Checking in on the… Colonial
Posted by rtmsf on December 8th, 2008Ryan Kish of George Mason Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA).
Power rankings:
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Virginia Commonwealth (5-3)
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George Mason (6-2)
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Hofstra (6-1)
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Northeastern (4-4)
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Old Dominion (3-3)
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Georgia State (3-5)
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Towson (4-4)
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James Madison (4-4)
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Drexel (2-2)
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UNC-W (3-6)
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William & Mary (3-6)
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Delaware (2-6)
Teams doing well
Hofstra: So far the Pride have been the surprise of the CAA posting a league-best 6-1 record. After losing a lot of scoring from last year’s team this team was difficult to project. They haven’t really beaten anybody worthwhile on the out of conference slate but they had a pretty decisive victory over Towson on Saturday to start off 1-0 in the conference.
Virginia Commonwealth: Eric Maynor has been as good as advertised so far this season even with the Rams losing some games they probably shouldn’t have. The team looked good in their victories against Western Michigan and William & Mary and they are still trying to find an identity this year.
Disappointments so far
Northeastern: Maybe their out of conference schedule was a little rough but a lot of experts picked the Huskies for the CAA crown and they haven’t looked like contenders so far despite returning a lot of players this season. Matt Janning can only do so much and can he survive the season playing 39 minutes a night?
Old Dominion: Although recently finding the win column again, the Monarchs have really had some questionable losses (Bucknell, Marshall). Very uncharacteristic play this season for the Monarchs, can Coach Blaine Taylor right the ship?
George Mason: They have had their struggles on the road so far (Hampton, Liberty) and nearly gave away a game against a weak Drexel squad on Saturday. Some of it is related to the inexperience on the roster but basically the seniors just aren’t getting it done. John Vaughan and Dre Smith have been less than stellar so far and if not for the highly touted freshmen this could be a middle of the pack CAA year for the Patriots.
Player of the Week:
Eric Maynor: Big surprise huh. Maynor averaged 22 ppg and 7 assists last week and seems to be finally getting more of his teammates involved. With Maynor playing like this he might end up beating some CAA teams by himself this season.
Game of the Week:
Northeastern 60, James Madison 55 – Northeastern held off a late rally by the Dukes after being up by as much as 17. Chaisson Allen scored 17 for the Huskies and had a three-point play with 4:56 to seal the deal. Both teams shot over 40% from the field.
Games to watch:
12/10 – Hofstra @ Stony Brook – Interesting to see how long Hofstra can keep the winning streak rolling
12/13 – VCU @ Richmond – the battle of Richmond rivalry continues
12/13 – Florida State @ Georgia State – can the Panthers pull off the upset on their home court?
