I didn’t see the SportsCenter bit on Saturday that poked fun at Towson for its 40th straight loss. I can say with total honesty that the time duration it has been since I watched 15 straight minutes of SportsCenter can be measured in years, not weeks or months. It’s unwatchable.

But the fact that they would spend time there–in that manner–has stuck in my crawlspace since I heard about it. It’s far too easy and far too childish to take pot shots at Towson right now. Yeah, grand journalism to poke fun at kids working their asses off in a historically disadvantaged situation. And no, I didn’t see the segment, but I don’t need to see my dog’s poop in the back yard to smell it.

I know it isn’t a ratings bonanza, but ESPN could’ve–within a one-email communication–learned some of the good that’s going on with this team. Things like:

• Robert Nwankwo walked on to the team but earned a scholarship, took last year to focus on academics, and came back to play his senior year when he didn’t have to. Both his parents are doctors, by the way. He isn’t taking the easy way out. Oh, and Nwankwo has seven double-doubles on the year and ranks in the top 20 nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.
• Pat Skerry added two additional members to the academic staff. One travels with the team full-time. The team’s GPA this year is the highest it has been since 2004.
• Will Adams was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease as a senior in high school and he’s spent the last two years in treatment. He was cleared to resume his education and basketball career this past summer. As if that wasn’t enough, Adams missed four games this season with a kidney stone. He returned last weekend at Mason.
• Seven months after playing his final high school basketball game, Kris Walden scored 11 points in his first ever collegiate game in Phog at Kansas.
• Deyon Cook is one of three walk-ons. Cook has been trying for four years to earn a spot on the squad and was finally successful this season. Cook has made four three-pointers, including completing a four-point play against La Salle. Kid’s got a story for his grandchildren now.
• The Tigers may be winless, but have corralled 37.0 percent of their offensive misses, a mark that is second in the CAA. Towson has outrebounded three straight opponents, a stretch that includes games against Old Dominion and George Mason, both of which rank in the top five of the CAA in rebounding margin. How many coaches would kill to have that kind of heart on their squad?

Look, I’m not blind. The fact of the matter is that Towson may not win a single game this year. I believe they are going to get killed tonight against VCU and the streak reaches 42.

This is just one of those times where the decline of standards, journalism, taste, and respect intersect. It’s a time when you decide how you want to view the world: through an ignorant level of cynicism disguised as humor, or through seeing what possibilities exist.

It’s why I’ve missed nothing on ESPN, and why we have it better.

And now it’s on to why you’re here–the games played on the court.

***

Mason (8-1) at Hofstra (1-8): It’s homecoming for Ryan Pearson, who hails from Far Rockaway, NY. (And sometimes Very Far Away Rockaway.) We must also point out this absolutely outstanding and funny piece from Defiantly Dutch. As you may know, Jerry Beach and the Mason Nation have never exchanged Christmas cards. But Beach found a handful he likes.

Here’s why I like Mason in this one, and it has nothing to do with the mirror image records. (I still say HU is going to beat one of the top four teams, but this isn’t the night.) I see a pattern developing.

It has to do with focus. The Patriots carry as much line item talent as anyone in the conference; however their tendency to drift through games and play individually as opposed to collectively is what holds them back. Earlier in January Mason lost to Drexel, played sketchy against JMU, but then–presumably after a self-wake up call–blasted Delaware.

Mason then sleepwalked (or is that sleptwalk?) through Towson and never seemed very interested in UNCW. They are hitting the road, where it’s actually easier to focus.

Mason 75, Hofstra 65.

***

Old Dominion (7-2) at UNCW (4-5): This is another game of road focus, and nobody is better in a devastating to your opponent way when focused than ODU. It may also expose a trend as a problem. For UNCW it’s about turnovers.

The Dubmen are eighth in the CAA, turning the ball over on 21.1% of its possessions. And ODU forces turnovers on 25% of its defensive possessions. While UNCW trails just Northeastern in terms of shooting (49.6 effective FG percentage), they need to first take shots to make shots.

Here’s how it sums. The only game in the last five that UNCW has scored more than 61 points was its only win–68 vs. William & Mary last Saturday. I don’t care if you’re at home–a struggling offense playing against ODU is a cruel way to learn a lesson. The lesson: while everyone has been concerned with defense, the offense has been slipping.

Side note–I know the ODU jerseys were found, but if it’s me I’m holding out for the new ones. They were taken Lord Knows Where and found in a parking lot. There’s not enough laundry detergent in the world to make me shake the thought of what may have happened to them.

ODU 65, UNCW 58.

***

Delaware (5-4) at Northeastern (5-4): This game, barring an unthinkable huge February run, is essentially an elimination game for one of the top four seeds. Both teams are 5-4 and five losses with February looming is a scary proposition.

The Hens are not a bad defensive team–pretty much in the middle of all statistical categories except two-point field goal percentage (42.1% is third) and turnover rate (13% is last). And after the last three games with Georgia State, Drexel, and ODU (56 PPG average) Bill Coen is happy to see just an average defensive team.

Barring outliers the game sets up well for NU. The Huskies have been protecting the ball as of late. When combined with YoUDee’s risk-averse defensive principles, I can see single digit turnovers. Plus, I’d wager a big part of Delaware’s FG% defense is Jamelle Hagins swatting shots like a convict on the run swats mosquitos on a sticky Florida evening. NU isn’t known for block scoring.

Northeastern 67, Delaware 63

***

Georgia State (6-3) at Drexel (7-2): Revenge week begins for Drexel. The Dragons have lost to tonight’s opponent and Saturday’s opponent (Delaware) this year. Bruiser Flint said yesterday that his team didn’t lose to Georgia State. Rather, the Panthers beat them, and they beat them badly.

Ron Hunter’s team officially put itself on the CAA map when his Panthers bludgeoned Drexel 58-44 back on January 2. The Dragons will have a sold out, hot DAC awaiting the rematch. In fact, the DAC will be in all its steamy glory tonight–DAC Pack falling all over the aisles and court.

One line from Doug Roberson set the challenge for me: But you can’t be considered the best team until you can beat a hot team on their floor. It should be a classic rock fight, as Georgia State allows 0.80 points per possession, and Drexel just 0.88.

Drexel 55, Georgia State 49.

***

VCU (7-2) at Towson (0-9): The team that creates the most problems for an offense against the team that is already at the bottom of nearly every offensive category is what a talking head would refer to as a “decided advantage.” Of all the tough matchups for Pat Skerry, this is probably the worst.

VCU 71, Towson 45.

Every now and then we stumble into fans that are our kind of folks. A good friend emailed me yesterday about someone on the Drexel part of the CAAZone message board. This guy clearly enjoys the CAA in the same manner in which we enjoy it. Yesterday, prior to Drexel’s game in Williamsburg, he wrote:

I find the fact that our first game in the Commonwealth of Virginia to be the same day as the official start of the Year of the Dragon to not be coincidental, but a sign. This is the start of a Water Dragon and water is associated with the North. Water’s color is blue while the dragon’s is gold. The dragon’s flower is the Rose (Malik Rose back in the area anyone?). Tonight begins Bru’s glorious March to the RC, begin the Battle of Virginia! Exorcise the demons, tonight is the first step!

That’s awesome.

And indeed, a five-year curse was lifted last night as Drexel dominated William & Mary, 64-48. Dartaye Ruffin played, by far, his best game of the season. Ruffin led the Dragons in scoring with 18 points and hit all eight of his free throws.

