First of all, I took away the poll and counter so the site should be much faster now. Sorry about that and thanks to everybody who let me know.

GMU. Currently tied for second place in the CAA with UNCW at 11-5. They are 19-9 on the year with their biggest win over Kansas State, and are in At-Large consideration as they have an RPI of 72. They went on a red-hot streak towards the middle of the year, winning big over ODU, VCU, and Madison over a 2 week span. However they have lost 3 of their last 5 and are ripe for an upset.

Mason has been led this year, not shockingly, by senior center Will Thomas. He is averaging 16.3 points per game on the year, one of the best numbers in the league, to go along with 10.5 boards per. He also has a 3/2 assist/turnover ratio which shows what a great passer he is for a big man. On top of all that, he is shooting 63% from the field. He is a monster.

The other key member of the 06 Final Four run is Folarin Campbell, a senior 2 guard for the Patriots. Campbell is averaging 15.4 points per game and 4.4 boards per. He is a complete player that will do a little bit of everything, as he can shoot the 3, makes his foul shots, gets a few steals per game, etc etc. He is one of the Pat’s 3 strong guards, along with John Vaugn and Dre Smith(very underrated in my opinion).

This is pretty much a must win for the Tribe, and not so much for the Patriots, but their motivation won’t be lacking as this is the last game in the Patriot Center for 2 of the big 2006 players. Mason has been disappointing their fans all season with their inconsistent play, and they will drop a game they should win Wednesday night by double digits.

WM: 75
GMU: 63

Ah, the bracket buster, what a waste of time.

While they are a program rich in history, the LUC Ramblers have been very down this year, to the tune of a 8-16 record and a 232 RPI. They are coming off one of their biggest wins of the year, a victory over Valparaiso, and will be looking for an upset at Kaplan this Saturday.

JR Blount, a 6-1 Junior from Milwaukee, has led the Ramblers in scoring this year. He is dropping an eyelash under 15 points per game and a little below 4 board per. He is only shooting 38% from the field, not something you would expect from a top scorer, so all indications point to him not being a dominant type of player.

Junior foward Leon Young has been the most efficient scorer for LUC this season. The 6-6 PF from Long Beach is shooting 53% from the field and is averaging about 12 points per game. He is second on the team in rebounds, at 5.7 per. It is kind of surprising that he does not see the court more, as the numbers dictate that he is their top player.

This game really shouldn’t be close. They can’t shoot(40% from the field, 26% from 3), hold onto the ball(.8 assist/turnover ratio), or play defense(opponents shooting 45% against them). The Tribe will get an early lead and keep it rolling behind a great student section.

WM: 79
LUC: 61

Gotta stop the bleeding. And last place Drexel is a good team to do it against.

After a solid start to the year out of conference, Drexel has had a rough go in conference play. A 11-16 overally record, 4-11 in conference, has granted them a 217 RPI and 254 Pomeroy rating. They are battling GSU for the 12th seed in the CAA tourney, but having 2 of their last 3 games against weak opponents is in their favor. Pomeroy gives W&M a 74% chance of winning on Wednesday night and haulting the losing streak.

Frank Elegar remains the Dragons best player, and is controlling the paint shooting 57% and leading the team in blocked shots. Keeping Peter Stein out of foul trouble will be key, as Steve Hess on one leg will have difficulty stopping this all-CAA candidate. If Tribe could give him 2-3 early fouls this could get ugly fast.

I don’t see this game being all that close, as the Tribe beat them at the DAC(tough place to play). I would rest Kisielius if i were Shaver, as he is definitely not the same player he was 3 weeks ago. If they get Elegar in trouble early it could be worse, but I see a 12 point winner.

WM-73
DU-61

gotribe

Another must win, but I’ll stop saying that, so this is a very important game for the Tribe. With 4 CAA games left, 2 will need to be wins as the other 2 are uphill battles. Towson will be a dogfight(is it too early to start saying that again?), and will go a long way in determining whether the Tribe is for real.

Towson is 9-15 on the year plus 5-9 in the CAA. They have been solid at home this year, but lost to most of the teams in our range - ODU and Mason. They have an RPI of 248, and Pomeroy has the Tribe winning this one by a point. The Tigers are tied for eigth with Hofstra, and a couple wins could give them a favorable matchup in the first round of the tourney.

CofC transfer Junior Hairston will be the key to stopping the Tigers. He is almost averaging a double-double on the year, with 12.4 points per game and 9.7 rebounds. He has 46 blocks on the year and is shooting 46%, so Peter Stein better come to play.

Josh Thornton will also be key for the Tigers today as their top shooter. He is averaging 11.9 points per game and is shooting 41% from 3 point land. He struggles from the foul stripe at 58%, but shoots 44% from the floor - pretty good for a guard.

The Tribe will need to step up on the road against a pesky Towson team, and this game could really go either way. However, I think the Tribe will step up when it’s needed and pull out an 8 point win.

