Colonial Athletic Association Notebook
Some Separation While Keeping Close
The race at the top is still tight, but there has been a little separation as we reach February. There is now one team on top, while it’s the top six teams that are separated by just two games in the standings.
With their 69-62 win over UNC-Wilmington, George Mason now leads the way at 11-2, with the Seahawks right behind at 10-3. Hofstra is next at 9-3, then a three-team tie at 9-4 ensues thanks to Northeastern‘s win over VCU on Saturday. The Huskies, who are picking it up lately, and Rams are in that tie, as well as Old Dominion.
Meanwhile, Drexel and Towson are falling further behind the top teams, and Towson’s win over Drexel on Saturday keeps it that way. Both are now 6-7 in conference play, with the Dragons at 12-12 overall and the Tigers at 10-12.
Three Teams Lead CAA Representation in BracketBusters
Last week, the matchups for the BracketBusters were announced, with three teams from the CAA among those playing in the televised games.
George Mason will hit the road to play at Wichita State of the Missouri Valley. Defending champion Old Dominion will host Marist of the MAAC, and VCU will host America East leader Albany.
Five other teams will play in the event in non-televised games, with the most notable game being Drexel hosting Vermont. The two schools used to play each other in the America East Conference before Drexel’s departure in 2001. The other four games feature two with MAAC teams (Hofstra hosting Siena and Northeastern hosting Rider), with Georgia State traveling to take on College of Charleston (Southern) and Delaware hitting the road to play Cleveland State (Horizon).
Hofstra Sweeps Defending Champs, Gathers Momentum
Thanks to a buzzer-beating jumper by senior Aurimas Kieza, Hofstra knocked off Old Dominion 65-63 on Thursday night to sweep the Monarchs. They kept that momentum going on Saturday, picking up a 77-62 win over Delaware to make it four straight wins and six of seven, with the only slip along the way being a loss at Northeastern.
As has been the case most of the season, the guards are carrying the Pride, with super sophomore Antoine Agudio scoring a career-high 30 points against Delaware. Loren Stokes had the big all-around game against ODU with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists, and over the last eight games he is averaging nearly 23 points per game. Meanwhile, Kieza continues to be a key frontcourt role player supporting the guards, as he has scored in double digits every game since the calendar year rolled over.
The Pride has played well in February each of the past two seasons, and they enter the month this year in a good position. They are 16-4 overall and riding a hot streak, and the importance of guards in college basketball is well-documented.
Tribe’s Young Talent Taking Steps Forward
William & Mary has struggled to just two CAA wins thus far, but this isn’t a team to be dismissed based on its record. Instead, they’re a team to keep an eye on to see how they develop by the end of the season.
After losing at Northeastern on Thursday, the Tribe picked up a 90-73 win over Georgia State thanks to a strong second half. They finished the game shooting over 63 percent from the field, and it was the second straight game where junior forward Corey Cofield scored in double figures. Cofield went for 19 and 11 rebounds at Northeastern in a return close to home, then had 15 against Georgia State. If he gets going, that’s a good sign as they move forward.
The future talent starts with freshman guard Calvin Baker, who has been named the league’s rookie of the week five times, including the last two weeks. It continues with sophomores Nathan Mann, one of the conference’s better shooters, and Laimis Kisielius has shown nice ball skills and especially as a passer from the wing. Freshmen Peter Stein and Chris Darnell will get better as time goes along, with Stein getting more minutes right now.
Right now, the Tribe is still trying to win games, but the big thing to watch is if they develop something before the season is over. They appear to be reaching a good combination for now that will make them a tougher team to beat down the stretch and get ready for the future.
“We’ve started the same group for the last 4-5 ballgames,” head coach Tony Shaver said. “We have a lot of young players, a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and we’ve been trying to find the right combinations. I think we’ve settled into our rotation right now.”
The Tribe has two in-state road games this week, at nearby Old Dominion and James Madison.
Rams’ Defense Catches Up With Them
VCU had a five-game winning streak snapped in their 79-74 loss at Northeastern on Saturday. In one way, it didn’t surprise head coach Jeff Capel very much. The Rams allowed the Huskies to shoot nearly 52 percent from the field, and this time they didn’t get away with a sub-par defensive effort.
“We haven’t done that in the last five games, and this is kind of a carryover to that,” said Capel. “When we needed to get stops down the stretch, we weren’t able to get stops. When you play against a good team like Northeastern, you have to be able to do that.”
The Rams made it interesting in the final minutes, as they got hot from long range to keep within striking distance. Six three-pointers in the final 4:22 brought them within the final margin, including a couple from well behind the three-point line.
The loss at Northeastern highlighted something else: the support for star senior Nick George. The senior forward has been hot of late, averaging 23 points per game and playing through a sprained ankle he suffered in Thursday night’s 81-75 win over Towson. He had 28 points and 13 rebounds at Northeastern, including 13 of the Rams’ first 15 points. That right there was the problem: no one else got anything going at the offensive end in the first half. B.A. Walker (15 points) and Alexander Harper (13 points, 4 assists) eventually wound up in double figures, but both didn’t get going until late in the game.
Capel saw Saturday’s game as one that highlighted his concerns.
“Nick’s a very good player, he’s our best player, he’s been our best player the last two years, but we need other guys who are capable of stepping up to do that,” he said. “We need more of a sense of urgency defensively to stop some people.”
The Rams look to continue their winning ways at home this week, where they are 10-0 on the season. They host George Mason on Thursday and Old Dominion on Saturday in games guaranteed to have an impact on the top of the standings.
Other Notes From Around the CAA
- James Madison scored its first CAA win of the season on Monday night, a 74-64 decision over Delaware behind 24 points from Daniel Freeman. They made more free throws than the Blue Hens attempted, but their performance at the line certainly wasn’t commendable – 26 of 42, a 62 percent clip. This game could have been a blowout.
- Speaking of Delaware, senior guard Andrew Washington has returned after missing six games due to academics. He had six points against Hofstra and 14 against James Madison in his first two games back.
- Old Dominion head coach Blaine Taylor said Tuesday that senior guard Isaiah Hunter’s right foot is getting better, but it’s still a wait-and-see as to how soon he’ll play. Hunter has missed the last two games with a stress fracture in the foot.
- Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint said he will likely redshirt freshman center Kenny Tribbett this year. It’s not a major surprise considering he has played two minutes in two games this season.
- Quote of the week: “I think this is a huge week for everybody.” That came from George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga in Tuesday’s teleconference.
