It needs to be noted that all six CAA games Saturday are on some form of teevee. Nice.

Anyway, this weekend’s slate of games gets us to the halfway point of the conference season. We can officially start looking forward and planning what needs to happen. We’ll start making sense of the continental divide we see hovering around sixth place, and how that may play out throughout late January and February.

(Side note: For the newcomers, a house rule is that we are fans and we don’t have to take them one game at a time. Steve the Season Ticket Holder can be unprepared for His Team’s opponent because he was looking at next week’s game. We promise, it has no impact on the immediate game.)

The side note allows me to gracefully write that the future is something we’ll deal with after Saturday’s games. Let’s get there first and see what shakes out. Plus, that gives me Sunday afternoon to figure it out.

It’s been since Christmas since I wrote this, but it’s time to repeat: you really need to make it to Richmond for the CAA tournament. It’s going to be off-the-hook, or some other term I’m equally unsure if it’s still cool to use.

***

Hofstra at Drexel: Nooner on Comcast and MSG. This is the weekend’s “two ships passing in the night” game. Drexel is solidifying–Chris Fouch is playing better, Jamie Harris has his legs, and Leon Spencer is back on the court. Hofstra is having trouble shooting, having trouble defending, and struggling with the mounting evidence that Charles Jenkins will have freshmen to help him run the show (not seniors).

It’s going to be tougher than you think–I’d never bet against Jenkins with his back against the wall–but Drexel wins. Dragons 65, Pride 62.

VCU at Nor’easter: Your 2:00 showdown on Comcast. The Huskies own the nation’s fourth longest winning streak at 10. The Rams come into Matthews victors of four straight, in an increasingly impressive manner.

The two aspects that matter: turnovers, for one. VCU only had six against The Pugs, which allows them to get out on the break and create with impunity on the offensive end. NU cannot cough it up to allow VCU easy opportunities.

Second, since they are playing in a hockey arena, we’ll call it the “third man in.” Sanders and Rodriguez have been over the top great. Allen and Janning have been their studly selves. Adako killed VCU in Richmond, and Rozzell, Burgess, Skeen, and Nixon all have the ability to light up a scoreboard. Who makes a difference?

VCU 72, NU 67.

Georgia State at Delaware: 4:00 on Comcast (SportsSouth). Here’s what I hate–The Hens are doing their best JMU impression. New coach comes in to clean up a terrible mess (Keener/Dillard). New coach is a good guy and a smart guy but never gets a break. The turnaround is slower than fans like and the new coach–who is better than his record–is under siege and eventually gets canned. Monte Ross deserves more time to clean up the terrible David Henderson mess. Period.

As for the game, Georgia State’s size and stand-in-front-of-you defense prevails over a jump shooting team. Panthers 59, Hens 55.

Mason at Towson: 4:00 on MASN. Here’s going to be the interesting part of this game. Mason looked very good in two roadies. Cam Van Winkle is finally playing to his press clippings and not grass clippings. The pieces are coming into place and the Patriots are already 7-1. But a roadie–your third–to Towson is exactly where you drop a stinkeroo.

The deal at Towson is odd. They are clearly an offensively gifted team and can score in a variety of ways. They rebound the basketball. They just don’t seem to ever stop anybody. A ticker issue?

Jim, the title to your car did not arrive in the mail. Mason 74, Towson 64.

Old Dominion at William & Mary: 7:00 on local WSKY-TV. We’re of split mind on this game. We want to think you cannot take much from it–if the Pugs lose, their losses are to a hot team/best home team in the conference and the league’s most powerful and probably best team period. No crime in either loss and we cannot say their run is over if Saturday goes the way of the Monarchs.

But if the Pugs win, does it represent something else, something bigger? ODU is killing teams, and a pug’s ability to rebound from a drubbing in that scenario is telling. Or, it isn’t. They are simply a good team who wins a home game.

Just enjoy the game and we’ll analyze when it’s over. But it says here ODU better get something from Gerald Lee. ODU 67, Pugs 62.

JMU at UNCW: 8:00 on MASN. Chad Tomko plays poorly and UNCW loses. Chad Tomko plays well (see last paragraph) and UNCW loses. Brian Mull says fast suits UNCW better, and Tomko is clearly more comfortable mad-dashing.

I wonder if the answer isn’t to let Chad be Chad and alternate smiling at the good and biting your tongue at the bad. Then, focus on how the other guys can maximize their play within that dynamic.

As for JMU, it needs to be noted that Pierre Curtis is CAA first team All Overlooked. Julius Wells had his bad game, and JMU steals one on the road. JMU 76, UNCW 71.

***

You ever get one of those feelings that you’ve seen something before? Not the deja vu feeling, but that feeling where what you are seeing is extremely familiar?

I had one of those moments last week, and I’ve figured it out: this year’s Northeastern team reminds me an awful lot of the 2005-06 UNCW team.

Now, let’s not be too literal. Nobody is going to confuse Chase Allen and John Goldsberry in a police lineup. But their impact on their own team and the game? You bet.

Both teams play primarily man defense and have a rugged, tough style. Run when you get the chance but run your offensive sets to get a good shot. Force more turnovers than you commit. Non-statistically, they just wear you down. Very little flash, just execute. Muted coach personality.

Both teams have basically a seven man rotation and start three seniors and one junior. Notheastern scores 66 per game and gives up 61. The 2006 Dubmen scored 68 and gave up 58.

The players:

TJ Carter a leader and 13.6 ppg (Matt Janning)
John Goldsberry 11ppg 5apg, 4rpg (Chase Allen)
Todd Hendley 10pts, 4rpg (Manny Adako)
Mitch Laue 8pts, 5rpg, defender and tough (NkemO)

And finally, this: the last team to sweep VCU in a season series was the 2005-06 UNCW Seahawks. Nor’easter beat VCU earlier this year in the Siegel Center, and has VCU on Saturday in Matthews.

Perhaps I’m making it up, but I’m just sayin’…