Frank Hassell scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, as the Old Dominion Monarchs (27-6) took a 39-26 halftime lead and staved off a frenzied second-half rally by the Virginia Commonwealth Rams (23-11) to claim the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship.  The Rams outscored the Monarchs 39-31 in the second half, but were unable to completely overcome the 13-point deficit they faced, as Old Dominion’s Kent Bazemore hit crucial baskets at the 3:12 and 1:33 marks of the second half to help the Monarchs cling to their lead and earn their second consecutive CAA championship.  Bazemore finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, but was only 3-of-11 from the free throw line.

The Monarchs seemed to be on the verge of routing the Rams, opening the second half with a 7-2 spurt to take a 46-28 lead on a lay-up by Hassell at the 16:35 mark of the second half.  VCU refused to go down without a fight, however, going on a 19-4 run over the next nine minutes that Jamie Skeen finished with a three-point play to get the Rams within four points at 51-47 with 7:12 remaining.  Hassell responded for ODU, sinking a jumper to extend the lead to 53-47.  The Rams mounted one more charge, outscoring the Monarchs 7-2 over the next few minutes to close the gap to 55-54 on three-pointer by Bradford Burgess at the 4:27 mark.

The Rams got no closer than that, however, as Chris Cooper and Bazemore scored on putbacks on the Monarchs’ next two possessions, extending the lead to 59-54.  ODU secured the victory by making 7-of-10 free throws in the final minute of the game.

The way Old Dominion played in the first half, it seemed unlikely that the Monarchs would need to sink free throws in the game’s final minute to earn the win.  While Hassell and the Monarchs’ frontline pulverized the Rams’ frontcourt in the first half, outscoring the Rams 16-6 in the paint, it was the three-point marksmanship of Bazemore and Trian Iliadis that enabled Old Dominion to take control at the half.  With ODU leading 21-19, Bazemore and Iliadis hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend the lead to 27-19.  Hassell scored five of the Monarchs’ final 12 first-half points, staking ODU to its 13-point halftime lead.

Not surprisingly, Old Dominion, one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, out-rebounded VCU 34-21.  The rebounding margin was 16-5 at one point during the first half.  The Monarchs shot 58.5 percent from the field (24-of-41), which helped to offset an abysmal 17-of-30 performance from the charity stripe, not to mention the 16 turnovers they committed.

Bradford Burgess led VCU with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting.  Jamie Skeen added 18 points, but was only 1-of-3 from three-point range.  The Rams shot just 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the field, misfiring on 17 of their 27 three-point attempts.

Coach Blaine Taylor’s team can now rest easily on Selection Sunday, knowing its spot in the 2011 NCAA Tournament field of 68 is secure.  The VCU Rams are not in contention for an at-large bid to the Big Dance, but are almost certain to be invited to a post-season tournament, quite likely the NIT.

Tim Coyne
DFN Sports Staff Writer

It truly was a hassle for the Hofstra men’s basketball team to guard Frank Hassell, and that’s pretty much the reason why Old Dominion is going to be the favorite team in many college basketball towns and locker rooms on Monday night.

Hassell continued his stellar play in the 2011 CAA Tournament, scoring 22 points to lead the Old Dominion Monarchs past the Hofstra Pride and into the CAA championship game.  Hassell, who scored 24 points in the Monarchs’ 59-50 quarterfinal victory over Delaware, hit four crucial second-half free throws to help ODU stave off the Pride’s multiple comeback bids.

The first pair of key foul shots came after Hofstra got within 56-50 on a three-pointer by Charles Jenkins, the CAA Player of the Year, at the 12:01 mark of the second half.  Hassell made two free throws and hit a jumper, building the Monarchs’ lead back to 62-50.  The Pride had one more charge left in them, cutting a 72-61 deficit to 72-64 when Mike Moore made a three-pointer with 1:24 remaining.  While a comeback by the Pride at that point was highly improbable, Hassell rendered it all-but-impossible by sinking two foul shots to extend the lead to 74-64 with a minute to play.  Hassell is simply a meal-ticket scorer with a long and lean frame plus the motor to match. Old Dominion’s prime post player is a force of nature, a skilled operator in the painted area who can only be stopped by an equally elite big man. No one in the CAA has been able to rein in Hassell this season, and that’s why the Monarchs – who finished second in a cutthroat league that owns six 20-win teams – are now one win away from winning one of America’s tougher conference tournaments.

Darius James and Kent Bazemore added 16 and 11 points, respectively, for the Monarchs.  The Pride were led by Jenkins, who scored 16 points, but the senior guard struggled from the field, making only 6-of-16 field-goal attempts.  It was the final CAA tournament game for Jenkins, and the fans at Richmond Coliseum rightly applauded his efforts, chanting his name when Hofstra coach Mo Cassara subbed him out in the waning seconds of the game.

