Spring Break
Drexel hopes to continue success in CAA tourney
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Sports
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There have been many discussions regarding whether Drexel's resume is good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. This weekend, that won't matter if the Dragons win the CAA Tournament, which would give them an automatic bid to the Big Dance. I broke down an analysis of what I think is going to happen in the CAA Tournament that starts this March 3 for Drexel, when it faces the winner of Northeastern vs. Delaware. The matchups for the CAA Tournament, starting with the quarterfinals, include the following:
In Saturday's quarterfinals, No. 1 Virginia Commonwealth (24-6, 16-2 CAA) goes against the William & Mary-Georgia State winner, while No. 4 Drexel (22-7, 13-5 CAA) takes on the Northeastern-Delaware victor. The evening session features No. 2 Old Dominion (23-7, 15-3 CAA) against the Towson-UNC Wilmington winner, followed by No. 3 Hofstra (22-8, 14-4 CAA) versus the George Mason-James Madison winner. The semifinals are set for Sunday, with the championship game to take place Monday, March 5, on ESPN.
Out of any team in the tournament, it's hard to argue the fact that Drexel got the biggest break in the conference. Because Drexel is a No. 4 seed, it does not have to play Hofstra or Old Dominion until the championship game, and avoids playing George Mason in the quarterfinals. George Mason lost the tiebreaker to the Huskies and would face Hofstra in the quarterfinals, should it win. This is no easy matchup for Hofstra, seeing that Mason is from Virginia and should have a home-court advantage by playing in Richmond.
Meanwhile, Drexel swept the season series with both Northeastern and Delaware. The Blue Hens are the worst team in the CAA, but they did beat Hofstra and almost Drexel. When it comes to tournament time and it's a Drexel-Delaware matchup, anything can happen. The best scenario is that Northeastern wins and faces Drexel. The Huskies get a lot of scoring production, having four players averaging in double digits in scoring, but Drexel's defense will overcome that. Because of the atmosphere of the game, it may be close, but the Dragons should win this game.
In Saturday's quarterfinals, No. 1 Virginia Commonwealth (24-6, 16-2 CAA) goes against the William & Mary-Georgia State winner, while No. 4 Drexel (22-7, 13-5 CAA) takes on the Northeastern-Delaware victor. The evening session features No. 2 Old Dominion (23-7, 15-3 CAA) against the Towson-UNC Wilmington winner, followed by No. 3 Hofstra (22-8, 14-4 CAA) versus the George Mason-James Madison winner. The semifinals are set for Sunday, with the championship game to take place Monday, March 5, on ESPN.
Out of any team in the tournament, it's hard to argue the fact that Drexel got the biggest break in the conference. Because Drexel is a No. 4 seed, it does not have to play Hofstra or Old Dominion until the championship game, and avoids playing George Mason in the quarterfinals. George Mason lost the tiebreaker to the Huskies and would face Hofstra in the quarterfinals, should it win. This is no easy matchup for Hofstra, seeing that Mason is from Virginia and should have a home-court advantage by playing in Richmond.
Meanwhile, Drexel swept the season series with both Northeastern and Delaware. The Blue Hens are the worst team in the CAA, but they did beat Hofstra and almost Drexel. When it comes to tournament time and it's a Drexel-Delaware matchup, anything can happen. The best scenario is that Northeastern wins and faces Drexel. The Huskies get a lot of scoring production, having four players averaging in double digits in scoring, but Drexel's defense will overcome that. Because of the atmosphere of the game, it may be close, but the Dragons should win this game.
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