CAA tournament champs

RICHMOND

It looked like one of the challenges in "World's Strongest  Man."

Finnish basketball player carry.

For a moment or two a pair of ODU fans managed to hoist 6-10, 250-pound Gerald Lee at least a few feet off the ground, in the giddy afterglow of the Monarchs' 60-53 CAA tournament championship win over William and Mary.

It was a crazy scene. Hugs and tears all around, as senior Marsharee Neely said.

The Monarchs won their 5th tournament crown, the most of any CAA team. Not bad for a program that spent almost a decade in the Sun Belt Conference, not joining the Colonial until 1992.

Picked to win it, ODU did just that. They'll enjoy it a day or two before turning their attention to preparing for the NCAA tournament.

A few post-game quotes:

Blaine Taylor:

"It's not easy to be picked to win the league. You've got to be comfortable in your own skin and wear that badge, that bullseye. These kids wanted that."

On ODU's defense;

"The shots (William and Mary) made were really hard."

On ODU's chances in the NCAA tournament:

"You're always at the mercy of seeds and matchups. When you get to that level you better be ready to play the best. Our schedule and league race have really prepared us for that."

Kent Bazemore

On the team's composure:

"We know what it's like to keep our heads, and stay in the moment."

Marsharee Neely:

On winning the title:

"There are not too many seniors who get to go out the way we did, as far as our conference race. It feels great."

-- Ed Miller

 

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championship Monday

So how do you see it going tonight, Hampton Roads?

Perimeter "pixie dust" or low-post power? The plucky underdog or the prohibitive pre-season favorite?

William and Mary or ODU, for the CAA tournament title?

The Tribe and Monarchs took different paths to get here Sunday, in a pair of scintillating semfinal games at the Richmond Coliseum. William and Mary hung on, squandering a 14-point lead against Northeastern. Unable to grab a defensive rebound, the Tribe survived seven shot attempts by the Huskies in the final 30 seconds.

David Schneider, who had not canned a shot all game, hit one to give W&M the lead with 37 seconds left.

It's been that type of year for the Tribe, picked 10th in the pre-season and seeking to break an NCAA tournament drought that dates back to the school's founding in 1693, when the field was admittedly a lot smaller.

"This team," coach Tony Shaver said. "Doesn't deserve the burdens of our past."

To shake those burdens, the Tribe will have to beat an ODU squad that shook off some ghosts itself, storming back to beat VCU in Richmond, no easy task, and one they'd failed to do here last season.

"We talked about how difficult our task was going to be and our kids really stood up to the challenge," coach Blaine Taylor said.

Gerald Lee stood tallest, scoring 26 points and keeping the Monarchs within striking distance until his teammates were able to provide some help in the final 8 minutes.

"He's been a real team guy almost to a fault. But when he was needed he stepped up," Taylor said.

So did Marsharee Neely, whose timely 3-pointer with under five minutes left gave ODU a spark. And Ben Finney, whose deep trey in overtime sealed the deal.

"A total team effort," Lee called it.

With another one tonight, ODU can claim its first CAA tournament title in five years.

-- Ed Miller

 

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CAA Saturday

 

RICHMOND

First, let's dispense with Towson. ODU certainly did, in a dominant 86-56 win here today, the most lopsided Monarch victory in a CAA tourney game. (The old record: An 83-58 win over William and Mary in '94.)

What's to say, except that ODU pounded Towson on the glass, grabbing a CAA record 60 rebounds? The rebound margin of 33  was also a CAA tournament record.

It was a vintage ODU performance, all muscle and length. The Monarchs were up 25 by the time they hit their first 3-pointer, with 13:40 left.

All in all, it was about half a day's work for the starters, none of whom played more than 26 minutes. ODU's bench scored 41 points, to 0 for Towson's reserves.

A dominant performance, but now it's on to VCU, the only team here that sleeps in its own beds during the tournament. Much is made of VCU's hometown advantage. The Rams have won two of the last three CAA tournaments and three of the last six playing a long 3-pointer from home.

