Believe
Posted by TTHS on February 26th, 2007
Ya gotta believe. If you don’t, what’s the point?
CAA POY-Gary Neal, TU
All-CAA first team
Loren Stokes, HU
Frank Elegar, DU
Valdas Vasylius, ODU
Eric Maynor, VCU
Will Thomas, GMU
All-CAA second team
Antoine Agudio, HU(almost first team)
Drew Williamson, ODU
Herb Courtney, UD
BA Walker, VCU
Bennett Davis, NU
All-CAA third team
Adam Payton, W&M
Carlos Rivera, HU
Folarin Campbell, GMU
Juwann James, JMU
Jessee Pellot-Rosa, VCU
All-CAA Defensive team
Chaz Crawford, DU(DPOY)
Bashir Mason, DU
Adam Payton, W&M
Brandon Johnson, ODU
Bennett Davis, NU
CAA Coach of the Year(top 3)
1)Anthony Grant, VCU
2)Bill Coen, NU
3)Tony Shaver, W&M
CAA All-Rookie team
Matt Janning, NU(ROY)
David Schneider, W&M
Brian Johnson, UD
Pierre Curtis, JMU
TJ Gwynn, VCU
Next one out-Gerald Lee, ODU
CAA Women’s first team All-CAA
Meredith Alexis, JMU(POY)
Tamera Young, JMU
Kyra Kaylor, W&M
TJ Jordan, ODU
Tyresa Smith, UD
The 4 byes
VCU-The Rams took the one side by hanging on at Georgia State, and while they had a great season they limped to the finish line. With 3 potent guards in Jesse Pellot-Rosa, Eric Maynor, and BA Walker, plus the home-court advantage, the Rams will be tough to stop in the tournament.
ODU-Old Dominion had the strongest finish in the conference, winning their last 11 games including a blowout of ODU. They have the best shot in the conference at getting an at-large bid, and with great senior leadership in Arnaud Dahi, Valdas Vasylius, and Brian Henderson, I think they’ll get one.
HU-Hofstra is another guard-dominated team, with seniors Carlos Rivera and Loren Stokes, plus junior Antoine Agudio. They can be beaten inside, and were upset against Delaware, but are still not a team I’d like to face in the tournament.
DU-Drexel is the only other team with a shot at an at-large. In the early season they knocked off Syracuse and Villanova. They probably have the most inside-outside balance, with Chaz Crawford and Frank Elegar down low and Dom Mejia and Bashir Mason in the back-court. They were upset by W&M only 2 weeks ago, and are the most vulnerable of the top 4 teams, but to pull of the win the oppositions big men have to come to play.
The slate
8/9, noon game-W&M vs. GSU
W&M-The Tribe had one of the most surprising season’s of the year, finishing at 8-10 and tied for seventh place with a win @ GMU and over Drexel at home. Adam Payton was the biggest surprise, finally becoming a scoring threat averaging over 13 a game and holding serve as the Tribe’s best defender. David Schneider was a nice find, leading the team as a freshman, and Laimis Kisielius finally lived up to his potential. This isn’t the most talented team, but if you aren’t ready for them they will beat you.
GSU-GSU was the best of the worst this season, finishing in 9th place with 4 wins. Senior Lance Perique has led them throughout the year, with over 15 points a game and 5 rebounds. Leonard Mendez has also come out of nowhere, averaging over 13 per. They don’t have any outstanding wins, but did beat UNCW twice, NU once, and Towson once.
Prediction-W&M crushed GSU by 14 and 16 in their 2 games, and I expect no less on Friday. Tribe-65 Panthers-50
5/12 2:30 game-NU vs. UD
NU-The Huskies have also shocked the Colonial Athletic Association, losing most of their talent and their coach and still finishing in the same spot in the league. Bill Coen has done a great job with the Huskies, and with Bennett Davis and Matt Janning at the helm, they have a very solid team. The downside, though, is that while they were dominating at home, they were pretty much terrible on the road, and because of that I don’t see them making it past the second round.
UD-The Blue Hens finished last in the CAA, with a new coach in Monte Ross and without All-CAA Harding Nana. They are currently down to 6 players, one being a manager, but never really gave up and somehow blew out W&M in Delaware. They very easily could upset NU, but I don’t see it happening.
Prediction-While NU is bad on the road, and UD is definitely capable of pulling upsets, I think NU wins this one. NU-69 UD-62
7/10 6 pm game - Towson vs. UNCW
Towson-The Tigers are led by Gary Neal, one of the top players on their team. Neal can flat-out take over games, and has the entire CAA scared. They come and go with Neal, and if he gets hot they could pull off a second round upset. I definitely think they win their first game, though, as UNCW probably won’t be able to stop Neal.
UNCW-UNCW also has the firepower to pull off an upset, with Vladimir Kuljanin, Todd Hendley, and Montez Downey. Kuljanin can be a force down low, but tends to slack off on defense. The Hawks were expected to be near the top half of the Association, but Benny Moss hasn’t really impressed the Seahawk faithful.
Prediction-Close game, but Gary Neal takes over in the second half and TU wins by 8. 78-70.
6/11 8:30 game - GMU vs. JMU
GMU-Coming off a final four run, George Mason has not lived up to expectations. After a solid start to the season, the last couple weeks they have seemed to have given up and it has shown in their play. They are capable of an upset, with Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, but I think it is more likely that they continue the slide.
JMU-Head Coach Dean Keener really hasn’t paid off for JMU. With another bottom 4 finish in the league, the Dukes looked terrible most of the year with losses against Youngstown State and many more terrible teams, and a shocking home victory against ODU. They could easily beat GMU in the first round in a rivalry game behind Pierre Curtis, Terrence Carter, and Juwann James.
Prediction-In the only upset of the first round, the Dukes beat GMU. Mason has seemingly given up, and I doubt that will change Friday night. 80-76 JMU.
Full Tourney Predictions:
GSU vs. W&M-W&M
NU vs. UD-NU
TU vs. UNCW-TU
GMU vs. JMU-JMU
W&M vs. VCU-W&M
NU vs. DU-DU
TU vs. ODU-ODU
JMU vs. Hofstra-Hofstra
ODU vs. Hofstra-Hofstra
W&M vs. DU-W&M
Hofstra vs. W&M-W&M
Because if you don’t believe, what’s the point?
(now for the no kool-aid predictions)
W&M over GSU
NU over UD
TU over UNCW
JMU over GMU
VCU over W&M
DU over NU
ODU over TU
HU over JMU
DU over VCU
ODU over HU
DU wins.