The win is Drexel’s seventh straight, and they’ve had six different leading scorers. A smart person I know–who has seen every team in the league in person–told me last night that Drexel is, hands down, the best team in the CAA.

The battle of impressive freshman met expectations. Drexel’s Damion Lee poured in 17 points on 7-12 shooting, and William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton scored 18 points. Word from courtside is that Thornton played harder defensively than he has all season, and again took a step forward in understanding smart basketball.

***

Georgia State held James Madison to one field goal over a 13-minute stretch in the second half and coasted to a 74-58 victory. It was a matter of getting back to the aggressive defense that keyed its strong early season for Ron Hunter’s team. Here’s Doug Roberson’s good and bad.

The Panthers forced 21 James Madison turnovers, had 14 steals, blocked 11 shots, and limited the Dukes to 34.5 percent shooting from the field. GSU also outrebounded JMU, 42-36. Josh Micheaux had a double-double with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, along with six assists. Eric Buckner had 13 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for the Panthers.

As expected, JMU was without Devon Moore, who had injured his wrist late in JMUs previous game against Hofstra.

And welcome to interesting scheduling. Georgia State is at Drexel on Wednesday and then flies home to play VCU on Saturday. When the geography was flopped in early January, the Panthers won both games.

***

Shaka Smart spoke of his team “sticking to its principles” defensively in the second half of last night’s win over Hofstra. There is no better way to sum up the victory. If you don’t believe that, here’s what Mo Cassara had to say:

“In the first half, we were right there. We just ran out of gas a little bit and their pressure wore us down.”

I’ll defer to both actual basketball coaches for the correct perspective on this game. VCU held Hofstra to 17 second half points and 4-20 shooting.

Offensively the Rams put four players in double figures–forget the names, the totals were 14, 12, 10, 10. Like Drexel, the Rams have multiple offensive weapons that they can go to on any given night. But it’s that defense that is the difference-maker. VCU has held six of its nine CAA opponents to less than 60 points and the past two to less than 50 points.

***

Towson hung with Delaware for 31 minutes, trailing by just five with nine minutes to play, but ultimately ran out of gas in Delaware’s 62-43 win. A 20-6 Hens ground-scratch to close the game was the difference.

Delaware brutalized its own rims, going 6-27 from the field in the first half. Of particular concern may be Devon Saddler’s continued struggles from the field. Saddler made 4-15 last night and missed all five three-point attempts. In his last five games, Saddler is 25-77 from the field (32.5%) and 7-31 from three (22.6%). This includes a 6-9 and 2-3 from three in their blowout loss to Mason.

***

Mason could never really shake the Dubmen until a late 9-2 run made a 51-47 gritter a comfy 60-49 stroll home in the game’s final three minutes.

Ryan Pearson was as active as I’ve seen all season. The numbers say 20/12, but Pearson was everywhere, including on the floor for loose balls. He was able to overcome a 1-16 performance from Mason from beyond the arc. Mike Morrison’s ability to limit Keith Rendleman’s touches cannot go without mention. Rendleman never seemed to get the ball in his comfort zone–credit to Morrison there.

The other big number is a 22-2 advantage for Mason on fast break points. When you aren’t shooting well you have to get easy baskets–that’s exactly what they did.

Side note, apropos of nothing: I’m old, so I’m not a fan of these 9pm starts. I must admit I fell asleep late in the second half. Luckily I didn’t miss anything.

***

Down in Norfolk, Ed Miller tells us all about Old Dominion’s 69-57 victory over Northeastern. The key sequence came with about seven minutes to play and ODU holding on to a 49-47 lead. From there it was six minutes of playmaking for ODU.

The Monarchs went on a 15-3 run to lead 64-50 with less than a minute to play. The run featured a three from the much-maligned Marquel Delancey, Kent Bazemore grabbing his own miss and scoring, and Chris Cooper (of all people) hitting Donte Hill for a backdoor layup.

***

STANDINGS, HEADED TO WEDNESDAY

Mason:  8-1

VCU:  7-2

Drexel:  7-2

ODU:   7-2

Georgia State:  6-3

Northeastern:  5-4

Delaware: 5-4

UNCW:   4-5

William & Mary:  2-7

JMU:    2-7

Hofstra:  1-8

Towson:  0-9

When the final buzzer sounds in Fairfax tonight, we’ll be halfway through the regular season. Hard to believe.

In my mind tonight’s games are also the biggest challenge in the five-in-11 grind. Everyone will be fatigued by Wednesday, the fourth game in the stretch. Every coach will have the same message: fight through being tired. And they are correct. But that’s Wednesday. There’s 40 minutes (or more) of basketball yet to play–the third game, the dreaded middle child where “we’re playing a game” excitement begins to be replaced by fatigue.

Tonight represents a conquering of rubbery legs. Players have a varying degree of fatigue and are likely flashing back to some of those October drills that reduced them to a walk that looked more like the Funky Chicken dance.

That can make for some weird games and surprising outcomes. So tonight’s games are a challenge for the favored, our theme of the day. It’s about aggression and pushing through the one-day freshman wall, even if you are a senior.

Drexel (6-2) at William & Mary (2-6): The challenge for Drexel is to shoot a reasonable percentage from the field–Bruiser Flint always quotes 42% as the number–and defend without fouling. Both coaches admitted this morning how the officials call this game is critical to how it plays out.

Drexel plays physical, and William & Mary has killed the Dragons in past years with its Foul Line Parade. The Tribe has won five straight over Drexel in Williamsburg and shot 99-130 from the line in those games. That’s 20-26 per game. Whistles matter. “No time for a pity party,” says Tony Shaver.

Drexel 67, William & Mary 60.

Hofstra (1-7) at VCU (6-2): The challenge here for VCU is not about avoiding a let down. Rather, it’s avoiding a let up. There is a difference, and it surrounds stoking the fire. The Rams will punch Hofstra early, but the Dutchmen are not a glass jaw group.

VCU will have to keep the engine running hot, and it may have to do with Juvonte Reddic. Shaka Smart is practically begging Reddic to play hard every time out. The coach believes the player can be a double-double player every night. This is that kind of night for Reddic, who has size advantage over Hofstra’s front line.

VCU 71, Hofstra 56.

UNCW (4-4) at Mason (7-1): The challenge for Mason is similar to VCU, but very different. The Patriots have to step on the gas pedal early, and keep flooring it. UNCW is playing pretty confident basketball right now and can be a very efficient offensive team. This is the old school “letting them hang around” type of game that can bite you.

Keith Rendleman is going to need clean looks against the Mason aggressive and big front line. In order to get those looks he needs space. Also, Mason has to get UNCW out of sorts on defense–the Seahawks are not a good defensive team, so the less they get to set up the better. That becomes about pace. The faster the better for Mason.

Mason 82, UNCW 69.

JMU (2-6) at Georgia State (5-3): The challenge for Georgia State is tapping their ruby shoes together. The fun run to 5-1 was brought back to Earth with two roadie losses this past week, the last in double overtime. That can drill a team used to losing. This is a game winners win, be it by two points or 20 points. It’s probably a good thing that they have no time to dwell on last week.

Of note, Devon Moore badly sprained his wrist in Saturday’s loss to Hofstra. That may make JMU too one-dimensional against the aggressive matchup zone of the Panthers. Enoch Hood may struggle, and JMU will need double-digit threes.

