One more fun fact for you this morning:

The CAA is one of only four conferences to have three teams ranked among the top 30 in the latest RPI released by Collegiate Basketball News through games of Dec. 31. The Fightin’ Pugs (2-0 in ACC play) are at #6, VCU is #18 and Old Dominion is #29.

Comps: The Big East has six teams in the top 30, the Big 12 and Atlantic 10 each have four and the CAA is next with three. The CAA is ranked 10th overall.

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Here’s why I keep telling you savor the conference season, every moment of it. Saturday gets the four-in-eight sprint to start the new year, which means we’re one week from being five games through. It’s that quick.

Toss in the Wednesday, Jan. 13 games, and we’re less than two weeks from being one-third of the way through the season. I demand it: enjoy it like you root for The Pugs.

Here’s the best part: after a nonconference season in which the CAA for the most did exactly what it was supposed to do, every game is met with anticipation. The rush out of the gates is rather like the mouth of the Gauley River when they open the Summerville Dam.

It’s made even better this year, as we have success surrounding the entire conference, and the preseason #11 team is leading the charge. Think about that for one moment. The supposed second worst team in the conference sports and RPI of six.

You should be very excited, because everything you hoped for this summer is coming true. Savor it.

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Because of the holidays, and vacation, and work, and other responsibilities, I sit here on Jan. 1 somewhat unsure how to handle the saturday slate. Bear with me as we figure it out together. As the Monday Melange unfolds and becomes better, so does the weekend preview.

The Fightin’ Pugs at Hofstra: I ran through this with someone already…W&M is going to lose its share of conference games. At Hofstra is a no-crime loss, and frankly can be expected. The Pride have won eight of the last nine against the Pugs, including a 54-44 non-thriller last season. So many of these games come down to the final three minutes and Hofstra is 17-3 in games decided by five or fewer points in the past two seasons (thanks Jerry). That’s what Chuck Jenkins can do for you. Plus, Chaz Williams is coming along nicely.

Everybody has said that one day, those Tribe threes aren’t going to fall. Don’t buy that–they beat Maryland and were just 8-23 from distance. This is one where Hofstra wins because they have talent and are at home. Pride 67, Pugs 64.

Towson at Georgia State: Paging Trey Hampton…Towson is among the bottom teams in terms of rebounding, and honestly toughness. The Panthers remain a mystery. If a road team is going to win, this is it. Ga. State 65, Towson 64.

James Madison at Northeastern: That Crazy CAA Scheduler is at it again. NU is fresh off its trip to Hawaii and northern Cally. The Huskies are matched up against the Dukes, who just got home from Stanford. So don’t buy into any “road legs advantage.” There is also no truth to the rumor that JMUs Julius Wells is out after cutting his finger flushing the airplane toilet when the plane hit unexpected turbulence. However with Matt Brady’s luck with injuries, it wouldn’t surprise me.

NU has scrabbled together its early season and seems to be settling on a rotation. I still say Matt Janning needs to shoot more, and Chase Allen a little less. Allen has actually taken more threes than Janning. This one will be ugly, given everything surrounding the two teams. NU 61, JMU 55.

Delaware at Drexel: This is a Comcast game that tips at 2:00. I could give you no better information than what frequent commentor Metsox is doing for the Dragons. Impressive stuff. delaware is a jumpshooting team, and not a very accurate one right now.

Jawan Carter is shooting 33% overall and 28% from three. They aren’t big. Hakim McCullar gets a double double, maybe in the 14/11 range, but Drexel prevails. Dragons 67, Hens 60.

The Dub at VCU: This one is the absolute poster child of bad matchup for the Hawks. As Brian Mull pointed out, UNCW is leading the country in three point defense but struggle to defend on the perimeter–bigger, more physical guards a penetrating and causing problems. and while Joey Rodriguez is neither big nor physical, he can penetrate. Ed Nixon, Brandon Rozzell, Brad Burgess, and Darius Theus are all big and strong and will make life miserable for Tomko and the boys.

And how great is it that we get Sanders versus Fields on the first Saturday of the season?

UNCW is better than the result of this game. VCU 82, UNCW 64.

Old Dominion at George Mason: This is your Comcast nooner. The Patriots are quickly becoming the second biggest oddity in the CAA. They have a collection of talent, but the team concept is a little slow to evolve. Cam Long, too, just isn’t yet getting it done. Long’s 11 points and three assists is not first team all conference material.

Old Dominion has really looked good over the past few weeks. I peg it to Ben Finney realizing the season started, and Trian Illiadis making some shots. Illiadis, I think, did a lot of things right in November and December–probably in practice, too. But he always looked worse than his actual performance because he threw up bricks left and right. Side note: ODU really needs Darius James to figure it out.

Mason is obviously tough at home, and these games are always tight. I always look at Mason and see loads of talent and hesitate to ever pick against them. But we are here, because a lack of chemistry is magnified against a team that plays solid defense and rebounds–those teams frustrate individuals and take your soul. I see ODU slowly pulling away, and winning by a bigger margin than 34 minutes would tell. ODU 73, Mason 62.