RTD: Strong finish lifts VCU past ODU

VCU got good play from several players and in several key areas. Jamie Skeen had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

VCU Pulls Away Late, Tops Monarchs 59-50

NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion took a one-point lead with seven minutes to play but VCU scored the games final seven points to pull out a 59-50 win in front of a sold out crowd at the Ted Constant Center Saturday evening. It was ODU’s fourth sellout of the year and fifth crowd of over 8,000 on the year.

Thomas’ defense sparks Drexel past Northeastern

The statistics for Drexel’s Derrick Thomas didn’t exactly jump off the page: 2 for 8, 5 rebounds, 4 assists. “All year, I’ve been telling him: ‘You don’t have to score points for me. You’ve got to rebound and play great defense,’ ” coach Bruiser Flint said Saturday after the Dragons’ 72-58 win over Northeastern at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Chris Jollay – The Master of Motivation

“Let’s take Cam Long. When he was a sophomore battling Eric Maynor tooth and nail, didn’t you expect him to pretty much own the CAA by now?… While he’s still a phenomenal player, has he really emerged like we thought he would?” –Idiot columnist Chris Jollay, just last week (photo via gomason.com) I guess he has now. Unless you don’t consider 30 points on 8-9 shooting (4-4 from three) against a good James Madison team in Harrisonburg good enough. I do. And it was exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I meant that certain people had to elevate their performances. Unbelievable. By virtue of wins over Madison and Drexel, Mason has once again put itself in line for a first-round bye in Richmond, and has emerged as a legitimate contender for the regular season crown and automatic bid to the… (NIT? Independence Bowl?) I am stoked. I wasn’t gonna write a negative column anyway this week, because I think too much negativity brings bad karma. Plus what do I have to be negative about? This might be one of the greatest sporting event weekends I’ve enjoyed in a while. If my Packers win Sunday at least. You see, I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have witnessed a lot of remarkable sporting success stories first hand. Especially with college basketball. I came around in the 1970’s, and was lucky enough to watch Marquette win a National Championship when I was a boy. I got to meet such coaches as Al McGuire (RIP), Hank Raymonds (RIP) and Rick Majerus personally.  Then my dumbass parents had to move me to the cesspool known as Richmond, where literally the most exciting thing I could think of to do was to steal a six pack from the fridge and float down the James River in an inner tube. (Note to kids: get off before the Hollywood Rapids). But even there I was fortunate enough to get to watch another excellent program coach, Dick Tarrant, who drove around in a red Saab recruiting mid-major gems like Johnny Newman and Ken Atkinson, beating the Indiana Hoosiers, and entrenching himself as the winningest

Deep Thoughts of Chris Jollay

Man was that a nice win at Northeastern Wednesday. I don’t care who that team has this year, if you’re a Mason fan, you’re thrilled to get out of Boston with a one-point win. I guess we’ll take the 26-point one, though. So now that the sky’s the limit again, it’s time for me to play the part of Buzzkill Bill, and ask a simple question: do our guys have extremely limited upside? As a unit, no, as individuals…well, you have to wonder. First of all, let me issue a disclaimer. Statistics are never the whole story. As a team improves, one might see a decrease in statistical production as one gets more help. Roles change from year to year, and that can impact statistical output as well. But consider some of the guys we have as juniors and seniors this year. Let’s take Cam Long. When he was a sophomore battling Eric Maynor tooth and nail, didn’t you expect him to pretty much own the CAA by now? Thanks to two great recent games he’s now averaging 14.3 points per game (PPG), 4.6 rebounds per game (RPG), and 2.8 assists per game (APG). This with a 47.2 FG%, a 64.4 FT%, and a nice 43.3% clip from three. Fine. Great. But as you’ll recall as a super soph Cam went for 11.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.2 APG. That year he also shot a full 10 percent better from the line (74.8%), and had comparable FG (46.2%) and three-point percentages (40.4%). While he’s still a phenomenal player, has he really emerged like we thought he would? He’s hardly alone. Last year Mike Morrison went for 8.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG (blocks per game) in about 25 minutes played per contest. Now, in about a minute less per game (due mostly to increased foul trouble), he is at 6.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. His FG% has dipped from 55.7% to 52.5%, and his FT% has dipped from 48.5% to 44.0%. Ex-basketball coaches doing radio and TV commentary now look on in horror as he shoots his free throws with his left toe pointed toward them on press row. Andre Cornelius shot 43.3% from three last year—this year its 34.7% and he’s averaging the same amount of PPG as he did last year, although with about a half an assist more per game. About the only player I can think of that has significantly advanced his game this year appears to be Ryan Pearson, who has added a legitimate three-point shot to his arsenal. (I could harp on his rebounding being down, but hey, I can’t be that picky, can I?). Isiah Tate has improved his offensive efficiency somewhat, and Luke Hancock seems to be even smarter on the court this year and less hesitant to shoot the three. The other guys seem to be progressing okay when they get minutes. But you have to wonder about the players we’ve brought in post-Final Four and their relative upsides. Is there a Will Thomas in-wait capable of evolving into a 18/9 guy on the roster? Is there a guy here that can become an absolutely dominant force in the CAA? It was my impression that the Final Four run would lead to a whole new breed of recruit. Guys with upsides that never heard of us prior to 2006. Well, two of those guys, Vlad M. and Kevin F. are transferred away. And guys like Pearson and Hancock are good the minute they arrive in Fairfax. They are physically advanced for their age, or older already, or have a year of prep school, or played at a big-name high school (Paris Bennett) with and against HS All-Americans. But how much better will they get? Will Luke evolve a quick-release jumpshot to become a 16-18 a game scorer? Will Mike Mo learn to stay out of foul trouble and convert consistently around the rim? Any chance Bennett sprouts up like David Robinson all of the sudden or guys like Pearson or Tate suddenly increase their vertical? Some expectations are realistic and some are not. We will see. Team is everything, and this one has plenty of time to realize its potential and win the CAA tournament in March. But you get the feeling that some major players are going to have to elevate themselves individually first. But that’s the last negative column I’ll write for a while. Especially since we should be good for at least 8-2 or at worst 7-3 in our next ten. Let’s enjoy it!

VCU’s Rozzell breaks hand in practice, will be out 2-3 weeks

VCU senior guard Brandon Rozzell broke his right (shooting) hand in practice Tuesday and will

Monarchs Play At Drexel On ESPNU Matchup

The ODU Monarchs return to action Thursday night when they travel to Philadelphia totake on

Brandenberg leads VCU past William and Mary 70-52

Brandenberg scored a career-high 22 points, 19 in the second half, as VCU beat William

Be A Patriot

After finishing final exams I went on winter break. When I say I went on break I mean I really checked out. I stopped responding to e-mail, checking TheMasonBench, and I even (and don’t kill me here) missed a couple of Mason games. So after about a month of cyber hibernation I was pumped for the Old Dominion game. In preparation I checked out TheMasonBench to see what was going on. I saw a lot of readers talking about how much they enjoyed positive, opinionated pieces Josh and Chris have been doing so I figured I’d give it a shot. And after experiencing my first game at ODU, I’ve got something to say. “The Ted” is a beautiful arena. It should be, its brand new. But that’s about as far as my praise is going to go. Once the seats fill up, the novelty of the arena is drowned out by the incompetency of the fans. I understand that fans of the home team are prone to irrational boos from time to time despite the validity of the call on the floor but the ODU fans took it to a whole new level. The blind rage these people showed on Saturday was down right scary. But that’s a rant I’ll save for another time. What I really want to talk about is how much heart this team showed on Saturday. I haven’t checked the boards recently but I wouldn’t be shocked to find negative comments peppered throughout about who should have done what. And sure you can legitimately say that if our down low defense were better we would have won. Fine, that’s an easy call. But I hope people aren’t over looking what a gutsy performance our entire team gave on Saturday. “The Ted” was about as loud of an arena I’ve been in since the VCU game of 2010. The fans there were rampant and constantly being prompted by Bazemore to get louder. So many times after back-to-back Monarch baskets Mason could have folded, written it off as a road loss and phoned it in. But time after time the Mason team stepped up and told the entire arena to shove it! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this team is different. They don’t get rattled, they stay clam and play calm. Hell, one shot goes three inches further left and Mason steals one on the road from the defending CAA champs. I have never been more proud to be a Patriot, EVER. I think every Mason fan should feel that way too. And, if you weren’t already planning on it, you should make plans to attend the February 5th game when Mason takes on ODU in Fairfax. Mason needs to show ODU that we can be just as loud as they can in arena larger than a matchbox. GO MASON! –Kyle V.–

Wishing I was somewhere warm

In order to prevent my fingers from being amputated, and to entertain you, I have decided to share with you my predictions for tonight’s slate of CAA action. This requires typing which should, in theory, warm my hands. Monday’s CAA action featured a little bit of everything. The Huskies, missing 3 starters, one of which being 2009-2010 runner up Player of the Year Chaisson Allen, nearly took down 10-3 James Madison. Hofstra upset Drexel at the DAC. W&M’s woes continued falling to UNCW. ODU barely escaped at Towson. And Georgia State improved to 2-0 in CAA play with a win over VCU. That’s last years #2, 3, 5, and 6 seeds losing with the #1 almost taking the L. We’ve all heard any team can win on any given night and Monday proved it. So how about Wednesday? Game of the Night – George Mason at Hofstra Charles Jenkins is 23.5 points per game good Both teams atop the CAA standings at 2-0. Mason has home wins over UNCW and Delaware. Hofstra has wins at Drexel and at home vs Towson. The Pride are coming fresh off a 75-69 victory in Philly. They seem to have the momentum in this one and it’s hard to pick against a team that has Charles Jenkins (even though I find myself picking against them all the time) . Both teams are talented are both have pretty good role players. But Mason ranks first in CAA scoring and scoring defense. The Pride have a chance though if they can get to the line. Mason ranks last in free throw percentage while The Fighting Mo’s sit on top. Both teams sit in the middle of every other category. Jenkins needs to be selfish this game , but not high school selfish, smart selfish. Litos has Hofstra 66-65. Give me Mason 77-73 in OT, only on the basis that Hofstra has yet to play a high powered offense. Georgia State at UNC-Wilmington Georgia State's team is finally more scary than their mascot Easily the most deceiving game on the schedule. In what has recently been a bottom-feeder special, GSU enters this game 2-0 in CAA play with wins over James Madison and VCU. No typo there. Wilmington enters this one playing better than expected and comes in with a big loss to Mason and a slight victory over William & Mary. They are in all sorts of bad across the board in national categories while Georgia State comes with decent numbers across the board. Tonight’s difference maker? The Panthers’ Erick Buckner. As Litos a CAAhoops pointed out, Buckner is 33 for 39 from the field in his last couple games. Combined with Eric Buckner who dropped 28 on VCU, UNCW might be a bit worried here. Georgia State also leads the CAA in steals. As long as Wilmington has more turnovers than Georgia State, Rod Barnes might actually be able to start this year 3-0. When was the last time that happened? Litos has the Panthers by 2, 57-55. I’ll agree. Just give me more points for both. Georgia State 69 Wilmington 61. Battle of the Recently Upset Fan Bases – Drexel at VCU VCU needs Bradford Burgess to have a big night You can be damn sure that neither team wants to lose this game. Granted no team wants to lose any game, but there aren’t two fan-bases who would do more to get back on the W train. On Monday, both those trains derailed, crashed, burned, leaked fuel, spilled chemicals, and then some. Think about every bad movie involving a train and then add the depression that comes with watching an episode of Intervention. VCU loses by 10 to Georgia State. Drexel falls from first place after a nut-punching loss to the Long Island Boys. Come to think of it, this actually might be the game of the night. Good thing this one’s on TV. Tune in if you can. The difference in this game? VCU doesn’t lose at home (except to Northeastern). Rams get back to their winning ways, Drexel fans get back to criticizing Bruiser. Litos has got his Rams 69 Drexel 65. Exactly what I was going to pick so give me VCU 68 Drexel 64. Huskies at Old Dominion How will Ryan Pierson handle ODU's inside presence? We all saw/listened to what Northeastern nearly pulled off in Harrisonburg. But JMU doesn’t play defense. ODU does. ODU also rebounds very well. Very well as in one of the best in the country. The Huskies need to be efficient on the scoring end. Anything less than 50% shooting from the field probably equates to a Huskies loss. Northeastern also cannot get dominated in offensive rebounds. Lots of second chances for the Monarchs also probably equates to an L. Being real, no one really had Northeastern beating JMU or ODU. But we saw that even without Chase Allen, Alwayne Bigby, and Vinny Lima, the Huskies can still ball. And if there ever was a time to take down ODU, it’s this, right after the Monarchs were nearly bested by Towson. They’re vulnerable and the dogs are underdogs once again. Litos has ODU 18, Monarchs 76 Huskies 58. William & Mary at Delaware Root for the bird William & Mary is bad. 0-2 to start CAA play and while they may eek out a win here and there, things do not look good in Williamsburg. Delaware enters playing good basketball, but they were just outplayed by a better team in Mason. William & Mary is not a better team. I can’t find one good reason to maybe take the Tribe. CAAhoops= UD 72 W&M 60. Like the double-figure victory. Delaware 71 W&M 58. Towson at James Madison The Dukes barely escaped Northeastern and their only CAA loss to Georgia State isn’t looking that bad given GSU’s latest performance. Towson gave ODU one hell of a scare but we’re just not sure that the Tigers have anything left in the tank. Just like Northeastern, the sooner they can get out of Virginia the better. Kennedy doesn’t have anyone that can defend Julius Wells from 3, never mind the Dukes’ 3 other double-digit scorers. Bet on JMU to win big. Litos has JMU 80 Towson 65. Makes sense to me. Give me Madison 81 Towson 63. So that wraps up tonight’s games. You can listen to the ODU-Northeastern game live at wrbbsports.com. Rumor is you might be able to find the game on channelsurfing.net if you’d rather watch the game. In any case, keep the laptop rolling and put VCU-Drexel on the TV. 7pm, Comcast SportsNet. Hands still freezing. Anyone need a beverage chilled? Links: Brian Mull gets you ready for Wilmington-Georgia State Hofstra’s Defiantly Dutch expresses his “dislike” for George Mason The best in the biz, Mike Litos rounds out tonight’s games Until next time, stay classy Northeastern and LET’S GO HUSKIES

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