The CAA’s annual four-in-eight stretch has concluded, and as always there is plenty to look back on. It’s a challenging stretch that begins with three games in five days, and every team had to go on the road at least once in the stretch.
Here is a look at how the teams fared in this stretch and their overall CAA records:
| Eight-Day Stretch | CAA record | |
| VCU | 4-0 | 10-1 |
| George Mason | 4-0 | 9-2 |
| Old Dominion | 3-1 | 8-3 |
| Drexel | 3-1 | 6-5 |
| Northeastern | 3-1 | 3-8 |
| Hofstra | 2-2 | 8-3 |
| James Madison | 2-2 | 7-4 |
| Delaware | 2-2 | 6-5 |
| UNC Wilmington | 1-3 | 4-7 |
| Georgia State | 0-4 | 3-8 |
| William & Mary | 0-4 | 2-9 |
| Towson | 0-4 | 0-11 |
George Mason had to go on the road for three of the four games in this stretch, and the lone home game was moved to the next day due to travel difficulties that Towson had getting to Fairfax during a snow storm. Speaking of Towson, they had three of four on the road as well. Old Dominion and William & Mary each had three of four at home, but with decidedly different records in this stretch.
Noteworthy is that with the exception of Northeastern, which finished the stretch with a three-game winning streak, most teams’ record in this stretch mirrors their standing in the conference.
Huskies Come Alive, Gain Confidence
Although Northeastern is clearly in a rebuilding mode, the Huskies were surely not going to go winless, even though they were the last team to get their first win. With the first win, a 70-67 decision over William & Mary on Monday, they seemed to gain confidence, and it showed with two more wins later in the week. While they came against two other teams that project toward the bottom of the conference, it could be just what this team needs to start winning a few more games.
“We’ve come close a bunch, we’ve played competitive games, and tonight was the first time we broke through that barrier,” head coach Bill Coen said after Monday’s win. “We’ve got to build on that going forward.”
They certainly did that. The effort has been there all season, but this team has had to grow up quickly. Only three Huskies had at least appreciable experience prior to this season, and one of them, Alwayne Bigby, is done for the season. Even sophomores like Joel Smith and Jonathan Lee were more like freshmen from an experience standpoint, and while both have progressed nicely alongside senior Chaisson Allen, there have been some growing pains along the way.
How good they can be was shown last week, when all three scored in double figures in each game. That has happened six times this season, and the Huskies are 5-1 when that has happened. It’s a testament to the importance of perimeter play, certainly, but also to the importance of them to this team as the inside game hasn’t materialized as hoped despite the potential Kauri Black and Ryan Pierson have shown at times.
In particular, Smith has come alive of late, shooting almost 58 percent from long range in the past seven games. If there was one sophomore who figured to make a big jump given more playing time, it was Smith, although it took some time for it to materialize. Now that the shots are going for him, the team is looking for him more at the offensive end, and he’s producing.
“He’s shooting the ball very confidently right now,” said Coen. “He’s looking for his shot, but I think he’s still taking good shots, and that’s hard to do. It’s a hard balance, to be aggressive offensively and still take them in the flow of the game.”
Although the Huskies had a solid defensive effort against Georgia State and out-rebounded a Panther team that was out-rebounding opponents coming into the afternoon, they didn’t play a complete game. The Huskies had 20 turnovers against a team that usually gives the ball away more, with Smith committing eight. That would be the growing pains once again.
The Huskies enter a challenging week with more confidence, something they will need as conference-leading VCU visits on Wednesday and a trip to Hofstra beckons on Saturday.
Turnovers Hurt Tribe Offense
Tony Shaver said one thing after William & Mary’s loss at Northeastern on Monday night that sums his team up in a nutshell.
“We need to make shots to be a good basketball team,” said the Tribe mentor.
Well, that, and take care of the ball, something he will also freely admit.
Because the Tribe tends to play games with a low number of possessions, turnovers hurt more than they do with teams that play fast. And the Tribe is giving the ball up at an alarming rate, as they average just under 14 turnovers per game. Only Georgia State averages more turnovers per game.
Part of that comes from having a freshman backcourt. Brandon Britt won CAA Rookie of the Week honors recently, but didn’t have a good night on Monday as he had a career-high six turnovers after turning it over just 15 times coming in. Britt and Julian Boatner have led the youth movement on the perimeter, and they’ve played like freshmen in that they’ve had some highs and lows along the way. But since they moved into the starting lineup, the Tribe has played better, although they haven’t won every time out. They’re giving a glimpse of what this team will be capable of down the road, especially if they can turn some of the close losses into wins.
Shaver said Quinn McDowell has done a good job of not trying to be what he isn’t, especially as teams try hard to take him out of their offense. That has also led Britt and Boatner to do more, and it’s also meant that JohnMark Ludwick and Marcus Kitts have had to do more in the frontcourt.
If the Tribe can take care of the ball and make shots, they have a chance to win. As the freshmen guards gain experience, they should be in that boat more often later in the season.
Georgia State Looking for Combinations
Entering this season, Georgia State had a lot of new players and thus figured to have some growing pains from a lack of Division I experience. That’s certainly been the case thus far, as Rod Barnes is still trying to find some combinations at this stage, especially with his starting lineup.
Just past the halfway point of CAA play, all but three Panthers have started at least one game. Although ten players average at least 13 minutes, right now there isn’t much consistency in terms of roles. Certainly, Barnes would like to rectify that, and it’s not all about the play on the floor. In some cases, players haven’t started if they haven’t practiced for one reason or another, even if they had a legitimate reason not to be in practice. He cited one player who had to miss a practice because of a family matter and didn’t start the next game as a result.
To some degree, this team has followed the pattern of past teams, as the Panthers have rarely been out of games. Of their 13 losses, only four have been by double digits, and they’ve been on the wrong end of several games decided at the buzzer. That tells you they’re not that far away, but it also means they’ve been just a little short.
“We’re not as talented as some of the teams like Old Dominion and VCU, but we’re building,” said Barnes. “We feel like we’re on the verge of turning it around. Like I told our players, it’s got to get to a point that they’re determined to win, and not just play a good game.”
The big area for the Panthers to improve on is offense. Their defense has been fine and they have rebounded well, and they have good size. The problem has come with an inability to score and as well as turnovers, as they lead the CAA in turnovers. Giving away possessions and not scoring efficiently when you keep the ball isn’t a formula for success.
But the Panthers are in most of their games, and will surely break through in some of them before the season is over. Along the way, some consistency in the starting lineup may occur as the team gains experience and some players grow into certain roles.
Other Notes
- Not unlike when they faced off in last season’s CAA Tournament, on Saturday Old Dominion dominated Towson on the boards. They did so to the tune of Towson grabbing just 10 rebounds for the entire game. That effort cemented Towson’s spot at the bottom of the conference in rebounding margin in conference play.
- Early on, Drexel looked like they could make a run for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid after winning at Louisville during a respectable non-conference slate, then beating Old Dominion early in CAA play. With the Dragons now at 6-5 and not even a lock for a bye in the CAA Tournament, like just about every team in the conference they will only go if they win the automatic bid.
- Quietly, James Madison is starting to live up to its preseason billing. The Dukes aren’t getting much pub, but at 7-4 and 17-6 overall they’re right on the edge for a bye in the conference tournament and are playing well of late.