Old Dominion will face longtime rival Virginia Commonwealth in an all-Virginia CAA championship game.  The teams split the season series, with each winning on the other’s home court. Tip-off time is slated for 7:05 p.m. Eastern tonight, and the game will be televised by ESPN.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

Semifinal No. 1: (4) VCU 79, (1) George Mason 63

The hot-shooting VCU Rams (23-10) led for nearly the entire game, coasting to a rout of the George Mason Patriots (26-6), that ended the Patriots’ 16-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.  Senior forward Jamie Skeen continued his superlative play in the CAA tournament, leading a balanced Ram attack with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor.  Bradford Burgess added 16 points and Joey Rodriguez and Brandon Rozell chipped in 12 and 11 points respectively for the Rams, who shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field and made 11-of-25 three-pointers, as opposed to the Patriots, who struggled to establish any sense continuity on offense all game.  The Patriots misfired on all but five of their 25 three-point attempts and shot just 43.3 percent (26-of-60) from the field.

The Patriots struggled from the opening tip, starting the game with a turnover sandwiched by missed three-pointers by Andre Cornelius and Cam Long on their first three possessions.  VCU would open a 13-6 first-half lead before George Mason mounted a mini-spurt to take a 20-18 lead when Cam Long completed a three-point play.  The lead was short-lived, however, as Rob Brandenburg drilled a three-pointer on the Rams’ very next possession, giving VCU a 21-20 lead and sparking a 21-5 run that culminated in the Rams taking a 39-25 halftime lead.

Coach Jim Larranaga must have given the Patriots quite a halftime pep talk, as his team opened the second half on a 8-1 run, cutting the deficit to 40-33.  VCU responded, trading baskets with the Patriots and taking a commanding 47-37 lead on a three-pointer by Jamie Skeen.  The Rams went on to score the next four points, extending the lead to 51-37 on a Burgess three-pointer at the 14:12 mark of the second half.

George Mason would cut the deficit to 10 points on three different occasions, including twice on three-pointers by Vertrail Vaughns, but the Patriots were unable to get any closer.  The Patriots’ last stand came when Vaughns drilled a three to make the score 66-56 at the 4:20 mark of the second half.  VCU Senior guard Joey Rodriguez would score the Rams’ next four points to extend the lead to 70-56.  VCU finished off the game in style, building a 79-61 lead and cruising to both the finish line and the CAA championship game.

Senior guard Cam Long scored 20 points to lead the Patriots, but got little help from his teammates, as Ryan Pearson, Luke Hancock, and Andre Cornelius combined for only 17 points on 8-of-20 shooting.  Vaughns added six points for the Patriots.

While George Mason would seem to have the resume of a team that deserves to be in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, teams with similar credentials from outside the six power conferences have been left out of the Big Dance before.  It is certain to be a long week for Jim Larranaga, his team, and the Mason Nation.

As for Coach Shaka Smart’s VCU Rams, they are 40 minutes away from cutting down the nets in Richmond and claiming a spot in the field of 68.  To do so, they’ll have to defeat longtime rival Old Dominion on Monday night.  The Rams and Monarchs split the season series, with each team winning on the other team’s home court.  Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Tim Coyne
DFN Sports Staff Writer

(4) Virginia Commonwealth 62, (5) Drexel 60

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams are almost certainly not going to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. They’ll have to win the CAA Tournament in order to go Dancing in 2011, and all they can say on Sunday morning is that they’re still alive in the push for an automatic bid.

It’s all that needs to be said after a Saturday escape.

Senior forward Jamie Skeen had a game to remember for the VCU crew, scoring 18 second-half points and delivering a buzzer-beating layup to lead the VCU Rams past the Drexel Dragons and into the CAA tournament semifinals.  Skeen, who led the Rams with 24 points and 8 rebounds over the course of 40 minutes, was just too much for the Dragons’ frontcourt to handle. Skeen repeatedly drew contact, earned stacks of free throw attempts in the decisive second half, and making Drexel pay by sinking 11 of those 13 foul shots. VCU crumbled late in the regular season, but the simple math at this point is that if the Rams can win two more games in Richmond (their home city, but not in their own campus arena; Richmond Coliseum is an off-site venue…), they’ll punch a ticket to the NCAAs.

The game was tied at 25 about a minute into the second half when the Rams’ Joey Rodriguez hit a driving lay-up to break the tie.  VCU maintained the lead for much of the second half, but they were unable to shake Drexel, with the biggest lead being 51-45 at the 6:09 mark.  Gerald Colds made a three-pointer to cut the gap to 51-48 and the game remained nip-and-tuck until the waning moments, when the Dragons’ Chris Fouch drilled three-pointers on consecutive possession to tie the score at 60, and set the for Skeen’s buzzer-beating heroics.

Fouch led Drexel with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting.  Samme Givens pitched in 13 points for the Dragons, who actually outscored the Rams from the field, but were outscored 25-10 from the free throw line.  Bradford Burgess had 15 points for VCU, which will face top-seeded George Mason in the semifinals.  Tip-off is at 12:05 p.m. Eastern time.

