison 60

Friday, December 30

Missouri 75, Old Dominion 68

Northeastern 53, Vermont 51

Temple 66, Delaware 63

Virginia 57, Towson 50

George Mason 84, Charleston 76

UNC Wilmington 72, Furman 61

James Madison 71, Stetson 69 (OT)

Saturday, December 31

Drexel 63, St. Francis (PA) 42

The Colonial Athletic Association proved how formidable it was last season when three teams made the NCAA Tournament (George Mason, Old Dominion, and Virginia Commonwealth), with one of them – VCU – going all the way to the Final Four in Houston. This year, the Colonial’s strength isn’t quite as substantial as it was 12 months ago, but the league can still play. The past week of results showed that this conference can compete throughout the United States.

Virginia Commonwealth carried the baton for the Colonial, as is appropriate, backing up its status as the big dog by beating Akron in overtime on the road. The Rams survived the Zips with their veteran mix and their ability to rise to the top in the crucible of crunch time. The belief which was developed a season ago on coach Shaka Smart’s roster was very much in evidence against Akron; VCU is always going to be a very hard team to close out, within or beyond the CAA.

Other teams put up a very good fight in the Colonial. Delaware didn’t beat a credentialed Temple squad, but the Blue Hens gave the Owls a much tougher battle than many hoops pundits ever had a right to expect. Towson almost took down nationally-ranked Virginia before falling to the Cavaliers by a scant seven-point margin in Charlottesville. Old Dominion gave top-10 dweller Missouri a mighty scrap before fading in the final minutes, largely because Mizzou’s Marcus Denmon drained a huge late-stage three to create some distance on the scoreboard. The Monarchs and coach Blaine Taylor should still be very encouraged heading into CAA play; their level of quality on Friday night should show them just how capable they are.

George Mason snagged one of the better wins for the CAA this past week, winning at the College of Charleston as a slight underdog. Charleston almost won at Louisville, making the Southern Conference’s best regular-season team in 2011 an attractive choice. However, the Patriots stormed into the state of South Carolina and made their voices heard. Balanced scoring within a diversified offense enabled Mason to ring up a big number and knock off coach Bobby Cremins’s C of C Cougars.

Hofstra, the team that just missed the NCAAs last year out of the Colonial, also came up with a big scalp, taking down the Iona Gaels in a frenetic, fast-paced contest. The Pride have undergone some turmoil in recent seasons, with coach Tim Welsh having to abruptly resign because of a drunk driving incident, but new boss Mo Cassara has held the team and the program together.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer