Spring Break
CAA Tournament up for the taking
Four wins away
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Sports
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No matter what pessimistic views fans and basketball analysts may have about the men's basketball team this season, the truth of the matter is that Drexel is only four wins away from going to the NCAA Tournament. I understand that last year was an entirely different story considering the Dragons were 23-7 last year heading into the semifinals of the CAA Tournament. Some analysts said if they were to win that game against VCU, they would be a sure lock to make the NCAA Tournament. Well, they lost and had to settle for a bid to the NIT Tournament.
Another year, another chance.
If Drexel can find some way to win four games this weekend, it will be the first time Drexel made the NCAA Tournament since the Malik Rose days in 1996. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No.
The good news for Drexel is that it is in the perfect situation to pull off upsets in the first two rounds of the CAA Tournament.
No. 7 Drexel will take on No. 10 Delaware in the first round of the tournament. Even though the Dragons outplayed the Blue Hens in both matchups during the regular season, they had to settle for a series split. If Drexel wants to beat Delaware again or make it deep in the tournament, it will need continued success from its big man Frank Elegar.
He had career-highs of 33 points and 17 rebounds in a 67-63 loss to the Blue Hens at the DAC Jan. 5 in addition to his 22 points and 12 rebounds he had in a 62-60 win at the Bob Carpenter Center Feb. 16.
Even more important than his physical and dominating play over Drexel's biggest rival is that just one loss will end his Drexel collegiate career. For a player that was named to the Preseason All-CAA First Team, this may be Elegar's last chance to prove he is the dominant force coaches expected him to be at the beginning of the season.
If Elegar is healthy, he could be the best player in the CAA Tournament, but it's difficult to tell which "Frank the Tank" we will see, who is averaging 13.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg on the season. On the plus side, he has put up 20-plus points in eight games and 10-plus rebounds in 10 games. On the other hand, he has scored less than 10 points in eight games and had six or less rebounds in 10 games.
As a team, however, the most important things for Drexel to focus on are taking good shots and limiting turnovers. The Dragons had almost 500 turnovers on the season, which averages out to about 16 per game. They also barely shot 40 percent from the field and 63 percent from the free throw line.
This season, the Dragons have typically started off hot, but lost their momentum due to open missed shots and forced passes that led to fast break points for the other team. If the Dragons do take early leads, they shouldn't stray away from what they are best at - applying defensive pressure and getting the ball to Elegar, especially against Delaware.
UNC-Wilmington, one of the hottest teams in the CAA, awaits the winner of the first-round matchup. The Seahawks have won 11 of their past 15 conference games, after losing two of their first three. The biggest threat the Seahawks pose against other teams is that they have so many different scoring options, as four players are averaging over 12 ppg.
T.J Carter (16.2), Todd Hendley (12.9), Daniel Fountain (12.9), and Vladimir Kuljanin (12.8) lead their offensive attack.
In the first and only game between Drexel and UNC-Wilmington, T.J. Carter had 18 points as he helped his team storm out to a 13-point lead. But Elegar's 21 points and 11 rebounds were enough to guide Drexel to a 10-point win.
At the time, both teams were 8-6. Since that game, UNC-Wilmington has gone 11-6, while Drexel has struggled going 4-13.
But once again, it only takes one loss to be eliminated from the CAA Tournament. Hot streaks and trends are great, but at the end of the day, if the team can't win, then none of it matters.
If Drexel found a way to beat Delaware and Northeastern, they would most likely play George Mason, who takes on the winner of No. 6 Northeastern and No. 11 James Madison in the quarterfinals. If Northeastern beats JMU, it could cause for an interesting matchup in the quarterfinals. The Patriots beat the Huskies by 28 Jan. 12, but lost to Northeastern by 11 in their final game of the season March 1.
Let's have some fun and say that Drexel will face Mason in the semifinals. Drexel could win, but the Patriots have such a deep team and their experience would play a major role against the Dragons, who only have two seniors.
Mason beat Drexel by double digits winning by 47 and 10 on Nov. 29 and Feb. 7 respectively. Playing in Virginia doesn't help Drexel's cause either.
The teams in the other bracket are No. 1 VCU, No. 4 Old Dominion, No. 5 William & Mary, No. 8 Hofstra, No. 9 Towson and No. 12 Georgia St. VCU is without question the favorite and has possibly the best clutch player in the league in Eric Maynor. If Drexel were to play the Rams in the CAA Finals, there would be a lot of interesting storylines occurring for Drexel.
For one, Drexel would have a chance to avenge its loss from last season's CAA Tourney. Secondly, Jim Tucker would probably send several buses down to Richmond for the final game.
Most importantly, it would give seniors Elegar and Randy Oveneke an opportunity to close out their seasons on an incredible note. Some people reading this may think it's ridiculous to mention the thought of Drexel being in the CAA Championship, especially considering many see this season as a down year for the Dragons.
But maybe Bruiser Flint has a few tricks up his sleeve. Maybe Elegar is saving the best part of his career for his last CAA Tournament. And maybe by the time you get a chance to read this article, the tournament will have ended.
There are too many potential scenarios that can be analyzed. But there is one fact that still remains - the Drexel Dragons are only four wins away from the NCAA Tournament.
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