Colonial Athletic Association Notebook
As the month of January starts drawing to a close, play in the Colonial continues to heat up. Entering this weekend’s play, two games separate the top eight teams in the conference, with just a game between the top six. On top of it all, some key matchups are ahead this weekend.
Needless to say, there’s plenty of balance based on the early play. By the first weekend of the new calendar year, no CAA team had an unblemished conference record, and at the end of this weekend, a game and a half is what separates the top eight teams. While the bottom four teams have a combined three wins in conference play thus far, Georgia State is one team that can’t be slept on with their four senior guards, and they could certainly play spoiler down the stretch.
Still the Champs
Old Dominion still figures to be the team to beat, although non-conference play has revealed others who should be contenders. Right there with them at 7-2 in CAA play entering this week’s games are George Mason and UNC-Wilmington, and all three had good success in non-conference play.
Old Dominion lost its conference opener, a 61-42 decision at Drexel, in December. They quickly re-asserted themselves with five straight conference wins, including wins over UNC-Wilmington and a comeback win over Northeastern where they trailed by 13 at the half. They suffered a rare home defeat to Hofstra last Thusrday, but bounced right back at William & Mary on Saturday.
George Mason, meanwhile, earned a sweep of Northeastern with last Thursday’s win before dropping a 69-63 decision to UNC-Wilmington on Saturday. That sets up the three-way tie at the top entering this weekend.
Only one game features two of the top three teams, when Old Dominion visits George Mason on Saturday. The Monarchs host Drexel on Thursday, while the Seahawks host Northeastern on Saturday in other key matchups.
Davis Makes a Difference for Northeastern
Northeastern head coach Ron Everhart remembers the turning point for senior guard Aaron Davis.
“Before one game, I saw him heading to the locker room, and he had his head down,” Everhart recalled. He went on to ask Davis if he ever saw the coach lose confidence in him after all he’s been through, and got a “no” in response, so he continued. “I said, look at me in the eye and know that you’re going to play, and for us to be successful, you’re going to have to get back to playing the kind of the defense you did as a freshman, and you’ve got to get back offensively to doing what you do, which is getting spot-up shots and getting your feet set.”
Davis has since worked on his shooting, and it has paid off. In the last four games, he has shot a scorching 67.7 percent from the field, including 14-18 from three-point land en route to averaging 16.5 points per game. His latest effort was an 8-11 showing, including 5-7 from behind the arc, in Saturday’s 89-73 win over previously streaking Hofstra. His 21 points tied a season high.
In that span, the Huskies have gone 3-1 to climb right back into the race. With Davis complementing star floor leader Jose Juan Barea as another shooter to go with Bobby Kelly, the Huskies’ perimeter unit is as dangerous as any in the conference. Davis still gives them the intangibles he always has, but breaking out of his shooting slump makes him that much more valuable.
“I think, for all intents and purposes, in our last few games, he’s been a big difference for us,” Everhart said.
Shawn James has battled foul trouble of late, but on Saturday he stayed out of it and on the floor. It made a difference, as he nearly posted his third triple-double with 12 points, 10 blocked shots and nine rebounds.
The Huskies have perhaps their toughest conference stretch this week, as they play at Georgia State on Thursday, then at UNC-Wilmington on Saturday before returning home.
Surging Tigers Look Formidable
Though picked in the second division of the conference due in part to youth, Towson has come alive since La Salle transfer Gary Neal became eligible. He is averaging just under 26 points per game, and the Tigers are 6-4 since he became eligible.
The Tigers are now in the hunt at 5-4 in CAA play, two games behind the trio in first place. They might not contend this year, but they won’t be an easy out. Improving freshman point guard Tim Crossin will be all the better for having Neal alongside him, while there will be less pressure on frontcourt players like Lawrence Hamm and Dennard Abraham to score.
Blue Hens Ready to Win, Then Lose
Struggling Delaware started out conference play with four of its first five games on the road. That helped contribute to their 0-6 start before the Blue Hens finally beat James Madison last Thursday.
But just as the Blue Hens had some home games on the horizon, they lost senior guard Andrew Washington due to academics. Washington was their second-leading scorer and an aggressive guard, and he might not be back.
His departure drops the Blue Hens down to two seniors in the regular rotation, which means the rest of the season is more about the future. At this point, it’s time for younger players like sophomore Herb Courtney and freshman point guard Zaire Taylor to really develop for the future, and juniors like Raphael Madera and Calvin Cannon to get ready to be team leaders as seniors next season. With more home games to come, they could play spoiler down the road if a few of these players develop quickly.
Other CAA Notes
- Hofstra had tied for its best start in Division I with its 12-3 record prior to Saturday’s loss to Northeastern. Leading scorer Antoine Agudio struggled in last week’s games, and head coach Tom Pecora said he’s healthy and just needs to know that he’s expected to play at a high level since their backcourt has received a lot of attention for its firepower.
- Further proof that defense wins: the bottom four teams in the standings are also the bottom four in field goal percentage defense. Meanwhile, the top three teams in the standings are among the top four in that same category.
- Point guard is a notoriously difficult position for a freshman, but two of the top three players in the conference in assist/turnover ratio are freshmen: Delaware’s Zaire Taylor (2.03) and Towson’s Tim Crossin (1.89).