Georgia State 65, JMU 56.

Towson (0-8) at Delaware (4-4): The challenge for Delaware is to avoid taking a bevy of bad shots, especially threes. Jarvis Threatt is feeling good about himself; however confidence can betray the best of players. And Kyle Anderson is staring full-on at the freshman wall. With Devon Saddler scuffling a little with his shooting percentage, a night of bricks is possible.

It’s really a “run your stuff” evening for the Hens. This oughta’ look old school inside-out: Bob Nwankwo is a beast, but he has to choose between Jamelle Hagins or Josh Brinkley. By starting on the blocks, Delaware should effectively open up good threes. But if Monte Ross’s freshies start acting like freshies, you never know.

Delaware 74, Towson 54.

Northeastern (5-3) at Old Dominion (6-2): This is our game of the night. The challenge for the Monarchs is to set aside everything but what occurs in their huddle. Yes they were blasted by their rivals, and yes they have to wear road uniforms, and yes the turnaround is fast. I’d even wager they start slow and everyone in The Ted gets uncomfortable.

But they cannot let that distract them, or Northeastern will beat them. ODU relies on patterns and execution–you saw what happens when they step out of that comfort zone. What’s more, on defense you can bet they have their hands full with Bill Coen–the league’s best pure tactician. The final challenge is not allowing offense to impact defense–that’s how they weather storms in Norfolk.

ODU 58, NU 55.

Back in October, at the CAAs annual media day gabfest and social brunch, Blaine Taylor made waves–or not, depending on your read of the following quote, provided courtest of VCUs student newspaper the Commonwealth Times–when he declared:

“You can’t value yourself based on the tournament…the tournament can make rock stars out of average people … the tournament is not really the litmus test on whether your team is strong.”

No matter your belief of intent, it was an arrow with a clear target–VCU and Shaka Smart.

That’s why the first five seconds of Smart’s postgame presser in VCUs 61-48 buggy-whipping of Old Dominion are must-watch. Here it is, and it’s awesome.

That folks, is why this rivalry is the best in the conference, and better nationally than given credit. As for the game, VCU harried Old Dominion into 25 turnovers. The Monarchs committed 14 turnovers and took just 16 shots in the second half.

The game’s key sequence came fairly early in the second half. ODU pulled to 38-35 around the 14 minute mark. From there, the Monarchs next seven possessions produced six turnovers and a missed free throw (front-end). VCU didn’t just rest on its defense, though. Troy Daniels changed the course of the game by hitting three threes.

The sequence: ODU turnover, Daniels three. ODU turnover, Daniels three. ODU missed FT, Briante Weber lane jumper. ODU turnover, VCU miss FG. ODU turnover. VCU miss FG, ODU turnover. Daniels three. ODU turnover.

A 38-35 game became 49-35 and VCU momentum–and a fevered crowd–were set to 11. VCU had scored 14 points on six possessions and ODU zippo on seven possessions.

ODU played poorly, for sure. The Monarchs threw passes off the backboard and missed dunks. However VCU influenced most of the turnovers.

Two stand out to me. First Donte Hill attempted a baseline spin move, and in his rush to make the move before a double team arrived flipped the basketball to the VCU cheerleaders. And Trian Illiadis, after dribbling past the first line of VCUs press, continued to the basket where he got himself into no man’s land, up in the air, and gave the ball to a VCU defender.

There’s one other aspect to Smart’s havoc that became clear to me last night and is actually probably the best single play to describe last night. I’ll call it loose ball havoc. On one play an inbounds pass sailed over the head of Kent Bazemore. Before Bazemore could react, Darius Theus scooped up the loose ball and sprinted for the hoop. Theus laid in the ball and drew a silly foul on Bazemore.

It seems many of VCUs steals are generated when they force a ball out of possession and beat the opponent to the loose ball. Effort plays, in the parlance of a coach. However part of the mental toll is taking advantage of an opponent who is trying to make up for a bad play.

It’s worth noting that Illiadis, who scored 19 points and was the reason ODU beat Hofstra last weekend, only managed to take two shots. He committed four turnovers.

Can’t wait for the rematch–Saturday, February 11.

***

Game one of the CAAHoops twi-night doubleheader saw UNCW parry William & Mary 68-66.

It was one of those games where one team (UNCW) stakes itself to a high single digit lead in the first half, and every time the home team got it back to about four points (W&M), the leaders stretched the lead back out.

However one critical second half sequence doomed the Tribe. They had trimmed their deficit to that four point margin, but missed layups–not short jumpers, but actual layups–on three straight possessions kept them from slicing further.

William & Mary would eventually put a late move and take a slim, short lead, but the Dubmen made plays late and pulled away. Freddie Jackson was particularly impressive in how he managed the floor, frequently slicing into the lane and finding open men.

A key to this game: Tony Shaver ran a second defender at Keith Rendleman every time he touched the ball on the baseline. UNCW passed well out of the double-team–Tanner Milson hit four threes, three in the first half, on a slow to rotate Tribe defense. Milson had made four threes in the previous five games combined.

UNCW shot 56% for the game and made 8-18 threes, scoring 1.11 points per possession. It’s worth noting that the Dubmen played much better defense than in its previous two games–both losses.

***

Mason labored past Towson 72-60 and Drexel bombed NU 71-53. Sherrod Wright led the Patriots with 22 points and nobody else managed to hit double figures. It was sloppy, unfocused 40 minutes for Mason, and they were outrebounded 43-30 and allowing 22 offensive rebounds.

The encouraging thing for Mason fans: everybody knows it. Coaches cannot stand to coach effort, but in this case the players can see the error of their ways.

The best part? Bill Murray was in attendance. Murray’s son Luke is a coach on the Towson staff.

The Dragons knocked down 9-14 from three–including six-for-six from Derrick Thomas in its blowout win. Chris Fouch continues to struggle–he played a season-low 12 minutes and missed both his three-pointers. Fouch is now 6-24 from three in the seven CAA games since the start of the New Year.

Notable: Frantz Massenat had a stat-sheet filling 11 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

***

Hofstra debageled itself at JMU, 71-69. Steven Mejia converted a three-point play with 6.1 seconds remaining to lift the Pride. The play came after Enoch Hood slammed home his fourth dunk of the game and converted the free throw–he was fouled by Mejia–to give JMU the lead.

On the winning possession, JMU switched to a 1-3-1 zone to slow down Hofstra’s attack but the Pride went into the teeth of the defense and was rewarded. Nat Lester scored 17 of his team-high 23 points in the second half. The Pride made 52% of its shots and has not lost in Harrisonburg since 2003.

***

YouDee dropped Georgia State in double overtime, 77-74. The Hens misfired on its first 14 shots and was trailing 14-0 after about eight minutes, but chipped away behind freshman Jarvis Threatt, who scored 30 points.

Threatt hit four straight threes to close out the first half and made 6-9 overall from beyond the arc and 10-15 total field goals in the game. His outburst allowed Delaware to trail by just two at the break after such an awful start.

“To get down the way we did today and fight back really shows the quality we have in that locker room,” said Monte Ross. “When you’re struggling and in a little bit of a rough patch like we were in the last three ballgames and then you get down in your fourth ballgame, if you don’t have strong leadership in your locker room it could have very easily gone south.”