(3) Hofstra 72, (11) William & Mary 56

Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Charles Jenkins took over for the Pride, scoring 15 points during a decisive 34-11 second half run, as Hofstra defeated William & Mary late Saturday night to claim the fourth and final spot in the CAA tournament semifinals.  Jenkins, who led the Pride with 20 points, had a difficult evening, making just 5-of-15 shots from the field and scoring only five points in the first half.

Jenkins night changed dramatically in the second half with the score tied at 32: He drilled a three-pointer, sliced through the Tribe’s defense to make a layup, and converted eight straight free throws to lead the Pride’s second half surge.

Senior forward Brad Kelleher chipped in 13 points for Hofstra.  William & Mary was led by Marcus Kitts, who scored 10 points.  Quinn McDowell, the hero in the Tribe’s 72-68 opening-round upset of James Madison, was held to only six points.

The Pride plays Old Dominion, the CAA tournament’s second seed, in Sunday’s sexy second semifinal.  Tip-off is going to be at roughly 2:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the end of the day’s first semi between George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

There’s always a tricky aspect to a conference tournament opener for a team that gets a bye in at least one round. The Old Dominion basketball team learned how to deal with it, and that’s why the Sunday slate in the Colonial is going to knock everyone’s socks off.

The Old Dominion Monarchs used a 15-4 second half run to blow a close game wide open and claim a victory over the Delaware Blue Hens and a spot in the CAA tournament semifinals.  Senior forward Frank Hassell, who led the Monarchs with 24 points, converted a three-point play to break a 35-35 tie and ignite Old Dominion’s game-turning surge.  Kent Bazemore chipped in 11 points and Ben Finney added nine for the Monarchs, who notched their seventh straight win.

What is it that’s thorny about playing a conference tournament game following a bye? CAA fans grasped the essence of Old Dominion’s problem in the opening stages of this tilt in Richmond, Virginia. Delaware played a first-round game on Friday, so the Blue Hens possessed rhythm and fluidity when they took the court on Saturday. Teams who get byes in conference tournaments are often rusty when they initiate their tournament journeys against more lubricated opponents. Delaware benefited from this dynamic and jumped out to an early 17-8 first-half lead. There might have been cause to worry in the ODU camp, but the Monarchs showed that they’re made of sterner stuff.

Old Dominion battled back to take a 20-19 lead on a Trian Iliadis three-pointer, and went on to take a 27-25 halftime edge.  The Blue Hens refused to go away, staying within five points of the Monarchs and eventually tying the game at 35 when Devon Saddler nailed a three-pointer at the 10:16 mark of the second half.  That was as good as it got for Delaware; it was all Old Dominion down the stretch despite the valiant efforts of Delaware’s Jawan Carter. The young man scored 24 points to lead the Blue Hens with Saddler chipping in 12 points as well for the dispatched and defeated seventh seed.

The bottom line was that Delaware had no answer for Hassell, whose lefty jump hook within six feet of the tin is simply an impossible shot to block unless a bigger and longer body can be thrown onto the floor. Not many teams in college basketball can match Hassell’s length and size, and Delaware is most assuredly not one of those select squads.

Old Dominion will face Hofstra in the second CAA semifinal on Sunday, completing a blockbuster menu in Colonial Country. The day begins with a heavyweight semifinal between George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth, making Old Dominion-Hofstra the tasty nightcap.  Coach Blaine Taylor’s ODU crew beat Hofstra by 11 points (75-64) in the only meeting between the teams this season.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

Top-seeded George Mason (26-5) won its 16th consecutive game Saturday, routing Georgia State (12-19) in a Colonial Athletic Association Tournament quarterfinal contest.  Senior forward Cam Long scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and Andre Cornelius and Ryan Pearson chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, as the Patriots used a balanced attack to overwhelm the Panthers.

The Patriots started slowly, perhaps showing some signs of rust from not having played since February 26, which allowed the Panthers to keep the score close early.  Georgia State was trailing 13-10 when Devonta White nailed a jumper to spark a 17-3 run to stake the Panthers to a 27-16 lead.  George Mason responded forcefully, erasing the 11-point deficit over the course of five minutes.  Andre Cornelius drilled two three-pointers to key the 12-0 spurt by the Patriots, who took a 31-29 lead into the halftime locker room.

The second half bore no resemblance to the first half at all, as it was all George Mason.  Cam Long opened the second-half scoring with a three-pointer and Luke Hancock hit a driving lay-up, putting the Patriots up 36-31 at the 18:23 mark.  Georgia State made one final push, as a Marques Johnson three-pointer closed the gap to 36-34.  That would be the closest the Panthers got the remainder of the game, as the Patriots clamped down on defense and executed with precision on the offensive end, going on a 22-2 run that pushed their lead to 58-36 with 7:26 remaining, and all but ended the game as a competitive contest.

The Patriots held the Panthers to a miserable 5-of-23, or 21.7 percent, in the second half while making a crisp 50 percent (11-of-22) of their shots in the decisive second half.  For the game, the Patriots shot 45.7 percent compared to only 39.5 percent for the Panthers.  Georgia State was its own worst enemy at times, turning the rock over 21 times and making only 9-of-17 free throws.  Georgia State was led by Eric Buckner’s 10 points, but the junior forward made only 2-of-6 free throws.

One thing that may concern George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga is that his team was out-rebounded 35-22 and conceded 10 offensive boards.  While the Patriots’ semifinal opponents, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, are not a great rebounding team, they do have the type of length and quickness that could create problems on the glass for the Patriots.  The fact that George Mason throttled VCU 71-51 in the only meeting between the two teams this season should help to ease any concern Larranaga may have about his team’s rebounding.

The Patriots will play the Rams in the first CAA semifinal match Sunday.  Tip-off is at 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

Tim Coyne
DFN Sports Staff Writer

Past Big Dance Cinderella George Mason rolls into the CAA tournament as one of the two prohibitive favorites, having won 15 straight games to earn the top seed.  The Patriots haven’t loss since dropping a 69-65 decision at Old Dominion on January 8; nearly two months ago.  Despite the winning streak and the gaudy 25-5 record to match, Patriot coach Jim Larranaga, who was named CAA Coach of the Year, isn’t making reservations for the Final Four in Houston just yet.  Larranaga had this to say in response to questions about the Patriots’ chances of making the Final Four ala the 2006 Patriots:

“The teams are completely different in terms of body types.  The Final Four had a couple of guys who were men—Jai Lewis and Will Thomas.  All of them could shoot,” Larranaga said, referring to Tony Skinn, Lamar Butler and Folarin Campbell. “This team is more balanced. It shoots from the perimeter. We don’t do much down low. Ryan Pearson is our only inside-outside threat.”

It’s possible that Larranaga is playing coy, as the Patriots are, well, loaded.  Ryan Pearson, who averaged 14.7 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting and snared 6.9 boards per game, is one of the most complete players in all of college hoops.  Senior guard Cam Long, the Patriots’ leading scorer at 15.1 points per game, is not only a steady hand, but also a buzzer-to-buzzer competitor that literally refuses to let George Mason lose.  Pearson and Long are surrounded by capable players like senior guard Isaiah Tate, versatile forward Luke Hancock, and talented freshmen Vertrail Vaughns and Bryon Allen.

Besides, the CAA tournament is decidedly tilted in the Patriots’ favor.  Not only do they have an opening round bye, but George Mason swept the season series against either one of its possible opponents in the quarterfinals, UNC-Wilmington and Georgia State. A relatively easy progression to the semifinals will enable the Patriots to face any of three teams –Virginia Commonwealth, Drexel, or Towson – they also swept in the regular season. Only a matchup with Richmond’s own VCU team offers the promise of a potentially daunting duel. Not until the CAA championship game would the Patriots find themselves matched up with a team – Hofstra or Old Dominion – that defeated them during the regular season.  In other words, it would be a relatively major surprise if George Mason didn’t advance to the CAA championship game, by which point they should have all but punched its ticket to the Big Dance (if it hasn’t done so already; some bracketologists think the Patriots are in the field of 68 no matter what they do this weekend).

Should George Mason falter, the Old Dominion Monarchs will be waiting in the wings.  Blaine Taylor’s side has won 10 of its last 11 games, including an impressive 74-63 throttling of Cleveland State in a highly-anticipated BracketBuster clash, and it just might be the deepest team in the CAA.  While powerful forward Frank Hassell and versatile wing Kent Bazemore lead the Monarchs in scoring at 14.2 and 12.5 points per game, eight Old Dominion players average at least 10 minutes of burn per game and seven are scoring at least five points per game.  Not only does Old Dominion get the job done on the business end of the court, Ken Pomeroy ranks them 39th in defensive efficiency. Moreover, the Monarchs are also unselfish, ranking 22nd in assists per made field goals, and are relentless on the offensive glass as well, ranking first in offensive rebound percentage.

Old Dominion will face either seventh-seeded Delaware or tenth-seeded Northeastern in the CAA quarterfinals.  The Blue Hens actually upset the Monarchs 75-67 way back in December, but Old Dominion gained some measure of revenge, knocking off Delaware 67-59 on February 2.  Should the Monarchs survive the quarterfinals, they would be in line for a favorable semifinal contest versus Hofsta, James Madison, or William & Mary, teams the Monarchs were 4-0 against (aggregate) in the regular season.

Led by CAA Player of the Year Charles Jenkins, Hofstra enters the CAA tournament not just as the third seed, but also as one of the more enigmatic teams in the tournament.  Are the Pride the team that started league play 8-1, including an 87-74 rout of George Mason, or are they the team that was beaten soundly over a three-game stretch by VCU, Drexel, and George Mason and got thrashed 82-56 by Wright state in its BracketBuster go-round?  That question is likely to be answered in the CAA quarterfinals: The Pride struggled to overcome both of their possible quarterfinal round opponents, William & Mary and James Madison during the regular reason.

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams (21-10, 12-6) finished fourth in the CAA, earning the final first-round bye.  However, that finish has to be considered a disappointment for coach Shaka Smart’s squad; it was sitting pretty at 10-1 in CAA play following a 79-70 win over UNC-Wilmington on January 29.  While the Rams didn’t completely collapse down the stretch, they won only three of their final eight games to tumble out of contention for the top spot in the CAA and on the Big Dance bubble.  The challenge for the Rams is to overcome the inconsistency and concentration lapses that have plagued them the final month of the regular season. VCU has to be able to string together three straight days of the type of ball the Rams displayed from November through the end of January.  A season-ending 72-69 loss to sixth-seed James Madison argues against that.

However, the Rams’ faithful aren’t heading to Richmond this weekend completely without hope.  In fact, based on talent alone, VCU has to be considered a legit contender for the CAA title.  Few teams in the conference can match the Rams’ big five, which is led by senior do-everything forward Jamie Skeen and senior guard Ed Nixon.  Possible quarterfinal contests versus Towson or Drexel aren’t entirely favorable for the Rams: The Dragons did defeat them 64-60 on February 23, and Towson gave VCU all it wanted in an 80-76 Rams’ win on January 24.  That being said, the prospect of VCU “surviving-and-advancing” to the CAA championship game, and even cutting down the nets Monday night, would hardly be a surprise.  The Rams have the talent and experience to go all the way.

It’s not exactly a hot streak, but the fifth-seeded Drexel Dragons (20-9, 11-7) head to Richmond this weekend having gone 7-3 in their last ten games, including an impressive 73-66 win over Kent State in a BracketBuster contest and a 64-60 win over VCU on February 23.  While the Dragons don’t seem like a threat to win the CAA championship, coach Bruiser Flint’s squad plays the type of defense that will keep the Dragons in games even when they can’t make shots, which is quite often given their 42 percent shooting rate from the field this season.  Drexel concedes a stingy 59.3 points per game, but scores only 63.4 points per game.  The Dragons swept by opening-round opponent Towson this season, but both games were close: Drexel won 65-59 on February 2 and then 66-63 last Saturday, in the regular-season finale for both sides.  Friday’s opening-round contest seems like it could go either way, which is odd considering that Towson has lost 18 games in a row.

The James Madison Dukes (21-10, 10-8) roll into the CAA tournament with more momentum and hope than the average sixth-seeded team.  Not only did the Dukes finish the season by upending a talented and experienced VCU squad 72-69, but beefy senior forward Denzel Bowles, an All-CAA first team pick, is one of the true difference-makers in the CAA.  Bowles has reached double figures in points 16 games in a row, including a 40-point effort versus Towson in a 72-61 win on February 15.  While Bowles is the Dukes’ known quantity, it’s his supporting cast, including Akron transfer Humpty Hitchens, that makes JMU such a dangerous opponent.  When Hitchens, Julius Wells, Devon Moore, and Company have it going, as they did in the win over VCU and a similarly impressive BracketBuster (70-69) defeat of Miami (OH), the Dukes can be a handful.

Put simply, the Dukes are a 20-win team with the kind of quality wins that gird a team for March success. JMU owns the basketball chops to bust the CAA bracket.  The Dukes should beat William & Mary in the opening round.  Beating Hofstra in the quarterfinals is eminently doable for the Dukes.  After that, well, who knows…

In many mid-major leagues, the Delaware Blue Hens (13-16, 8-10) might have a chance at pulling off a few upsets and earning a surprise Big Dance berth.  However, the CAA is not just any mid-major conference, which is unfortunate for the Blue Hens since they do have some March bonafides.  Guards Jawan Carter and Devon Saddler are as a good a backcourt as there is in the CAA and the Blue Hens did sweep their opening round opponents from Northeastern.  The quality and depth of the CAA this season makes it difficult to foresee Delaware advancing beyond the tournament quarterfinals.  Even beating Northeastern is far from a sure thing since UD’s two games versus the Huskies were decided by a total of eight points.

There is a good way and bad way to be playing heading into March.  The good way typically involves winning while the bad way entails losing, which is exactly what the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks (11-19, 6-12) have been doing.  Coach Buzz Peterson’s squad staggers into the CAA tournament having lost three games in a row, and seven of their last ten.  It’s one thing to lose at George Mason, but it’s quite another to lose to Charleston Southern on your own floor, as the Seahawks did in their Bracketbuster game.  Fortunately for the Seahawks, they split the season series with their first round opponent Georgia State.  If senior guard Chad Tomko, the Seahawks’ leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, makes shots, there is no reason to think UNC-Wilmington can’t survive day one of the CAA tournament.  Surviving day one just might have to be enough for the Seahawks and their faithful this season.

