By Dan Troisi
With less than a month to go in the Colonial Athletic Association’s men’s basketball regular season, the conference tournament picture is beginning to take shape.
It has been an up-and-down season for Tom Pecora’s squad, who have fallen off a bit, after sprinting out of the gates to an 8-1 start to begin the season.
The Pride currently sit seventh in the CAA, four games out of the top spot with six games to go with an overall record of 15-9, while going 7-6 in conference play. They are also only one game out of the 4 spot in the conference, which would land them a key bye in the first round of the conference tournament.
This season has been highlighted by the emergence of sophomore guard Charles Jenkins. Jenkins has averaged 18 points per game, second in the CAA behind VCU’s Eric Maynor. The Pride have also received key contributions from junior guards Tony Dennison and Cornelius Vines.
The Pride’s remaining schedule includes two home games against James Madison and UNC-Wilmington, and three road games where the Pride face off against the likes of Delaware, Fairfield, and Georgia State.
As usual, with no outstanding out-of-conference wins on their resume, the Pride will need to win the CAA conference tournament in order to gain a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Currently the CAA’s top contenders for a spot in the NCAA Tournament are Northeastern and Virginia Commonwealth.
Northeastern currently sits atop the conference with an impressive record of 16-7 overall, while posting an 11-2 record in conference play. The Huskies are led by junior guard Matt Janning; averaging just over 15 points per game, fifth in the CAA, while shooting 35 percent from the outside.
The Huskies’ success this season can be attributed to a rather stingy defense that has allowed only 60 points per game, which ranks first in the CAA and twentieth in the nation.
If Northeastern were to win the conference and earn an NCAA Tournament berth, it would be the program’s first since 1991.
VCU, the CAA’s other top team, is no stranger to success. In the past five seasons, the Rams have compiled two NCAA tournament appearences and two NIT appearances, highlighted by an upset of #6 seeded Duke in the first round in 2007.
The Rams, currently second in the conference, with an overall record of 17-7 (10-2 in conference play), are led by standout senior point guard, Eric Maynor. Maynor, the conference’s top player, was recently named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard.
Maynor, arguably the best player in the history of the school, leads the CAA in scoring (22.7 points per game) and assists (5.9).
Another key component to the Rams’ success has been the lights-out three point shooting of sophomore guard Joey Rodriguez. In 24 games this season, Rodriguez is shooting an astounding 44 percent from the outside.
With the high level of competition in the CAA this year, it is sure to make for an exciting end to the season, leading up to the CAA Tournament. The winner of the CAA Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The CAA conference tournament begins March 6 at Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia.