Colonial Athletic Association Notebook
Picture Taking Shape
As the season nears the home stretch, the picture is becoming clearer, with three tiers of four teams battling for position. That said, the picture also got a little muddled over the weekend inside each tier.
The top tier has VCU leading by just a game after Saturday’s 79-63 loss at arch-rival Old Dominion. The Monarchs join Hofstra right behind the Rams, as both schools are 12-3 and face each other in Norfolk on Tuesday night. Drexel is another game back in fourth place.
The second tier has a complete logjam, as all four teams are tied at 7-8, three games back of Drexel with three games to go. George Mason entered Saturday at 7-7 and lost to Hofstra at home, while William & Mary and Northeastern scored road wins to improve to 7-8 and Towson did the same with a home win over Georgia State. Of the four teams, William & Mary appears to have the toughest remaining schedule.
The last tier has two teams three games out of eighth place and two more another game back. In all likelihood, they will be wearing road jerseys in the first round of the CAA Tournament.
Each team also has one more non-conference game left, as all 12 teams are in the BracketBusters on Saturday.
Patriots Not Getting Offensive
George Mason’s run to the Final Four last season was keyed off strong defense. That is still a staple of this season’s team, but there’s been something missing of late as they have lost three straight: offense. In the three losses, the Patriots have shot below 33 percent from the field. Head coach Jim Larranaga was not the happiest camper after Saturday’s home loss to Hofstra, where they missed several easy shots early and then later in the game.
“Unbeknownst to our players, they will see an entirely different side of me and my personality these next few weeks,” said Larranaga. “These performances are totally unacceptable to me and our program.”
One key to the recent struggles has been John Vaughan. The team’s third-leading scorer has reached double digits just twice in the last seven games, a stretch where he has shot just 24 percent from the field and which includes two games where he didn’t score at all. Larranaga said he’s been this way all season long, but it’s just more noticeable now because he’s struggling.
Folarin Campbell has also struggled of late, going just 13-44 in the losing streak. That included a 4-16 showing on Saturday, making just one of seven attempts from behind the arc.
One thing is for sure: Larranaga wants to see a change in everything, not just on offense.
“I don’t know if our guys are feeling sorry for themselves, but I guarantee you there’s nobody in our league feeling sorry for George Mason right now,” he said. “Everybody’s loving seeing us, and we’ve got to change that attitude, first in ourselves.”
The Patriots are at Delaware before heading home to play Kent State in the BracketBusters.
Tigers’ Adjustments Are Coming
Towson entered the season projected as a team that could make a big jump in the standings from last season. They had a talented stable of guards, led by high scorer Gary Neal, and added Tommy Breaux to a frontcourt that had improving senior Dennard Abraham and a few good role players. It seemed like a recipe for a surprise team.
Instead, the Tigers are right about where they were projected, as they’ve been around the middle of the conference most of the season and enter the final two weeks of the regular season as part of the logjam in fifth place at 7-8 after splitting last week’s games. They lost at Northeastern, then blew out Georgia State at home behind 37 points from Neal.
Neal is still scoring at a prolific pace, but hasn’t shot the ball well from long range. He’s been streaky and at times has scored his points in part from taking a lot of shots. That’s not entirely of his doing; the Tigers’ offense has been burdened by his teammates not doing enough and relying on him too much, as well as a bigger adjustment to new roles than many expected. As a result, they have gone with several starting lineups over the course of the season, with Neal being the only constant.
“This is one of our biggest setbacks in terms of where we’re at right now,” said head coach Pat Kennedy, who added that he’s satisfied with the group that has started the past 11 games. “We’re going to stay with the same starting lineup.”
The adjustment for the holdovers has come in less minutes played or inconsistent minutes, but that’s not all. Kennedy admits that not everyone’s role has been well-defined all along and that has contributed to it. Now that they’ve found a consistent starting lineup, the Tigers may be in better shape.
Other Notes From Around the CAA
- A big reason for Old Dominion‘s recent surge in their seven-game winning streak has been the play of Arnaud Dahi. He’s struggled at times this season coming back from a knee injury, but he’s turned it up of late, averaging over 16 points and nearly eight rebounds in the last six games. Another such effort would come in handy on Tuesday night, when they take on Hofstra with its questionable front line.
- Northeastern‘s come-from-behind win at James Madison on Saturday was the Huskies’ first road win of the season. They were the last team that had not won a road game all season and had a 16-game road losing streak that dated back to last season.
- Georgia State‘s struggles may look like growing pains next season. The Panthers have eight freshmen and sophomores, several in the key backcourt positions, who have combined to play nearly half the team’s minutes this season.
- How much of a struggle has this season been for UNC Wilmington? The Seahawks have won at Trask Coliseum just once all season long. Injuries and a limited scholarship roster have dogged them all season long.