Georgia State violated two late game staples: make plays, and make free throws. Eric Buckner had a chance to give the Panthers the victory in regulation, but made just one of two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play. Buckner also had a point blank stickback at the buzzer of overtime rim out.

The Panthers will likely be shooting free throws today–they were 7-15 from the line for the game.

With two overtimes there will obviously be some gaudy offensive numbers. Three players carded double/doubles: Eric Buckner (19/15, with four blocks); Brandon McGee (12/10), and Jamelle Hagins (12/11 with seven blocks) had his 11th of the season.

However it was also the ironman game, worth keeping an eye on as we move to Monday and the rest of the week. Four Panthers played 44 or more minutes (Buckner, McGee, Jhad Ali, and Devonta White). Three Blue Hens played 41 or more minutes: Josh Brinkley (41); Kyle Anderson (47); and Devon Saddler played all 50 minutes.

A double-dipper is doable tomorrow. Lunch and a little shopping in Williamsburg in advance of the 2pm WM/UNCW game, then back to Richmond for the night’s festivities of ODU and VCU.

Any chance the CAA will go to a 28-game regular season?

***

UNCW (3-4) at William & Mary (2-5): The Pugs slog back to their friendly confines having dropped three straight non-Towson games. Here’s the thing that is working itself out: Brandon Britt and Marcus Thornton are both at their best with the basketball in their hands, driving to the rim. They are Tony Shaver’s two most talented players.

That creates a problem with them on the floor together since even the Globetrotters play with one basketball at a time. That’s a tough nut to crack when you’re two best players are struggling to play together–not  for lack of trying, but for similar weaponry.

Last night we saw a take-charge Thornton, and a team with resolve. Despite the loss to VCU the Tribe took a gargantuan step forward. At no point did they back down, and they proved successful even with Quinn McDowell fouling out. The bottom line is that you have to win basketball games, but this is a team finding itself.

The Dubmen could be the ideal tonic. The only CAA squad in seven they’ve held to less that 1.08 points per possession was the win at NU on January 4. Still, it’s a known issue and being dealt with inside, literally.

Trevor Deloach, after Wednesday’s loss to JMU, told Brian Mull:

“We don’t defend. Our guards, we don’t defend as guards. That’s really hurtin’ us. It just comes to effort and focus. It ain’t really what coach is doing, it ain’t what our teammates are doing. It’s just as an individual you’ve got to look inside and be a man and want to stop the man in front of you.”

This game just smells like a Rendleman 24/12 double-double, but the Tribe finally hits its stride shooting in its comfy home. Overanalysis point: The Dubmen fall back to protect the lane, and the W&M shooters play bombs away, making double-digit threes.

Tribe 73, UNCW 70.

***

Georgia State (5-2) at Delaware (3-4): This is Saturday’s game of intrigue. The Hens are monumentally a better team at home, and I believe Wednesday night was more about George Mason than it was about Delaware.

Ron Hunter’s team is dealing with its first bit of true adversity. A tight loss at Mason is certainly okey-dokey on the psyche, but the Panthers walked into Matthews believing they would win and were literally bombed out of the building. I want to see how they respond.

The funny thing about Georgia State is that they have a lunatic coach–more words per minute than anybody I’ve ever seen with a mic in front of him, and a task-master quality to his on court demeanor that reduces Bruiser to silver medalist. But the basketball team is remarkably even-keeled. It’s quite an interesting paradigm.

So I like the Panthers to bounce back because they haven’t fallen far emotionally. It doesn’t hurt that Mason had its way with Delaware in the midrange–an area critical to GSU success. When you factor that Delaware shoots 27.4% from three in conference games, and was wholly unmotivated on defense, this becomes academic.

Panthers 64, Hens 57.

***

Towson (0-7) at Mason (6-1): Two fan bases are going to throw stones at me for this next statement: Mason has do everything it can to mimic what Old Dominion did on Wednesday.

What I mean is that they need to play focused, disciplined, and consistent basketball. The goal is to allow the talent gap to do its job, avoiding sloppiness. A distribution of minutes is vital as we get into the heart of the five-game flurry.

Here’s Patrick Stevens, a CAAHoops favorite, with additional detail.

Mason 81, Towson 46.

***

Northeastern (5-2) at Drexel (5-2): I’ll say it–the Dragons are doing the kinds of things championship teams do during this part of the season. Drexel is beating contenders at home (Mason, VCU) and not letting down on the road (UNCW, Hofstra).

Here’s something you may not have noticed: over their past five games, all wins since their loss to Georgia State, the Dragons have had five different players lead them in scoring. And I cannot underestimate this fact: Chris Fouch still has not played well.

Plus, Daryl McCoy is averaging 6.5ppg and 9.3rpg in their last four games, and very importantly is staying on the floor–he’s fouled out just four times all season. Finally, we’re far enough into the season to make this statement–Frantz Massenat is one of, if not the, most improved players in the conference.

And Bill Coen scoffs. (Not really. Coen is way too respectful to actually scoff. But he knows his team’s capabilities.)

The Huskies have won six of seven games, and here’s a stat you don’t know: NU is the CAAs leading shooting team in conference games–48.9% from two and 37.1% from three are both second. Combine those to get Northeastern’s effective field goal percentage of 51.2%, tops in the league.

Plus, Jon Lee is becoming awfully comfy in the hybrid point guard role and you need to pay attention to Quincy Ford, who may be your freshman of the year by late February.

For all the analysis and numbers, this one is going to come down to an oldie but goodie: shooting. Drexel is huge and Samme Givens will get plenty of looks. NU is confident and can certainly make it rain.

I like the guys closer to the basket.

Drexel 55, Northeastern 50.

***

Old Dominion (6-1) at VCU (5-2): Here’s a short feature I wrote last year to shine a light to those unfamiliar with this incredible rivalry. Last season only added to the legend. VCU got ODU in Norfolk, and ODU returned the favor in Richmond.

And of course the CAA final was even better–ODU hit 5-7 threes in the first half and took an 18-point second half lead before VCU sliced the margin to one. ODU held on for the 70-65 win and automatic bid, but many believe VCUs resolve proved some things to some people who gathered in a room 10 days later. Cruel rivalry irony there.

It was also the national coming out party for Blaine Taylor’s “All Hat, No Horse” rally cry.

As for this game and this year, VCU is not the sheepish rebounding team its been for the past two seasons. As Hofstra proved last week, ODU can be battled close on the glass. That aspect has always been ODUs differentiating factor against VCU.

In fact, the Rams are the second best offensive rebounding team in the CAA (38.2 offensive rebounding percentage in conference games) and the fifth best defensive rebounding team, grabbing 68% of defensive boards. Finally, I find it hard to believe VCU will shoot 2-22 from three, as they did last night against W&M.

ODUs has won four straight, but there’s this: three of their past four wins have been over Towson (2x) and Hofstra–that’s 0-21. VCU hasn’t exactly lined up against the ’27 Yankees, but they’ve thrashed middle-tier CAA teams.

We’re loving the way Trian Illiadis is playing right now. He’s a breath of fresh air to the sometimes stagnant ODU offense. The key is going to be side-to-side passing from VCU to mitigate Kent Bazemore picking passes.

VCU 64, ODU 56.

***

Hofstra (0-7) at James Madison (2-5): This game is the Peanuts comic strip game of the week. The only way Mo Cassara has not seen his team lose a game is by Tom Yeager pulling the football away when he tries to kick it. And Matt Brady feels like he keeps getting a rock put in his Halloween bag. 

The Dukes are getting killed from behind the arc in conference play. They shoot it at 24.8% (11th) and allow teams to swish 41.4% of their threes (last). That bodes well for gunnery seargent Mike Moore.

On the other side, Hofstra is allowing CAA teams to make 51.2% of their two-point shots (11th). That bodes well for the JMU radio guy:  ”Devon Moore into the lane, dish to Enoch Hood, his layup is good.”

Ultimately, that’s where I find the difference in this game–very similar to Wednesday in that Dwan McMillan and Steven Mejia will struggle to keep Moore out of the paint. Plus, Humpty Hitchens can shoot with Moore.

James Madison 68, Hofstra 64.

Four minutes into last night’s summa cum rock fight between VCU and W&M–won by VCU in overtime–the score was Juvonte Reddic 11, William & Mary 2.  Reddic hit foul line jumpers, jump hooks, and took a steal the length of the floor for a dunk. It was an awesome display–94 feet of basketball skill. It looked for all the world that it was going to be a long night.

We were exactly right, and 100% wrong.

The Tribe never let VCU get too far away from them, whittling the VCU lead to two with about 10 minutes play, and traded punches with VCU for the next 15 minutes. It made the contest best game I’ve seen all season.

In the end, Darius Theus hit a late three to keep VCU tied in regulation, and then made a spinning layup with 9.8 seconds to play to provide the margin of victory. (Reddic scored 19 first half points and finished with 28 points and six steals.)

Marcus Thornton played 41 minutes and scored 22 points lead the Tribe, and #Beasthoven chipped in a 10/12 double-double. VCUs Treveon Graham did not make a field goal, but hit 10 free throws. VCU played the last minute of regulation and all of overtime without a DQd Bradford Burgess–and W&M played four minutes of overtime without The Mighty Quinn for his rule-breaking five fouls.

And those are sticking points to this game.

I texted a smart person I know late in the contest “how many times has Jerry Heater blown his whistle–472?” My point was that we were watching an outstanding basketball game, a true rock fight, and I mean that in a positive way, that had absolutely no flow to it. A whistle seemed to blow every 12 seconds. This was around the under 4 media timeout.

Now, I’m not saying the officials we good, bad, or ugly. Just awfully prevalent in the game–including a tremendously questionable offensive foul call on Brandon Britt with 1:29 to play and William & Mary holding a 66-65 lead in overtime. It was in the open floor, 40 feet from the basket.

Tony Shaver, however, did have a comment.

“Quinn’s fourth and fifth fouls were phantom calls…I thought Brandon Britt’s offensive foul was incredible. I could go right down the list, but it does no good, that’s for sure. We both got to the foul line a lot.”

But the real story is William & Mary’s resolve, Thornton’s maturation, Reddic’s unreal half and Theus’s heroics. An overtime rock fight on national teevee in front of a raucous sellout crowd.

We have it better.

Weekend action preview coming shortly.

We have to start with the standings:

Mason: 6-1

Old Dominion: 6-1

Georgia State: 5-2

Drexel: 5-2

Northeastern: 5-2

VCU: 4-2

Delaware: 3-4

UNCW: 3-4

William & Mary: 2-4

James Madison: 2-5

Hofstra: 0-7

Towson: 0-7

The separation implication of tonight’s game is obvious: if VCU can beat W&M at home, we have four 5-2 teams and two 6-1 teams. We’re staring at six teams vying for four spots.

**

Last night, Northeastern rode a flurry of first half threes–8-10 in all, including a Joel Smith 4-4 perfection–past Georgia State. The game looked suspiciously like the stat lines, with the difference being the 11-21 overall performance for NU from three.

Georgia State got the game to 58-57 with 15 seconds left, but Jon Lee hit two free throws before a Jihad Ali miss from three with five seconds to go.

“We talked about it in our game preparation,” said Bill Coen. “Swing, swing, attack and really look for each other and be aggressive. The guys know we want them to shoot it and the guys took it to heart.”

Ron Hunter was proud of his team’s effort.

“Road games in the CAA are tough. After getting down by 10, our team fought back and showed great effort. They never quit and I am proud of them for that. They showed me tonight that they really wanted to win and they left everything out on the court.”

However the takeaway is ironic, in that we’re using Georgia State as the comparison: NU is now 1-0 during a brutal stretch of their schedule. They have far more confidence in themselves than you do.

Pointless stat from last night: NU nine total first half rebounds, and NU/GSU had a combined 19 total rebounds. In teh first half of its game at Hofstra, Drexel had 21 rebounds itself and Frantz Massenat nine rebounds on his own.

***

There were two lopsided victories last night. Here’s Ed Miller with the detail, if you’re concerned, of ODUs thumping of Towson. We like Miller’s word choice–workmanlike–and ODUs 29-5 run to open the second half.

And here’s Steven Goff on Mason’s blowout win over Delaware. Again, to us it’s the eight turnovers that stand out. And Paul Hewitt’s quote:

Asked what the difference was against visiting Delaware, Hewitt paused, smiled and said: “I’ve got no idea. It’s the same plays; we were cleaner, more efficient tonight. We make some plays sometimes [where] I just scratch my head. We watch them on film, I ask [the players] and they say, ‘I have no idea, Coach.’

We joked yesterday that Mason was inching up the hill all season, getting a tiny bit better every game. Last night was leap.

***

Mo Cassara has seen an opponent drill a contested three in the game’s final seconds to beat his Dutchmen. He’s watched his 84% free throw shooter miss twice with 23 seconds to play, critical in another loss.

And last night one of his players accidentally tipped in a Drexel free throw, and then suffered the ultimate tough luck. With 17 seconds to play, trailing by two points, Mike Moore drove the lane. Drexel’s Frantz Massenat slid over to draw a charge. I didn’t see it so I cannot comment, but Massenat was either in, or darn near, the charge/block arc.

Whistle. Charge. Offensive foul. Drexel wins.

Granted, allowing a 6-0 lead to become a 14-7 deficit in the first half due to a 10-minute dry spell doesn’t help, but for crap sake can Cassara catch a break?

***

Humpty Hitchens scored 17 first half points and a career-high 27 points for the game and James Madison beat its every-game dry spell to also defeat UNCW in Trask. Enoch Hood dropped 14 points, the beneficiary of a pile of two-footers when JMU guards got into the lane and dished when teh defense reacted.

 Brian Mull’s report gives you everything you need to know. This includes this gem: There was a lot of talk about manhood in the postgame press conference.

The Dukes went more than five minutes without scoring and found its 11-point lead gone. But they got off the deck, started attacking the rim at will, and pummeled the Seahawks with a late 9-0 run.

Depending upon how you choose to do the math, today begins the dreaded four-in-eight stretch for CAA teams. Or five-in-11.

For the uninitiated, because during his reign in the 1500s Pope Gregory XIII was unable to foresee Tom Yeager’s plan to expand the CAA to 12 teams–nor anticipate the scourge that is ESPNs Bracketbusters–our calendar has one fewer week than it needs in order for the 18-game CAA season to play out on a Wednesday-Saturday rhtythm.

That’s why we have the weird single game in early December, and that’s why there’s one week each season, if the calendar cooperates, the conference plops a Monday game in the middle of the normal flow. Hence, we get games on Wednesday, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.