Just call Georgia State (11-18, 6-12) the CAA’s team turmoil.  This one-time, quasi-commuter school has big-time aspirations, so four consecutive losing seasons cost Rod Barnes his job.  He was fired on February 27 and is being replaced by former assistant coach Paul Graham.  Way back in 1989, a coach appointed after the regular season led his team to the Final Four and the national championship, but Steve Fisher had Glenn Rice and Rumeal Robinson at his disposal.  That’s not the case for coach Graham, who doesn’t have a single player on his roster averaging at least 10 points per game (junior forward Eric Buckner leads the way at 9.2 points per game).

The Panthers are 3-11 since beating Towson 73-65 on January 8.  A win over UNC-Wilmington might be too much to ask given the current circumstances.  Georgia State fans are advised not to over-pack should they be headed to Richmond this weekend.

If there is a lower seed that is going to surprise in Richmond this weekend, it will be the tenth-seeded Northeastern Huskies (11-19. 6-12).  Coach Bill Coen’s squad seems to be peaking at the right time, having rebounded from a nine-game losing streak by winning seven of its last eleven games, including a 91-80 defeat of VCU on February 2.  The difference for the Huskies down the stretch has been the return to health of dynamic senior guard Chaisson Allen, who is averaging 16.8 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in seven of his last ten games.  Allen and Company lost both regular season games to their opening-round opponent, the Delaware Blue Hens, but they can take solace in the fact those losses were by a combined eight points; surviving day one in Richmond is a distinct possibility.

William & Mary (9-21, 4-14) has had its moments this season: League wins over Drexel and James Madison plus an 84-52 rout of Radford in a Bracketbuster game attest to this, but the fact is that coach Tony Shaver’s squad is unlikely to stick around Richmond more than a day or two.  While more than two days is certainly asking too much of a Tribe team that is transition, upsetting James Madison in the opening round of the tournament isn’t really asking that much of William & Mary at all since the Tribe beat the Dukes 73-67 when they last played on February 2.  Sharp-shooting junior wing Quinn McDowell dropped 23 points, including four three-point bombs, on the Dukes in the Tribe’s win.  Get a repeat performance from McDowell and the Tribe just might be through to the quarterfinals.

Pity poor Towson State (4-2, 0-18), the twelfth-seeded team in the CAA tournament.  The Tigers haven’t won since they outlasted LaSalle 93-90 in an overtime game on December 29.  Since then they’ve gone 0-17 in CAA play and were rolled by Loyola (MD), 75-57, in a Bracketbuster game.  The problem for coach Pat Kennedy’s squad isn’t on offense: Sophomore forward Isaiah Philmore (15.4 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting) leads a Tiger offense that averages 68.4 points per game.  Unfortunately, the Tigers give up an average of 76 points per game and rank 341st, or five spots from the bottom in all of D-I, in defensive efficiency per Ken Pomeroy.  Barring a major surprise, the Tigers will be one-and-done in Richmond this weekend.

All in all, expect the big showdown between the heavyweights. George Mason and Old Dominion didn’t just earn the top two seeds in the Colonial; they’re the hottest teams in the league at the moment and have found the swagger befitting teams with their credentials and accomplishments. Mason and ODU represent two different methodologies and styles. The Patriots excel on the perimeter while the Monarchs’ tall trees near the tin play volleyball on the offensive backboard. Clashes of styles – Ali versus Frazier and Evert versus Navratilova – make for tremendous sports television. You might want to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show when the Colonial title game begins on Monday night… unless Virginia Commonwealth and Hofstra decide to spoil the party.

(Then you might want to postpone your Monday night snack and take in the drama of seeing the Colonial get a third team into the NCAAs.)

At any rate, the Colonial Tournament is going to pop. Either the heavyweights will enthrall or the underdogs will steal the show. There are legitimately great teams here, and there are also contenders in the three through five seeding slots who could very realistically cause some trouble. Get ready for a very exciting weekend in Richmond.

Matt Zemek & Tim Coyne
DFN Sports Staff Writers

It was ferocious. It was spirited. It was exciting. It was consequential. It was pulse-pounding, passionate, and perilous to one’s cardiovascular health if you had a stake in the outcome.

But boy, the second semifinal of the 2010 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament was also one ugly basketball game.

In a fiercely-contested competition that was both riveting and revolting, the Tribe of William & Mary were the last ones standing inside Richmond Coliseum. The third seed from Williamsburg, Va., outlasted the second-seeded Northeastern Huskies on Sunday evening and created an in-state CAA final. William & Mary advances to play Norfolk-based Old Dominion in Monday night’s all-Virginia championship game.

This collision between two evenly-matched foes was not for the faint of heart; the statement applied to Sunday’s slugfest on multiple levels. In one sense, the vigor of the competition was breathtakingly admirable; yet, the ugliness of each team’s shooting performance also tested the ticker in a less positive sense.

How improbable was this Bill-and-Mary breakthrough? Just consider all the improbable occurrences that littered this wild but low-scoring white-knuckler:

The Tribe, coached by Tony Shaver, scored only 16 points in the second half. William & Mary scored six of those 16 points in the final 1:30 of regulation, meaning that the No. 3 seed in this tournament posted just 10 points in the first 18 and a half minutes after halftime.

