Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Preview

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (ranked 13^th by kenpom)

March 4-7

Hosted by: The Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia

Sponsored by: Virginia 529 College Savings Plan. WTF? Turns out they also sponsor some nationwide NASCAR race. “They” are a “affordable, flexible, tax-advantage college savings” program that helps Virginia residents achieve their dreams. The 529 comes from the proposition or whatever in which the bill passed in the Virginia Legislature. You can’t make this shit up. And now you understand why I’ve been including sponsors in the previews.

Tickets: $80 for all the games. Great deal. Especially since there are six sessions.

The Bracket:

Friday March 4: #8 UNC-Wilmington v. #9 Georgia State (1)

#5 Drexel v. #12 Towson (2)

#7 Delaware v. #10 Northeastern (3)

#6 James Madison v. #11 William & Mary (4)

Saturday March 5: #1 George Mason v. Winner of (1)

#4 Virginia Commonwealth v. Winner of (2)

#2 Old Dominion v. Winner of (3)

#3 Hofstra v. Winner of (4)

Sunday March 6: Semis

Monday March 7: Finals

The Favorite: First off, this is the first conference that is guaranteed to get two bids, unless something totally catastrophic happens. George Mason has looked like the favorite, and has appeared in the National Rankings. They have won a nation’s best 15 in a row. However, they have shown they are human. Their last two losses are to Old Dominion and Hofstra. Luckily, those teams are on the other side of the bracket. While VCU may seem like the tougher draw, (and they may be), George Mason played VCU once, on the road, and won by 20 (2 weeks ago). VCU was in a position in which they were competing for the CAA championship, before losing 4 of their last 5. All things considered, Mason looks like a safe prediction.

Trivia: As I mentioned, this is the first conference that figures to get 2 teams in. I don’t need to tell you the history this conference has had in the big dance. Mason’s final four run in 06, VCU’s win over Duke in 07, Old Dominion’s win over ND last year. This year, Mason figures to be ranked higher than they were in 06, and won’t be sneaking up on anybody.

The CAA has actually been a nice pipeline for some coaches into major schools. Looking at just past champions alone, and their coaches: Oliver Purnell and ODU in 1992, Lefty Driesell and James Madison in 1994 (end of the line), Jeff Capel Jr. and ODU in 1995 and 1997, John Beilein and Richmond in 1998, Jerry Wainwright and UNC-Wilmington in 2000 and 2002, Jeff Caple III at VCU in 2004, Anthony Grant at VCU in 2007. Mercy! Jim Larranaga is still at George Mason, and was so in 1999 when the Patriots won the tournament. Will he ever move on? What about Blaine Taylor at ODU? Is he next?

A look at the CAA tournament MVP’s gives you a few familiar names. Most notably, Navy was once in the CAA, and some guy named David Robinson led them to three straight championships in 85-87. Overall, a look at their media guide/records section on the CAA website is full of good information.