There's nothing that Monarchs can do about that. They'll have to try to offset VCU's built-in advantages (more fans, proximity to home) with fresher legs and bigger bodies. ODU out-rebounded the Rams 34-22 in its 73-70 win Feb. 27. The Monarchs got VCU big man Larry Sanders in foul trouble and countered five VCU 3-pointers with three of their own.

Still, it was just a 3-point game that came down to ODU making a few more hustle plays down the stretch. Expect another close one Sunday in Richmond.

-- Ed Miller

 

 

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Joe Lunardi on ODU

The ESPN bracketologist was on a conference call with reporters, including yours truly, this afternoon.

His thoughts on ODU's NCAA tournament at-large chances:

"I think they have to get to the (CAA tournament) final," he said. "That makes them better than a 50/50 bet for an at-large."

Lunardi currently has ODU as a 10 seed in his bracket, which assumes the Monarchs win the CAA tourney and get the league's automatic bid. If that happens, the CAA is a one-bid league, he said.

No surprise there. For the CAA to get two bids, ODU would probably need to get to the final in Richmond. Lose prior to that, and the Monarchs will be sweating out Selection Sunday.

-- Ed Miller

 

 

 

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VCU

Maybe Gerald Lee Sr. and his wife Ritva should stick around for a while.

With his parents in town from Finland for Senior Day, ODU's Gerald Lee played with more bounce in his step, and aggressiveness in his game Saturday in ODU's CAA-clinching 73-70 win over VCU.

"I knew if we were going to win this game, I had to make some plays," he said.

Lee came out firing, putting up nine shots in the first half. He finished with 21 points, the first time he's cracked the 20-point barrier since Dec. 30 vs. Duquesne.

"The greatest thing probably was that my parents could make it over here," he said. "That made me so happy at the beginning of the game. When we walked on the court I felt like this game was for them, it was all about them. The atmosphere was good and we won, which is the best part."

Lee and Frank Hassell got ODU started, and Ben Finney, Kent Bazemore and Darius James made some key plays down the stretch.

The win clinched ODU's first regular-season CAA title since 2004-05. It also sets the Monarchs up nicely in next week's CAA tournament, with the No.1 seed. Top seeds have won seven of the last eight tournaments. ODU will open tourney play next Saturday at noon against the winner of Friday's 8/9 game, which if I'm reading the tiebreakers correctly here at this late hour, will be either Towson or UNCW. 

Look for more in Sunday's Virginian-Pilot and on pilotonline.com.

 

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CAA tiebreakers

Since some of you have asked, here are the tiebreakers to determine seeding for the CAA tourney. ODU of course, controls its own fate. Win Saturday and the Monarchs take the regular season title and No.1 seed, regardless of what Northeastern does.

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CAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TIE-BREAKER SCENARIOS

Heading into Saturday’s games – Old Dominion, Northeastern and George Mason have clinched first-round byes in the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship. The following seeds are set: Drexel is #6, Hofstra is #7 and Delaware is #12. Below are all of the potential tie-breakers:

 

 

ODU is the #1 seed with a win over VCU on Saturday

 

If ODU and Northeastern are tied for first at 14-4:

Northeastern is the #1 seed and ODU is the #2 seed based on the Huskies’ head-to-head win.

 

If Northeastern and George Mason are tied for second at 13-5:

Northeastern is the #2 seed and George Mason is the #3 seed. NU and Mason split head-to-head, but NU is 1-0 vs. #1 ODU and Mason is 1-1.

 

If George Mason and VCU are tied for fourth at 12-6:

George Mason is the #3 seed and VCU is the #4 seed based on the Patriots’ head-to-head win.

 

If George Mason and William and Mary are tied for fourth at 12-6:

William and Mary is the #3 seed and George Mason is the #4 seed based on the Tribe’s head-to-head win

 

If George Mason, VCU and William and Mary are tied for fourth at 12-6:

William and Mary is the #3 seed based on a 2-1 record vs. Mason/VCU; George Mason is the #4 seed based on a 1-1 record vs. W&M/VCU and VCU is the #5 seed based on a 1-2 record vs. Mason/W&M.

 

If VCU and William and Mary are tied for fourth at 12-6 or 11-7:

VCU is the #4 seed and William and Mary is the #5 seed. The teams split head-to-head, but VCU is 2-0 or 1-1 vs. #1 ODU and W&M is 0-2.

 

If Drexel, VCU and William and Mary are tied for fourth at 11-7:

William and Mary is the #4 seed based on a 3-1 record vs. Drexel/VCU; VCU is the #5 seed based on a 2-2 record vs. Drexel/W&M and Drexel is the #6 seed based on a 1-3 record vs. VCU/W&M.

 

If Drexel and VCU are tied for fifth at 11-7:

VCU is the #5 seed and Drexel is the #6 seed. The teams split head-to-head, but VCU is 1-1 vs. #1 ODU and Drexel is 0-1.

 

If Drexel and William and Mary are tied for fifth at 11-7:

William and Mary is the #5 seed and Drexel is the #6 seed based on the Tribe’s head-to-head wins

 

If Drexel and Hofstra are tied for sixth at 10-8:

Drexel is the #6 seed and Hofstra is the #7 seed. The teams split head-to-head. Both teams went 0-1 vs.ODU, but Drexel was 2-0 vs. Northeastern and Hofstra was 1-1.

 

If Georgia State and UNC Wilmington are tied for eighth at 6-12:

The teams split head-to-head. Georgia State is the #8 seed and UNCW is the #9 seed based on the Panthers’ 1-1 record vs. George Mason.

 

If Georgia State and Towson are tied for eighth at 6-12:

The teams split head-to-head. Georgia State is the #8 seed and Towson is the #9 seed if George Mason is the #3 seed based on the Panthers’ win over the Patriots. Towson is the #8 seed and Georgia State is the #9 seed if William and Mary is the #3 seed based on the Tigers’ win over the Tribe.

 

If UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for eighth at 6-12:

The teams split head-to-head. UNCW is the #8 seed and Towson is the #9 seed based on UNCW’s win over #6 Drexel.

If Georgia State, UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for eighth at 6-12:

The teams all went 2-2 against each other. Georgia State is the #8 seed based on its win over George Mason. UNCW and Towson are then treated as a two-team tie. UNCW is the #9 seed and Towson is the #10 seed based on UNCW’s win over #6 Drexel.

 

If Georgia State, UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for eighth at 5-13:

The teams all went 2-2 against each other. If George Mason is the #3 seed, Georgia State is the #8 seed based on its win over the Patriots. UNCW and Towson are then treated as a two-way tie. Towson is the #9 seed based on a 1-0 record vs. William & Mary and UNCW is the #10 seed based on its 1-1 record vs. William and Mary. If William and Mary is the #3 seed, Towson is the #8 seed based on its 1-0 record vs. W&M, UNCW is the #9 seed based on its 1-1 record vs. W&M and Georgia State is the #10 seed based on its 0-1 record vs. W&M.

 

If Georgia State, James Madison, UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for eighth at 5-13:

Georgia State is the #8 seed based on a 4-2 record vs. JMU/UNCW/Towson. UNCW is the #9 seed based on a 3-2 record vs. GSU/JMU/Towson. Towson is the #10 seed based on a 3-3 record vs. GSU/JMU/UNCW. James Madison is the #11 seed based on a 1-4 record vs. GSU/UNCW/Towson.

 

If Georgia State and UNC Wilmington are tied for ninth at 5-13:

The teams split head-to-head. Georgia State is the #9 seed if George Mason is the #3 seed based on the Panthers’ victory over the Patriots. UNCW is the #9 seed if William and Mary is the #3 seed based on the Seahawks’ win over the Tribe.

 

If Georgia State and Towson are tied for ninth at 5-13:

The teams split head-to-head. Georgia State is the higher seed if George Mason is the #3 seed based on the Panthers’ victory over the Patriots. Towson is the higher seed if William and Mary is the #3 seed based on the Tigers’ win over the Tribe.

 

If UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for ninth at 5-13:

The teams split head-to-head. Towson is the #9 seed based on its 1-0 record vs. William & Mary and UNCW is the #10 seed based on its 1-1 record vs. William & Mary.

 

If James Madison, UNC Wilmington and Towson are tied for ninth at 5-13:

UNCW is the #9 seed based on a 2-1 record vs. JMU/Towson, Towson is the #10 seed based on a 2-2 record vs. JMU/UNCW and James Madison is the #11 seed based on a 1-2 record vs. UNCW/Towson.

 

If Georgia State, James Madison and Towson are tied for ninth at 5-13:

Georgia State is the #9 seed based on a 3-1 record vs. JMU/Towson, Towson is the #10 seed based on a 2-2 record vs. GSU/JMU and James Madison is the #11 seed based on a 1-3 record vs. GSU/Towson.

 

If Georgia State, James Madison and UNC Wilmington are tied for ninth at 5-13:

Georgia State is the #9 seed based on a 3-1 record vs. JMU/UNCW, UNCW is the #10 based on a 2-1 record vs. GSU/JMU and James Madison is the #11 seed based on an 0-3 record vs. GSU/UNCW.

 

If Georgia State and James Madison are tied for 10^th at 5-13:

Georgia State is the #10 seed and James Madison is the #11 seed based on the Panthers’ head-to-head wins.

 

If James Madison and UNC Wilmington are tied for 10^th at 5-13:

UNC Wilmington is the #10 seed and James Madison is the #11 seed based on the Seahawks’ head-to-head win.

 

If James Madison and Towson are tied for 10^th at 5-13:

The teams split head-to-head. James Madison is the #10 seed if VCU is the #4 seed and William & Mary is the #5 seed, based on JMU’s 1-1 record over the Rams. Towson is the #10 seed if William & Mary is the #3 or #4 seed and VCU is the #5 seed, based on Towson’s 1-0 record vs. W&M, while JMU was 1-1.

 

If James Madison and Delaware are tied for 11^th at 4-14:

James Madison is the #11 seed and Delaware is the #12 seed based on the Dukes’ head-to-head win.

 

-- Ed Miller

 

 

 

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Georgia State

ATLANTA - Old Dominion woke up in sole possession of first place in the CAA this morning, thanks to a 75-62 win over Georgia State Tuesday night and Northeastern's loss to Hofstra.

Call it a business-like win amid the downtown skyscrapers here.  The  Monarchs trailed as late as midway through the second half, but a Keyon Carter-fueled 18-2 run put away the Panthers.

A few thoughts from the game:

- The CAA's best rebounding team was beaten on the glass for the second straight game.

"Coaches are scouting us and letting their teams know if they beat us on the glass they've got a strong chance of winning," Carter said. "Those guys are gearing up and boxing out hard and delivering a blow to us before we can hit them."

"I'd like to think we're trying as hard as ever on the glass," coach Blaine Taylor said. "The emphasis on the opponents' part.....I'm sure in their practices there was an awful lot of discussion and a lot of film work on the rebound thing. When we went to Northern Iowa, they were ready to chew a leg off. There were guys who weren't even trying to get rebounds, you know, there were single and double-leg takedowns."

Hey, Iowa's a wrestling state.

-  Overlooked line of the night: Darius James' 9 points, 6 assists and 0 turnovers.

 "He was really a consummate playmaker tonight," Taylor said.

James also turned in one of his better defensive efforts.  Ben Finney did a second-half defensive number on Joe Dukes, slowing the Panther guard just enough.

- After playing in a packed house at Northern Iowa, the Monarchs had a hard time getting going at the sleepy, two-thirds-empty GSU Arena.

"We're used to playing in front of big crowds," Marsharee Neely said. "When we come to a place like this, it sometimes takes a while to play up to our level."