William & Mary hit just 37 percent of its shots, committed more turnovers (10) than the number of foul shots it converted (six), and needed almost seven minutes just to hit its first field goal in the second half.

Yet, despite all of that, the Tribe never trailed by more than one point in the second half… and that’s because W&M smothered Northeastern in the first half, limiting the boys from Boston to just 17 points. Coach Bill Coen’s Huskies produced a better CAA regular season than Shaver’s squad did, but in the one-and-done pressure of a conference tournament, Northeastern’s fortunes went south.

With just under 40 seconds remaining, the Huskies led, 45-44, and stood a few defensive stops from pulling off a remarkable comeback from a 31-17 halftime deficit. Yet, precisely when the Tribe were just about to throw away their dominating first-half performance, David Schneider made a very timely, even theatrical, appearance in this passion play.

Schneider – a 16-point-per-game scoring stud who had missed all eight of his previous field goal attempts – hit the one and only shot that mattered in this suspenseful Sunday that carried even more drama than the Academy Awards. Schneider’s lone make of the day on a 3-point bomb gave William & Mary a 47-45 edge with 37 ticks left on the clock.

Yet, for all the twists and turns in this tussle, the most remarkable sequence of this head-spinner was still to come.

Northeastern – trailing by two – preceded to snare six offensive rebounds in the final 21 seconds. Yet, the Huskies could never find the bottom of the net. Coen’s kids subsequently missed not one or two chances to tie or win the game, but three… then four… then five… six… and ultimately seven chances to send this game into overtime (on six 2-point tries) or win it outright (on a 3-point attempt by swingman Matt Janning with 13 seconds left). When NU’s Nkem Ojougboh missed twice within three feet of the rim in the final two seconds of play, the Tribal survival act became a reality.

Don’t ask Tony Shaver or the rest of his coaching staff how they lived one more day on their way to the CAA final. They have to rest up for the game that will decide their NCAA Tournament destiny.

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What’s Next

William & Mary now prepares to face Old Dominion in Monday’s CAA final at 7 p.m. Eastern at the Richmond Coliseum. During the regular season, the Monarchs swept the Tribe. ODU won on the road in Williamsburg on Jan. 23 by a 58-55 count, and when the teams reunited in Norfolk on Feb. 3, the Monarchs mashed Bill & Mary by a 61-42 score. The Tribe isn’t as athletic or as consistent as coach Blaine Taylor’s team is; Shaver needs to find a way to become less reliant on the long ball and create inside-outside action that will put ODU on a defensive pendulum. If William & Mary can establish some offensive balance and unpredictability, this championship showdown could become quite a compelling watch for a national cable television audience.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

The Old Dominion Monarchs held the fate of their own season in their hands on Sunday afternoon in the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, but they also held the fate of Bubble Nation in their mitts as well. Therefore, when a backyard battle against Virginia Commonwealth took a negative turn at Richmond Coliseum, the regular season champion of the CAA had to be sweating bullets.

Somehow, Old Dominion managed to dodge those bullets as well.

In a game that possessed enormous bubble implications, the mentally tough Monarchs got off the deck and responded down the stretch. A team whose at-large NCAA hopes were going down the drain suddenly pulled itself out of a death spiral against a VCU crew that was intent on springing an upset before a boisterous hometown crowd. By not backing down when VCU had the crowd and in-game momentum on its side, ODU rallied for a four-point overtime victory that should ensure coach Blaine Taylor’s club of an NCAA invite. Even if the Monarchs lose Monday night’s championship game, their ability to get to the CAA final after winning the regular season should go a long way toward satisfying the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. A road win at Georgetown will also provide needed non-conference ballast to a team that has now solidified its resume to a considerable extent.

But enough of ODU’s tournament-worthy resume. Before getting to the point where it could feel good about its NCAA at-large chances, ODU had to first turn back coach Shaka Smart’s kids from Virginia Commonwealth, and after 30-plus minutes of action, the top seed in the Colonial didn’t look to be up to the challenge.

The two teams traded blows in a first half that didn’t create any appreciable degree of separation, but in the first 10 minutes and 32 seconds of the second half, the Rams started throwing – and landing – haymakers against the shellshocked Monarchs. VCU outscored ODU 26-12 in the first part of the second stanza, using a blended inside-outside game to accumulate dunks, layups and threes. The offensive explosion enabled the Rams to take a 55-44 lead with 9:28 remaining, and with the flow of the game cutting squarely against them – not to mention the energy of a pro-Ram crowd – the Monarchs felt an NCAA noose tightening around their neck. Teams from mid-major conferences generally need to make the final of their tournaments if they expect to get an at-large big to the Big Dance, and that’s for teams with slam-dunk resumes. Old Dominion lost in the BracketBusters event to Northern Iowa, so a semifinal loss might not have made the cut with the Selection Committee. It was fair to say that a late comeback needed to be produced if Selection Sunday was going to be enjoyable for the folks from Norfolk, Va.