Now, the way I choose to do the math is to include tonight’s games and next Saturday so that we play five-in-11. (Or five-in-10 days if you’re Shaka Smart or Tony Shaver.)

Dave Fairbank does a much better job explaining it.

However you choose to do the math, fans love it but coaches hate it. I have the answer that would make everyone happy. But anyway, this stretch falls in a key moment for our six contenders for four spots.

Mason has the best/easiest road. Four of the five are at home, against Delaware, Towson, UNCW, and JMU. The one roadie is at Hofstra. I believe the Patriots are staring at 10-1. (Side note: we’re fans. We don’t have to take them one game at a time. Get over it.)

Drexel has three at home and the second easiest tour: Northeastern, Georgia State, and Delaware visit the DAC. The Dragons are on The Island tonight and head to Williamsburg on Monday. I can see 8-2 clearly, but 7-3 is no disaster.

Old Dominion is at Towson, at VCU, home to Northeastern, at UNCW, then home to William & Mary. No horrible road trips, unless you count the low mile, high octane VCU game. I think ODU hits the end of this month 8-2.

VCU bookends big games after tomorrow’s game with the Tribe. The Rams host ODU and Hofstra before traveling to Towson and finally to Georgia State. I can easily see 7-2 and a plane ride to Atlanta with a lot on the line.

The Panthers play ping pong after tonight’s Matthews visit: at Delaware, home JMU, at Drexel, home VCU. Interestingly, I think the Panthers drop one of the roadies with NU (spoiler alert???), YouDee, or DeeYou. They may also be 7-2 hosting VCU.

Northeastern is front loaded and has a brutal stretch–the Huskies host Georgia State, travel to Drexel, then to ODU, before coming home for Delaware and Hofstra. Icky-poo. Let’s say they win those last two homers and lose two of three of the first troika. That leaves an opportunity for a good vibrations 3-2 stretch. Not possible? We were saying the same kinds of things about Georgia State’s run through Virginia two weeks ago.

***

However tonight’s games (and we’ll co-opt W&M/VCU into the mix) have their own storylines. The top eye-catcher in my mind is the possibility that we’ll start to see some separation in the standings. Four of the six teams in the 5-1/4-2 donnybrook play four of the six teams in the 3-3/below scrumshackle.

The lone game of the contenders matches Georgia State and Northeastern, and that features the subplot of being a game that may be a race to 50 points. So let’s start there.

Georgia State (5-1) at Northeastern (4-2): I admit I’m still a little weirded out that NU is 1-2 at home and 3-0 on the road. The Huskies have traditionally struggled on the road and made life tough for the visitors.

The big question in my mind is whether or not someone not named Lee or Smith can lead NU to victory. Here’s what I mean: that Georgia State zone is death to perimeter attacks. The Panthers move very well and don’t get enough credit for their communication on defense–they do an outstanding job recovering to the point of attack.

However the zone can be exploited from the sides and baseline–the faster you can pass the ball side-to-side, the more openings you can create. The key for NU is getting Qunicy Ford the ball in the low perimeter, or Ryan Pierson’s ability to pass from the deep low block.

Lazy passes will doom NU. Also, neither team is exactly gifted offensively, and both play hard-nosed defense. Somebody finishes in the 40s.

Georgia State 54, Northeastern 49.

***

Delaware at George Mason: This game will be the most fun to watch take shape. Will it become a boxing match down low–Hagins and Brinkley versus Pearson and Morrison? Or will Devon Saddler and Andre Cornelius trade Barea Dashes up and down the court?

This is the sit back and enjoy matchup of the night, but we like the Patriots here for one reason–more depth at the guard spot. Plus, it feels like Vaughan Gray is getting better, and the YouDee freshmen (Kyle Anderson and Khalid Lewis) have tippy-toed up to the freshman wall.

Assuming the Mason guards don’t star firing passes to our loyal readers and hot dog vendors, the Patriots should slowly pull away.

Mason 69, Delaware 62.

***

Drexel at Hofstra: When we were plotting our one-week view of The Association last week, we saw this as the trap game for the Dragons. We’ve not changed our minds and if anything believe this to be a major trapper.

Hofstra has lost five of its six CAA games by a total of 19 points. I’m a believer that breaks eventually even out. Plus, the Dutchmen are not really desperate as much as they are hopeful. Even after the tough ODU loss on Saturday, the team had good body language.

You take that, plus Hofstra at home, plus HU being able to rebound with Drexel, plus Drexel feeling very good about themselves right now–and add Brusier Flint’s annual trepidation of his players back home playing in front of family and friends–and you have a great big Trap Stew.

My choice is just like when you catch the ball in the middle of a press–you have to look opposite.

Drexel 64, Hofstra 58.

***

JMU at UNCW: Buzz Peterson, suspended because he was double-t’d and tossed from Saturday’s JMU game, had the second best line of the week when he said that he wasn’t sure where he’d be during this game, that he may be at Ruth’s Chris eating dinner with his wife. Culinary tip–Wilmington has far better choices for dinner.

As for the game, it’s a matter of confidence. The Dubmen made just 10-35 threes in two double-digit losses last week and have struggled to defend five dead guys propped up. James Madison has lost five straight in the CAA and not topped 40 percent shooting from the field during its skid, hitting a combined 105-of-282 (37 percent).

We fall back on old habits for games like this: if the differentiator is how you’re feeling, give me the home team.

UNCW 80, JMU 72.

***

Old Dominion at Towson: This is the first of the rematch games in the Association. The Monarchs took down Towson 75-38 on January 7.

Really, its’ about progress for both teams. ODU needs to avoid the early hole it finds itself in every game, and Towson just needs to “play well.” This means fewer turnovers, hitting the glass, and 40 minutes of defense.

Old Dominion 65, Towson 45.

***

William & Mary at VCU: You can throw the records out when these two teams get together, and it isn’t because of a heated rivalry. Tony Shaver just always seems to be so prepared for VCU they confound the Rams. Last year VCU hung on at home 59-55 when Quinn McDowell inexplicably missed a late free throw.

These two programs have been linked in odd ways for years. Shaver’s son Austin was on Anthony Grants’s staff when the Tribe beat VCU in the 2008 CAA tournament. It produced one of the great alltime CAA anecdotes. After the upset win the younger Shaver was expectedly unsure how he should react. Grant put him at ease with a direct “Austin, you can be happy for your father; nobody is questioning your loyalty” handling of the situation.

Tonight, we have last year’s W&M assistant Jamion Christian–one of the great young minds in the CAA–now working this year for Shaka Smart. Without a single bit of negativity or untoward thoughts, this is an advantage for VCU. It’s just a fact.

For William & Mary to compete, they are going to need to grab those bloodhound rebounds–missed threes that bound away and are tracked down by a guard, or hustling big man. I’m looking at you, Kendrix Brown. Also, Marcus Thornton and Quinn McDowell need 15 shots. Each, not combined. We’ll get deeper into the importance of bloodhound rebounds in the coming days.

VCU 74, William & Mary 58.

***

Buzz Peterson’s line was the second best of the week. The best belongs to Shaka Smart (courtesy Tim Pearrell):

“The day after the Drexel (loss), we turned the clock off (in practice) and told the guys, ‘It doesn’t matter how long we’re here. We could be here forever. But we’re going to get this stuff right.’ That helped our guys realize it’s not a matter of getting through a drill or trying to get to the next thing. It’s a matter of doing what you’re doing at a high level.”

A few links, stats, and notes to tide you over for a smidge…lots later that can’t yet make it out of the hopper…

Georgia State giving back to its community in a flat-out awesome way.  

Mark Selig offers insight into Matt Brady’s struggles during a tough year, by Matt Brady.

Brian Mull debuts another weekly must-read.

And some data, per the outssanding conference office:

Road Teams Have Early Success: Road teams went 6-6 last week, continuing an early-season trend of success by visiting squads. Through the first 36 conference contests, home teams are only 19-17 (.528). Old Dominion moved to 3-0 on the road in CAA play after edging Delaware 68-66 in overtime last Wednesday, while Northeastern also improved to 3-0 on the road after winning 64-62 at Hofstra. George Mason also has three CAA road victories (3-1). Six of the league’s 12 teams are .500 or better on the road in CAA play.

Youth Is Served: All 12 CAA teams have at least one freshman on their team who is averaging better than 16 minutes per game and each CAA team has had a freshman start at least two games. Four freshmen are among the CAA’s top 30 in scoring: UNCW’s Adam Smith, Drexel’s Damion Lee, W&M’s Marcus Thornton and UD’s Kyle Anderson.

Doubling Up: Twelve CAA players have already recorded two or more double-doubles this season. ODU senior Chris Cooper and YouDee junior Jamelle Hagins have recorded a league-best 10 double-doubles. Hagins had a streak of seven straight from Nov. 26-Dec. 19. Cooper and Hagins are tied for 9th in the nation in double-doubles as of Jan. 16. UNCW’s Keith Rendleman has eight double-doubles, George Mason’s Ryan Pearson has six and Towson’s Robert Nwankwo has five. Eleven of the 12 CAA teams have a player with at least one double-double.

VCU’s Burgess Leads Nation In Consecutive Starts: VCU senior Bradford Burgess has made 128 consecutive starts, which is the longest active streak in Division I basketball and is the VCU and CAA all-time record. With 15 more starts, Burgess would pass Patrick Ewing’s record of 142 straight starts at Georgetown. Burgess ranks first on the CAA’s career scoring list among active players with 1,455 points.

The coaches go today at 10am–we’ll back back later today with quotes of interest. Until then, enjoy 2,300 weekend words.

***

Defense is a matter of concentration and buying in to the system. What’s more, defense is also–cliche alert!–a matter of effort. As Monte Ross once said, there isn’t a player or coach in the country that can stop you from playing hard.

While defense may or may not win championships–more on that later–it keeps you in games. Because of all of those factors, freshmen make more of an impact on the defensive end. And that, of course, helps to explain why defenses are dominating The Association right now. It’s why we’re using the term rock fight quite a bit–it’s real.

Five teams are holding its opposition to less than 60 points per game, and the leader is Georgia State. Five. Ron Hunter came to Atlanta talking about running and playing fast and he is the worst offender (not that Hunter is complaining). The Panthers are third (behind UNCW and Hofstra) with 68.3 possessions per game and have allowed an incredible 0.73 points per possession. In six conference games, GSU is allowing opponents 49.2 points per game.

There’s more in the rock sack. Teams are shooting 30.9% against Georgia State. Your comparison stat: 11 of the 12 teams are shooting greater than 38% for the season and Towson is at 33.1%.

One other interesting stat before we get into the weekend. Guess who is leading the CAA in three point percentage? ODU at 35.7%. Who is second? Drexel at 35.6%.

***

Some days, a simple plan turns into a lot of words.

There was a plan as to “how” I was going to watch the Old Dominion/Hofstra game on Saturday. I feel like we pick on the Monarchs for their offensive ineptitude, and I wanted to see if we were being fair. A big part of that evaluation was looking at it from the wholly opposite angle–how many times did ODU get three or more stops in a row.

My theory was to credit ODU with being an average, or slightly-below average, offensive team, prone to ugly lulls with the basketball in their hands. I wondered if, spread over 40 minutes, those lulls balance out with burst of offensive brilliance—they will eventually hit a few shots in a row—and the goal is holding down an opponent defensively until a lull becomes a burst.

Boy, was I rewarded.

ODU started the game 1-8 from the field, committing four turnovers and a technical foul. They trailed the Pride 16-3 six minutes into the game. (Insert familiar ghastly offensive reference.) Immediately after that ugliness, a 9-0 run ensued behind Trian Illiadis. It took just two minutes for the nine points.

Then, with Hofstra up 21-15, the Pride committed nine turnovers and were 2-7 from the field over its next 14 possessions. ODU played marginal (at best) offense in that stretch, using the defensive intensity to grab a 27-26 lead. The defense allowed a sputtering offense time to right itself.

The second half provided the defensive hammer.

Old Dominion trailed 46-37 after a Nat Lester jumper with a little less that 17 minutes to play. Over the next 14 minutes, the Pride were held to one field goal (1-14 total) and committed six turnovers. ODU had scored 26 points in that stretch and led 63-55.

In hindsight, the Old Dominion offense looked better than average for two minutes in the first half. The Monarchs played a staunch defense that kept them close to Hofstra.

In the second half ODU found a rhythm by being opportunistic when Hofstra got loose with the basketball. Through the middle part of the second half ODU capitalized on its opponent’s mistakes–they didn’t have to play great offense but they–another cliche alert!–made plays. That’s how you flip a game in which you don’t really look that good.

As for the game, the Pride was not lacking effort and they didn’t back down one bit. However that was also their undoing. Too many times they tried to beat the ODU zone in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock and forced the ball into traffic. The result was innumerable turnovers where ODU simply picked a fumbled ball up off the floor.

Now, if I’m an ODU season ticket holder, I may show up late to every game in order to save some agony. The Monarchs are 4-1 since the beginning of the New Year, but have sputtered at the outset of games:

• Trail 16-3 vs. Hofstra
• Trail 14-5 vs. Delaware
• Trail 4-0 and 8-7  vs. Towson
• Trail 19-10 vs. Mason (only loss)
• Trail 26-16 vs. JMU

***

Later in the day, VCU would reward my closer look at defense. The Rams held down Devon Saddler, forcing him into an uncomfortable 3-19 shooting day in the VCU win.

In fact, VCU held Delaware scoreless for the first nine minutes of Saturday’s game, harassing the Hens into an 0-12 start with five turnovers. The Rams only scored eight points of their own during that stretch—more proof that consistent defense allows an offense to catch up.

Side note stat: dating back to Thursday night’s game against JMU, the Rams went a span of 16:57 without allowing a field goal and a total of just two points to its opponent.

Conventional wisdom says that VCUs defense is predicated on steals and turnovers—havoc creating opportunities and extra possessions for the offense. And that is absolutely correct. The scary part for their opponents—they aren’t a one-trick pony.

VCU managed to force just 11 turnovers against YouDee, a season low. However VCU held Delaware to a season-low 31% shooting. The Hens 3-18 performance from three was the second best effort for VCU from beyond the arc (1-11 to Alabama was the best).

Here’s what is particularly encouraging for Shaka Smart—his players get it.

“We know that no matter how we’re shooting the ball, that our defense is what is going to win games,” Brad Burgess said postgame. “If we stay focused on the defensive end for 40 minutes, we’re always going to have a chance to win.”

What’s more, the Rams are hitting the glass—a decided weakness over the past two seasons. VCU outrebounded Delaware 46-44 and have now outrebounded 10 of its last 12 opponents. The Rams trail only Old Dominion in CAA games in offensive rebounding.

Defense in the open floor; defense in half court, rebound, and hit timely shots. There you go.

***

You want to know how weird this season has been, just six games in? We’re about to recap Drexel, and we’re going to rave about outstanding offense.

The Dragons fairly pummeled UNCW, and it was a display of outstanding offense that carried the day. Before we get carried away today, let’s note Drexel also played superior defense. They were bigger, longer, and more aggressive than UNCW. The D consistently pushed UNCW out of its spots.

However we’ve come to expect that from Drexel. As Anthony Grant used to say, they played to their identity. The aggressive play heated up Buzz Peterson to the point that he was double t’d and tossed with about 13 minutes to play. (By rule, Peterson must sit out this week’s game against JMU.)

It’s the offense we want to call out. Again. While UNCW is playing the league’s worst defense, this has been brewing for Drexel.

You saw what Damion Lee did to Mason and Frantz Massenat did to VCU. This team can do all the big guy stuff it used to do, but in addition to Chris Fouch, the Dragons have Lee’s pure shooting and Massenat’s driving to provide those multiple weapons. And there’s that jersey-thread-counting defense.

Those conspired to create a 19-3 first half run that essentially put away UNCW. If there was any doubt, Drexel hit 5-7 from the field to open the second half. It’s offense in Philly! In years past, if Drexel’s top two offensive options were shut down or having off nights, the Dragons were toast. That isn’t the case this year. Before this game, Drexel beat VCU and Mason with Fouch and Samme Givens scoring a grand total of 26 points.

Two Dragons (Massenat and Lee) are in the top 10 in the CAA in three point field goal percentage. Massenat leads the conference at 12-22, 54.5%. Notable there: the name Chris Fouch is nowhere to be found. Yet.

Want more? The Dragons lead the CAA in free throw shooting at 75%. Lee and  Givens are tied for second overall—both are 15-17 for 88.2%. So that we’re clear about this, you must note that Givens’s high water mark for free throw shooting was his freshman season—59%. He hit 52.9% last season.

A couple weeks back we were chastised for believing that Drexel’s ultimate success will reside with great guard play—that we know they play defense and we know they force feed the post. However the belief is that multiple weapons on the perimeter is what will make this team great.

That’s what we’re seeing now.

As for Peterson’s ejection, both coaches are displaeased. According to Brian Mull:

“I’m not making any comment, because when I do my report, I never get a response back from our league office, or from our commissioner,” Peterson said. “I was not trying to do anything to get the attention of our players. Did I deserve the first one? Yes. Did I deserve the second one? No.”

And Bruiser supported Buzz:

“I don’t know what he said, or anything like that,” Flint said. “But the referees have got to know that the two technicals mean you don’t coach the next night. I’ve been saying that for years. I don’t even know why we’ve got the rule. There’s nothing he could’ve said – unless he put his hands on the guy – to get two quick techs and get thrown out of the game. I don’t understand it.” 

***

The officials were throwing the rocks in the Mason/James Madison game, won by Mason 88-83. Here’s what you need to know, courtesy of JMU SID Kevin Warner:

In a slow-paced game that took two hours and 27 minutes, the teams combined for 63 personal fouls and 89 free throw attempts.  Mason went 33-for-48 at the foul line while Madison was 27-for-41.  The 60 combined made free throws were the most in a JMU game since the Dukes and Patriots combined to go 60-for-88 on Jan. 30, 1999 in Fairfax.  The 89 combined attempts were the most dating back to at least the 1985 season.

As for the action, Mason led JMU by 24 with about eight minutes to play, but saw the padding shrink to five after an Arman Marks three with 59 seconds to play. However the Patriots dug in and held on for the win.

The Patriots shot 58 percent from the field and attempted more free throws (48) than field goals (45). We were particularly impressed with Mason’s Vaughan Gray. The freshman hit a couple shots and was solid in Mason’s loss to Drexel, but really looked smooth Saturday. Gray had 19 points in 21 minutes but looked like he belonged on the court.

Stat note: Mike Morrison hit all four field goal attempts and is now a CAA-leading 32-44 from the field, 72%, through six CAA games.

Stat note, part 2: JMU has lost five straight in the CAA and not topped 40 percent shooting from the field during its skid, hitting a combined 105-of-282 (37 percent).

***

Northeastern finds itself at the one-third pole at 4-2 after its homer over William & Mary. The bottom dropped out for Tony Shaver, as a nine-point late first half lead dissipated on a 28-9 NU run that bridged the half.

Qunicy Ford again posted a double-double—the freshman’s 13/10 was a significant contribution. The Huskies are vastly more difficult to defend when players other than Jon Lee and Joel Smith are in the act of shooting.

We’re putting that crinkle-face neck turn method of evaluating NU now, like a dog that hears a high-pitched noise. Bill Coen was clearly experimenting early in the season with things like “running.” But he’s reverted to what works—defense, ball control, and limit your turnovers.

It’s working, too. He has players buying into their roles—Alwayne Bigby as a defender, and Kauri Black and freshman Reggie Spencer pounding the glass. Pulling the Whoa Nellie on Lee and Smith gives them an opportunity to score before firing the ball into the seats. In their three game winning streak, NU has had more assists than turnovers in every game.

Stat note: Marcus Thronton played 30 minutes for William & Mary but took just three shots. I don’t know if it’s credit to NU, but that’s not nearly enough shots.

***

Doug Roberson is the Georgia State beat writer for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and he is today’s example of the emergence of this program. The Panthers beat Towson on Saturday to remain tied atop the league at 5-1.

We know Ron Hunter and love the exploits of Nick Bray, but Roberson is delivering the goods for the team. It’s possible that Roberson has been their beat writer in past season, but we didn’t really notice. However we’ve noticed this year, and like the team Roberson is doing an great job.

This article does an outstanding job painting what you need to know occurred, and what is important—Hunter is unhappy with the “fortunate” win:

“First time in 20 years I had to coach effort,” he said. “It’s no fun when you have to coach effort. It’s like I told the guys, if you are going to be a championship team, you can’t coach effort. We’ve been a hungry basketball team all year. First time all year we’ve played a team that played hungrier than we did.”

Hunter didn’t make any players available to talk after the game. He said their lethargy and satisfaction was evident Thursday night, continued on Friday’s and affected Saturday’s game. The Panthers committed a season-high 18 turnovers, six more than their season average. The Tigers had 10 steals and blocked 10 shots. Many times Georgia State’s defenders would either pull up in the lane, giving the Tigers space to jump, or crash in head-first and get called for charges.

Hunter said afterward his team may have played differently had it been any other opponent, but pointed out that teams with championship aspirations don’t dial-down effort.

“We aren’t going to settle,” he said. “This is what happens with winning. There’s a price with winning. I just want to make sure that we understand that.”

By the way, the Panthers were led by a career-high 18 points from James Vincent. What I love about Vincent: he’s 6-10, 260 pounds, and an art major.

And Hunter put everyone on warning, tweeting that today’s practice is going to be epic and for his players to brings their hard hats. All we can think of is Nick Bray’s quote saying the Panthers ran more in one day than he’d run in his lifetime.

Strap ‘em up.