Ryan Restivo of SienaSaintsBlog is the RTC correspondent for the CAA and an occasional contributor.

There is a lot at stake for what appears to be a one-bid league. BracketBusters did not help (3-9) and the CAA could not capitalize on TV games, winning just one of five. William & Mary used the non-conference slate, winning at Wake Forest and Maryland, to boost their chances as an at-large. Old Dominion won at Georgetown and crushed Charlotte as home to boost their at-large chances early. Northeastern and George Mason are likely to reach other postseason tournaments but have a good chance at making a run at the CAA automatic bid. Ken Pomeroy’s tournament odds give Old Dominion a 45.7% chance, followed by #5 seed VCU (24.4%).  No team has ever won four games in four days to win the conference tournament in CAA history. If you are within the viewing area or able to watch on Sunday, the CAA semifinals of this tournament guarantee to be a great spectacle. However before eleven teams’ hopes are dashed Monday night, the themes that bring these teams together will dominate the tournament talk.

#1 Old Dominion would have to be considered the favorite. They are second in the CAA in offensive efficiency and first in defensive efficiency and have won five of their last six, their only loss in that span at Northern Iowa in the BracketBusters. Gerald Lee has been the focal point of their late season streak, shooting 54% from the field in the last six games. However, they will have a lot tougher path to the championship than ever because of a potential re-match with Virginia Commonwealth. The Monarchs escaped last Saturday with a three-point win at home and were beaten by VCU by 12 on the road earlier in February. There’s a chance the Monarchs’ semifinal game will be their toughest yet.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ryan Kish of George Mason Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Colonial Athletic Association.

Predicted Order of Finish:

1. Old Dominion (14-4)
2. Northeastern (13-5)
3. George Mason (12-6)
4. Virginia Commonwealth (12-6)
5. James Madison (11-7)
6. Hofstra (10-8)
7. Georgia State (9-9)
8. Drexel (8-10)
9. Delaware (6-12)
10. Towson (5-13)
11. UNC-Wilmington (5-13)
12. William & Mary (3-15)

All-Conference Team:

• Charles Jenkins (G), Hofstra
• Matt Janning (G), Northeastern
• Cam Long (G), George Mason
  
• Gerald Lee (F), ODU
• Larry Sanders (F), VCU

6th Man. Sherrod Wright, George Mason

Impact Newcomer. Rashanti Harris, Georgia State

What You Need to Know:

• The CAA returns 73 percent of last year’s starters (44 of 60).
• Last season the CAA sent five teams to the postseason.
• Fifteen of the league’s top twenty scorers return.
• ESPN ranked George Mason’s recruiting class #1 amongst mid-majors.
• Six teams finished with 18 or more wins last season.
• VCU’s Larry Sanders already picking up nation preseason honors here, here, and here.

Predicted Champion.  Old Dominion (NCAA Seed:  #9). The Monarchs return six players who made 13 or more starts last season, including All-CAA Gerald Lee, who is my vote for preseason POY.  Lee stepped up as a leader last season, especially late in the year at the CAA tournament. Along side Lee forward Frank Hassell gives them probably the best one-two punch frontcourt in the league. Guard Darius James is poised for a breakout season and was deadly from 3-pt land last year, so his growth could be the key to ODU being the league’s most balanced squad.  Add freshman stud Josh Hicks to the mix and you got a whole lot of talent walking into CAA arenas this season.  Will it be the right mix of talent and experience to run through the competitive CAA regular season?  Head coach Blaine Taylor has lived in the shadow of George Mason and VCU lately despite winning 119 games over the last five years. This is his best squad on paper since 2005.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ryan Kish of George Mason Basketball is the RTC correspondent for the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA).

Power rankings:

1. Virginia Commonwealth (5-3)
2. George Mason (6-2)
3. Hofstra (6-1)
4. Northeastern (4-4)
5. Old Dominion (3-3)
6. Georgia State (3-5)
7. Towson (4-4)
8. James Madison (4-4)
9. Drexel (2-2)
10. UNC-W (3-6)
11. William & Mary (3-6)
12. 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.

Read the rest of this entry »