Improbably but quite admirably, the Monarchs found the fortitude and the finishing kick they so desperately needed.

While Old Dominion battened down the hatches on defense, conceding only seven points to VCU in the final 9:28 of regulation, Gerald Lee delivered the offensive production his team required in a moment of urgency. Lee – who led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting – started ODU’s comeback by nailing a few jumpers that trimmed the aforementioned 55-44 deficit to just 55-48. Lee later completed the comeback by sticking a jumper at the 1:55 mark to tie the game at 62 and send the proceedings into extra time.

The Monarchs felt as though they had gained a reprieve. In overtime, they played like it.

Ben Finney scored only 11 points for ODU, but he delivered five of them in overtime – two on a basket that tied the game at 66, and three on a long ball that gave the Monarchs a 71-66 edge with 1:08 to go. VCU closed within two and had a chance to tie, but an Ed Nixon tip-in missed with five seconds left, and when Lee grabbed the rebound and then made two foul shots, it was all over… for Virginia Commonwealth.

Old Dominion had lived to fight another day.

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What’s Next

The Monarchs might not be an absolute lock for the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but they’re in extremely good shape because of the poor quality of the bubble. With that said, ODU can remove all doubt by winning the CAA Tournament and booking its plane reservations for a first-round NCAA site. Blaine Taylor and the rest of his staff will need to keep their players attentive on defense; the lapses at the start of the second half against Virginia Commonwealth were far too frequent and alarming. A strong defensive performance should be good enough to get this team into the winner’s circle on Monday night, in the final CAA game of the 2009-2010 season.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

(1) Old Dominion 60, (3) William & Mary 53

Now, the Old Dominion Monarchs won’t have to worry about the bubble.

The regular-season champion of the Colonial Athletic Association created a drama-free Selection Sunday on a magic Monday in Richmond, Va. Coach Blaine Taylor’s team used superb footwork and timely rotations in a dominating defensive display that turned back William & Mary in the CAA Tournament final. The seven-point triumph carries the school from Norfolk, Va., into the NCAA Tournament. The only suspense attached to the selection announcement for the ODU crew concerns the combination of site, seeding and opponent.

This game was defined by defense on both sides of the divide, and that notion shouldn’t strike anyone as a surprise. William & Mary, a gallant third-seeded foe who pushed Old Dominion throughout this contest, won its semifinal at this tournament by outlasting Northeastern, 47-45, in a very rugged and ragged affair. A lot of elbow grease was going to be used in this championship showcase, but what also needs to be said is that conference tournaments are generally low scoring because the opposing teams know each other’s offensive sets. A full season of on-court combat combined with the accumulated experiences of coaching staffs creates a feel of familiarity whenever conference rivals play each other in a tournament setting. As is usually the case in a conference tournament, William & Mary and Old Dominion met for the third time in 2010, so the Tribe and Monarchs were anything but mysterious to each other. It only stood to reason that buckets would be hard to come by.

What might have surprised even the most careful observers of the CAA, however, was the fact that so few players rose above the moment in a contest that felt like a 15-round prizefight.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: Of the 19 players who took part in this game, 17 took at least one shot from the field. Of those 17 shooters, only one hit more than three shots (William & Mary’s Danny Sumner, who went 7 of 14 en route to a 19-point performance). All five ODU starters hit exactly three shots, and nothing more. The pervasive inability of players to put the ball in the basket, even at the foul line (the two teams were a combined 21 of 35, or 60 percent on the button), spoke not just to the pressure of this one-and-done event, but to the fact that points were precious. The defense thrown down by both teams was that active and consistent.

The difference, then, was that Old Dominion had just a little more defense to offer.

The Monarchs knew that William & Mary’s sniper, David Schneider, is never hesitant about putting the ball in the air. Schneider entered this game having attempted at least 10 3-pointers in 10 separate games. ODU’s scouting report had to focus on Schneider, and the results bore out the preparation turned in by Taylor and the rest of the Monarchs’ braintrust. Schneider went just 2 of 12 beyond the arc, as Old Dominion’s alert and rangy defenders challenged shots and extended themselves on the perimeter.

> Find CAA team apparel & merchandise including Old Dominion hats & merchandise through DFN Sports sites!

Against a non-conference opponent, William & Mary’s nuanced halfcourt offense – devised by coach Tony Shaver – would cause considerable confusion, but Old Dominion’s thorough understanding of the Tribe’s set plays and concepts enabled the Monarchs to read, react and rotate throughout the night in Richmond. The final results weren’t pretty for a William & Mary team that made only 9 of 31 threes and came away with too many empty possessions.

ODU never ran away with this event, but in the same breath, the Monarchs were never in especially grave danger of losing. Blaine Taylor’s team led by at least five points throughout the second half and was able to shut down the Tribe on the two occasions when William and Mary reached that five-point threshold.

It’s on to the NCAAs for Old Dominion, while William & Mary should definitely be able to snare an NIT bid. Each of these teams will be tough outs in a week, but Old Dominion will be playing in the event where everyone wants to be.

Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer