Quick link: very good New York Times story on former Towson guard Gary Neal.

Second quick link: All of tonight’s viewing and stat gathering options. And by the way, all you school marketers…that’s 12 games in three days and 12 7:00 tips. Would it kill you to mix in a 7:30?

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Spotlight Game: Drexel at VCU

EDIT: Great memories of this fun series from Chris Kowalczyk from Around the Horns.

Whose bottle of vinegar is bigger? The Dragons are coming off a frustrating loss at home to Hofstra while VCU lost for the first time as CAA brethren to Georgia State. Neither team comes into the Siegel Center in a good mood.

These two teams have staged some beauties in past years–buzzer beaters seem to occur more often than not.

It’s also easy to look at rebounding and call it the key: Drexel is top five nationally, and VCU is usually outboarded by double figures. But that’s not what we’re looking at tonight. VCUs ability to speed up freshman point guard Frantz Massenat is critical–Massenat has committed two total turnovers in the past three games.

The other VCU stat: the Rams are 25-5 when Brandon Rozzell scores in double figures. If Rozzell can match F-bombs with Chris Fouch, it will be a good night for the home team.

As for Drexel, the delta stats of Samme Givens and Darryl McCoy feel important. What I mean is that we can give McCoy five points and five rebounds. We will allot Givens 10 points and 10 rebounds. Their ability to make 15/15 become 25/25 will have a significant bearing on the game.

Derrick Thomas will no doubt haunt someone on VCU, but the Dragons could use a three or three from him as well.

I really hate to go this route, but it is legit: the officials will have huge influence. Drexel plays tough man defense, and VCU plays loose but reachy/feely defense. Keep an eye to see if the officials are consistent in calling contact fouls and reaching fouls. It’s a flow thing.

We’re going home team tonight: VCU is 145-23 in the comfy confines, and riding a 17-game winning streak.

VCU 69, Drexel 65.

Most Intriguing Game: Mason at Hofstra

The Patriots have looked consistently the strongest of late. When you’re picking holes in free throw shooting–Mason’s biggest Achilles heel–the undervalued implication is that there are far worse problems to have.

The Pride just went on the road and beat Drexel, it’s biggest win of the year for several reasons. Conference game, on the road, against a hot team, with Superman in foul trouble.

So the (supposed) better team is playing on the road against the team with the league’s best player. Both teams are in a good mindset. This is the kind of game that a CAA favorite has to win, and a game a darkhorse must win to bolster its confidence (and won/loss record).

There are one thousand splendid ways to look at this game, beginning now, watching it unfold, and postgame fallout. Ken Pomeroy has Mason winning 69-61 with an 81% chance of winning. It will be much closer than that, and free throws will cost Mason dearly (see what I did there?)

Pride 66, Mason 65

Game With Most to Gain: Georgia State at UNCW

I’ll say it out loud, because you are thinking it: it’s hard to believe Georgia State is playing for a chance to be 3-0. But get this. With Towson coming to Atlanta on Saturday, a 4-0 start is realistic for the Panthers.

As mentioned yesterday, Eric Buckner has made 33 of his last 39 field goals (85% if you were wondering). Combine that with the inside/outside presence of Brandon McGee, and the jets of Devonta White, and the Panthers have a dimension I cannot remember them ever having: they are hard to guard. (Health of White is a question mark right now. Stay tuned to the twitterverse…)

Keep in mind, too, that the Panthers have shot more than 50% in four straight games.

As for UNCW, we haven’t heard if Buzz Peterson was successful with his petition to get Matt Wilson a sixth foul before disqualification. Seriously, the key for The Dubmen is going to be their ability to take the punishment Georgia State will heap on them. It isn’t necessarily pressure in the basketball sense, but UNCW will face physical pressure all game.

Of note: we’re hoping to see a nice battle between White and Chad Tomko. That’s less than 12 total feet of quick play. UNCW will need the senior to dole out a few lessons, and oh by the way they can get to 2-1 in conference.

The last time Ken Pomeroy picked UNCW by two, he was dead on the number. This one is going to be old school grind, and I worry about UNCW giving up the ball to a big team.

Georgia State 57, UNCW 55.

Others on the Schedule

Home teams will likely roll it up it these three, but you know what that means.

William & Mary at Delaware: The Hens looked pretty good at Mason on Monday. There were no big holes or gaps, and it seemed they were simply beaten on the road by a team that’s a little better than they are. Plus, Fonzie Dawson started hitting shots for the first time since, oh, 2008.

You could hear the mustache hair crinkling in Tony Shaver’s words after Monday’s home loss to The Dubmen. Shaver is not in the singular position in this conference of having a young player seemingly better served than a senior to help the team win. (Yes, we’re talking Brandon Britt and Ken Brown.) Problem is that the transition is far easier said than done. The frosh hasn’t build up any credibility, and that matters.

YouDee 72, The Pugs 60.

Nor’easter at Old Dominion: It’s an old coaching saw that the second game after adversity is tougher than the first. The theory is that you are playing on emotion, and not really absorbing the situation. (If somebody could figure out how to bottle that mindset and channel it through a player’s physical being, he’d be a gazillionaire.)

The Pups nearly knocked off JMU on Monday, and their reward is a date with Old Dominion. Northeastern doesn’t rebound well and Old Dominion, uh, does. We’re not sure much more needs to be outlined here.

A young team, on the road, still without its best player. What they do poorly is what the other guy does well. ODU 74, Northeastern 56.

Towson at James Madison: The only thing we haven’t really seen from JMU is the game where they put it all together. Yeah, South Florida was pretty good, and so was Kent State–but really there’s been some coasting.

The Tigers are coming off a draining game against ODU two days ago and thin. There’s a lot of letdown for Towson, while a lot of giddyup for JMU. This is one of those games that just doesn’t add up well for them.

This game could break the CAA record for high fives. Both teams get to the line a ton (31st and 34th nationally), and both teams make their free throws. The officials are going to spend a lot of time directing traffic in the lane, and you can expect a long game.

JMU 80, Towson 65.