Neely did his part with energy of the bench, scoring 13 points.

The result was a win that became even bigger in light of Northeastern's loss. If the Monarchs hold serve at home against VCU Saturday, they'll claim the CAA regular-season crown.

-- Ed Miller

 

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Georgia State

ATLANTA - Old Dominion woke up in sole possession of first place in the CAA this morning, thanks to a 75-62 win over Georgia State Tuesday night and Northeastern's loss to Hofstra.

Call it a business-like win amid the downtown skyscrapers here.  The  Monarchs trailed as late as midway through the second half, but a Keyon Carter-fueled 18-2 run put away the Panthers.

A few thoughts from the game:

- The CAA's best rebounding team was beaten on the glass for the second straight game.

"Coaches are scouting us and letting their teams know if they beat us on the glass they've got a strong chance of winning," Carter said. "Those guys are gearing up and boxing out hard and delivering a blow to us before we can hit them."

"I'd like to think we're trying as hard as ever on the glass," coach Blaine Taylor said. "The emphasis on the opponents' part.....I'm sure in their practices there was an awful lot of discussion and a lot of film work on the rebound thing. When we went to Northern Iowa, they were ready to chew a leg off. There were guys who weren't even trying to get rebounds, you know, there were single and double-leg takedowns."

Hey, Iowa's a wrestling state.

-  Overlooked line of the night: Darius James' 9 points, 6 assists and 0 turnovers.

 "He was really a consumate playmaker tonight," Taylor said.

James also turned in one of his better defensive efforts.  Ben Finney did a second-half defensive number on Joe Dukes, slowing the Panther guard just enough.

- After playing in a packed house at Northern Iowa, the Monarchs had a hard time getting going at the sleepy, two-thirds-empty GSU Arena.

"We're used to playing in front of big crowds," Marsharee Neely said. "When we come to a place like this, it sometimes takes a while to play up to our level."

Neely did his part with energy of the bench, scoring 13 points.

The result was a win that became even bigger in light of Northeastern's loss. If the Monarchs hold serve at home against VCU Saturday, they'll claim the CAA regular-season crown.

-- Ed Miller

 

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Towson

A few loose Towson ends before turning our attention to Northern Iowa, which hit 13 3-pointers last night to clinch the Missouri Valley title with a 70-52 win over Creighton.

Play of the game: Big Fin Gerald Lee barrelling downcourt like an ice road trucker for a two-handed dunk that made it 47-36 with 16:56 left. Kent Bazemore rewarded Lee for running the court with a nice pass. Bazemore had five assists, the 9th time he's hit that mark. ODU is 8-1 in those games.

Honesty award: To Keyon Carter, when asked about facing a Towson squad that dressed just seven players.

"I don't want to say it didn't affect us," Carter said. "Because as you can see in the first half we came out kind of flat."

Latest compliment from an opposing coach:

"There's no question ODU should be very high" on the NCAA tournament committee's list of at-large teams, Towson's Pat Kennedy said.

"This is the kind of team I think Blaine worked on for two years to put together."

-- Ed Miller

 

 

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George Mason

The house was packed for the first time all year and a favorite son's jersey (Odell Hodge's No.33) was raised to the rafters.

What more could an ODU fan have asked for Saturday afternoon?

How 'bout a 17-1 lead, five first half 3-pointers, and a stat-sheet-stuffing effort from small forward Ben Finney?

ODU got all of that in a 76-60 win over George Mason today that avenged last months' loss in Fairfax.

"It was payback," senior guard Marsharee Neely said.

With Neely playing a leading role, scoring 12 points and grabbing four steals off the bench. His two first-half 3-pointers helped spark the Monarchs.

ODU hit eight treys on the night, after canning seven vs. JMU Wednesday. That's an encouraging sign for a team often criticized for its poor 3-point shooting.

Read more about the game at pilotonline.com tonight and in Sunday's Virginian-Pilot.

-- Ed Miller

 

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