WM-68
TU-60

Scroll down if you want the old one.

This game is absolutely huge. If the Tribe pulls this out, a bye in the CAA tourny is pretty much a lock and they will have a 2.5 game lead on Wilmington. Since the Tribe beat them at the Hall, UNC-W has beaten JMU at the Trask and dropped a 1 point game at Delaware. Their RPI is 4th in the CAA at 163.

This game will be tough for the Tribe. Leading-scorer Laimis Kisielius is doubtful with turf toe. UNCW has lost all of 2 games at home this year, vs. UNCG and VCU. The Tribe will need to play a much better game than their 4-point win in Williamsburg to pull this game out, as UNCW has one of - if not the - best homecourts in the CAA. Now I just everything that is stacked against them, but since when does that matter? After going 2-6 in non-conference play, they are in 3rd place, and I’m predicting they shock everybody again tonight. Tribe by 3.

UNCW-62
WM-65

The Tribe starts a 3-game road trip by travelling to Boston to face the Northeastern University Huskies at Matthews Arena. The Huskies are 5-2 at home this year with wins over ODU and UDel, plus losses against Hofstra and JMU. They are 6-6 in conference and have an RPI of 170. Pomeroy gives them a 72% chance of beating the Tribe this Saturday, and has them finishing the year at 9-9 in conference.

Matt Janning is not only my favorite non-Tribe player in the CAA, he is an all-conference candidate and is scoring 16.4 points per game. He is shooting 35% from the 3 on the year and about 80% from the foul stripe. He is easily the Huskies’ most potent player, and they become average very quickly if he gets slowed down.

Nkem Ojougboh, a sophomore 6-9 center, is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points a match and first on the team with 7.2 boards. He has 18 blocks on the season and is shooting 43% from the field, both of which should be a little higher for a center. If Pete Stein plays his normal defense I don’t see Ojougboh being a problem.

While the Tribe team is the “team of destiny”, and the Huskies have been average this year, I really don’t like playing at their gym. It is no coincidence that they are significantly better at home than they are on the road, and it will probably continue on Saturday with a close NU win.

WM: 65
NU: 69

Woooo. Anyother hoops win, possibly the biggest of the year. And when the team is fighting for a bye in the CAA Tourney, every game is huge. Hofstra is very dangerous at their place, but lacks luster on the road which could really help the Tribe.

The Pride come into this game at 7-14 and 4-7 in the CAA. HU is 1-5 on the road in conference, and has some terrible OOC losses to teams like St. Francis NY and Stony Brook. They have an RPI of 246, and while Ken Pomeroy predicts they finish out the conference season winning 4 of their last 7 games, he has the Tribe pulling out a 5 point win on Wednesday night.

Antoine Agudio is a top 5 CAA player who is the main returning player from last year’s strong team. He is averaging an elite 22.6 points per game, and is averaging 39.6 minutes per. He has a negative assist/turnover ratio and has missed a few games due to injury, but has a nice rebounding average for a guard(3.9 per) and can flat out put the ball in the bucket. He is lethal from 3 at 43% so keeping him contained will be key.

Freshman guard Charles Jenkins has been a pleasant surprise for the Pride this year, as he is putting up 14.6 points per game and 4.5 boards. He has to be a frontrunner for CAA ROY, also leading the team in steals with 36 and free throw percentage at 76%. After these 2 players there is a huge dropoff so shutting them down is key.

Hofstra is a team the Tribe should beat at home, and if they play their normal defense they will. Hofstra is far in the negative in assist/turnover, and if their guards tire they do not have any depth. Expect it to be close early due to the Antoine Agudio show, but they will fade late and the Tribe wins by an enormous…..10.

WM-79
HU-69

Big game tonight, and sorry this is so late. Here goes.

This game is enormous for both teams as the winner has a very good shot at holding a top 4 seed. The Tribe needs it even more, as tiebreakers will be huge and we can’t count on a Tribe win at the Trask. These teams are very evenly match, with the Tribe’s RPI of 162 and UNCW’s at 160. Ken Pomeroy gives the Tribe a 62% chance of winning.

The return of 2-guard TJ Carter has been key for this Wilmington team. After missing all of last season injured, he has stormed back averaging 16 points per game and 5.1 boards. He is shooting a superb 85% from the foul stripe and has 92 assists and just 68 turnovers. He is an all-CAA candidate and will be the key to stopping UNCW today.

The Seahawk’s zone buster is yet again Daniel Fountain. Fountain is averaging 13.7 points per game this year and is second on the team with 37 steals. He is shooting a very strong 44.3% from 3-point land, however, he is shooting 3 points lower overall from the field.

This game is huge, and after losing to ODU I don’t see the Tribe losing back to back home games. This is going to be a game for the ages, and will come down to the final shot, but the Tribe will pull it out behind a big game from David Schneider.

WM-68
UNCW-67